Golf Vic Vol 60 No 1

Amid the flurry of activity preparing for a three-way playoff in a howling southerly and heavy showers, Jasper Stubbs made one critical decision. He summoned younger sister Piper to pull his buggy for the duel with South Australians Will Arnold and Jack Buchanan up the 18th hole at Barwon Heads that would decide the Junior Vic Open. The brother-sister duo clinched the title – and a start for Jasper in the Vic Open at neighbouring 13th Beach – when he tapped in for par on the second playoff hole to edge out Arnold after Buchanan was eliminated on the first extra hole. "We know each other's game fairly well and that's why I asked her," Jasper said of his call-up to Piper. "The last shot into the last green, she told me rather than go right up to the back (of the green), play it a bit shorter. I had been leaning more towards a full nine-iron. "I saw Will's go through the back of the green and that indicated that the wind wasn't affecting the shots as much being down in the swale where we were (for approach shots)." The soft nine settled almost pin-high left, leaving a five-metre putt from the edge of the green that he lagged down and tapped in for the winning par. Stubbs, captain of the state boys team last year, also overcame the disadvantage of sitting in the clubhouse for more than an hour before being told to get ready for the playoff. "Last time I checked the leaderboard, I thought I might finish top- five or get a place on the podium. When I came in, everyone had fallen back a bit," he said. "Because the rain came on the last few holes, I didn't get the chance to go out (to the practice range or putting green). I just tried to stay dry and keep my clubs dry. "I’d had the best round of the guys in the playoff, so I was fairly confident with how I had finished. "This was my best finish in a junior tournament and it was nice that it had the Vic Open start with it," the 17-year-old fromHuntingdale said. "I'd wanted to play it (Vic Open) the last couple of years. I've been coming down to watch it at the weekend and to be able to play with those guys is awesome." Although he missed the cut in the Vic Open, the experience was the highlight of a busy summer that included the Junior Vic Open, the Victorian Junior Masters at Spring Valley, another amateur event in South Australia and the Australian Amateur championships before returning to the Bellarine Peninsula. Piper was co-leader of the girls’ Junior Vic Open after a three-under opening round just 24 hours after stepping off a plane from New Major champion Michael Campbell inspired many New Zealanders to play golf. Among them – although she moved to Australia when she was one – is his niece. Caitlyn Campbell-Nyman was prominent on the leaderboard at the Victorian Junior Masters at Spring Valley after a one-under second round before falling back in the final round to finish 12th. The 16-year-old was smitten with the game as a toddler after a visit to Queensland by her famous uncle for the Australian PGA championship. "I watched him when I was three or four when he played at Coolum. I just absolutely loved it," she said. Michael Campbell, who runs a golf academy in Spain, returned to tournament golf to play the 100th New Zealand Open in February and get ready to reboot his career on the world's seniors tours. "I texted him last year. I was five or six shots off the lead and he gave me some advice on how to keep it going," Caitlyn said. But Caitlyn, who plays off one at Pacific Golf Club in Brisbane and has applied for Australian citizenship is yet to watch film of Campbell's victory in the 2005 US Open. "I actually haven't seen it, but I've been told by all my family what happened against Tiger Woods. It sounds pretty epic," she said. Caitlyn Campbell-Nyman Jasper Stubbs Caitlyn Campbell-Nyman: Family Tradition Jasper Stubbs: Junior Vic Open Champion "I still thought I was a chance three back. With the (Junior) Vic Open, there were people falling back (late in the final round) and I thought I could hang in there. With three straight birdies to start the back nine, I thought I might be a chance but a couple of unlucky putts stopped the momentum. "I came into this tournament thinking top-20 would be a great result for me. I can't thank the Cranbourne Golf Club enough for all the training and support." Ryan, 17, is another promising young player trying to follow the lead of clubmate David Micheluzzi who's now ranked among the world's top 10 amateurs. "He plays Saturday comp every week. And he runs our pennant training sessions. I've had a couple of games with him," Ryan said. 34 Golf Victoria