Hallie off to San Diego to take on world’s top juniors

ROYAL Hobart Golf Club junior Hallie Meaburn departs on Friday to contest the IMG Academy Junior World Championship in San Diego, California.

Meaburn will be teeing up in the event’s 13-14 age group division alongside NSW’s Emily Martin.

The event will be held at The Country Club of Rancho Bernardo from July 11-13.

Victoria’s Alizza Hetherington and Gabriela Ruffels, and Amy Chu and Hannah Park, from NSW, will vie for the girls’ 15-18 age group title. Victoria’s Andre Lautee, South Australia’s Jackson Kalz and NSW’s Jordie Garner will contest the boys’ 15-18 division.

Founded in 1968, the IMG Academy Junior World Championship has grown to more than 1200 participants representing 56 countries. APPLICATIONS are being accepted for Golf Tasmania’s tier three state home highperformance program.

The Golf Tasmania program aims to provide greater opportunities for developing players to access resources generally only available within elite player programs. Applicants will have a variety of playing standards and may progress through tiers two and one of the state and national high-performance programs.

As well as additional development opportunities, mem- bers will be eligible for state and national team selection.

The Golf Tasmania home high-performance squads will come under the guidance of Golf Australia national coachTasmania Christian Rainey. Applications available at www.golftasmania.org.au and should be completed and returned before July 14.

Contact Christian Rainey on 0407 852 645. RYAN McCarthy was in action last week on the European Challenge Tour in the SSE Scottish Hydro Challenge in Aviemore, Scotland. The 27year-old Tasmanian touring professional shot rounds of 75, 66, 68 and 73 to finish tied for 33rd at the Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Club.

The Burnie-born Buenos Aires resident carded 16 birdies, 12 bogeys and one doublebogey for his two-under-par total of 282. McCarthy and Victoria’s Ben Eccles were the leading Australians in the event, with Eccles carding 73, 68, 72 and 69.

England’s Richard McEvoy won the $375,000 event by four strokes from fellow countryman James Heath.

McEvoy won his second European Challenge Tour event after returning rounds of 70, 65, 67 and 66, a 16-underpar total of 268.

The top 15 players at the end of the Challenge Tour season will graduate to the European Tour with McCarthy currently placed 98th on 6625 points. If you have a news item you would like to contribute to this column, please forward to admin@golftasmania.org.au