Fifty-six talented junior golfers from clubs throughout NSW and interstate teed off at the Stonecutters Ridge Golf Club on September 29, in the Jack Newton Foundation-sanctioned Stonecutters Ridge Junior Classic.
Six players from the Blue Mountains were in action on the day, being Aiden Cullen, Harry Daniels and Chazz Ritchie from Wentworth Falls Country Club, Ben Watson from Springwood Golf Club and Ben Crilley (Blaxland East) and Zachary Lange (Blaxland) from Leonay Golf Club.
Unfortunately, none of the Blue Mountains group were able to claim victory, unable to match the scorching round of Leonay GC's Eric Summers.
Fourteen-year old Eric was the star player of the tournament, scorching around the demanding Quakers Hill layout with a stroke round of 77, just 5 shots over par.
Playing off a handicap of 16 on the day, Eric was simply unstoppable, despite hitting a road block late in his round with a triple bogey on the 16th hole.
He shook off the one-hole aberration, closing with back-to-back pars and a runaway 6-shot victory.
Ritchie was the best-placed of the Blue Mountains group, finishing in 16th position with a nett score of 72, ahead of Crilley 79, Cullen 80, Watson 89 and Daniels on 101. Lange did not return his card.
Thirty-one players in the field were on single figure handicaps and that statistic underlines the enormous depth of junior talent coming up through the ranks of NSW Golf.