GOLF
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DUNTRYLEAGUE’S James Conran avenged his play-off defeat at the hands of Jones Comerford in last year’s Wentworth Junior Classic by claiming the 2016 title on Sunday, in a second slightly bizarre finish in as many years.
Last year, they both eagled the first play-off hole - Conran did so by chipping in at the par four first - before Comerford claimed a win on the second sudden-death hole.
This year, the pair headed to the 17th tee tied for the lead at three over with another play-off looking likely.
That was until Comerford triple-bogeyed the 195-metre par three. Conran parred it, then birdied the 18th to finish with 72 off the stick, three shots in front of the Dubbo gun.
“It was still a pretty interesting finish,” Wentworth professional Todd Brakenridge said.
“Jimmy Conran probably hadn’t played here for a few years, and from what I hear he played pretty well. I think it was always going to come down to those two really, they have a pretty good little rivalry going on.
“Someone like James Gleeson was a contender as well but would’ve had to play really well to knock them off.”
In falling short of the 18-hole boys’ scratch championship Comerford did become the schoolboy champion, a small silver lining.
Bathurst’s Casey Thompson claimed the girls’ scratch championship while Dubbo’s Ella Murray won the schoolgirl title.
“It was a really good day of golf actually,” Brakenridge said.
“It was our biggest turnout in quite a few years which was really encouraging. It was a nice day for golf but the pin placements were tricky in places.
“[Duntryleague professional] John [Furze] and I have both been really trying to get more kids involved in golf so it was good to see so many here, and so many travelling.
“Although a lot of them were four, five and six years old, but that’s why we also held six and nine-hole competitions as well, which were really successful.”