The Royal Malta Golf Club recently held the fifth edition of the International Junior competition , designed to ensure gender equality, with the best boys and girls in each category receiving equal recognition. Additionally, an under-21 category was introduced this year, attracting participation from seven boys and one girl.
Despite challenging weather conditions, with rain on the first day and gusting winds on the second day, the players gave their best over the three-day event. Out of 189 scores, only nine were at par or better for the course, and only one aggregate score was under par for the course. Nevertheless, the tournament saw some impressive performances, with the best girl entry, Nina Holzenbein, scoring +3.7, and the best registered boy, Lasse Bonig, scoring +3.9.
In the under-21 categories, Nina Foldhazi-Nagy from Hungary won the girls’ category by default, while Rene Bergendi from Slovakia emerged victorious in the boys’ category. The under-18 girls’ category saw Turkey’s Deniz Sapmaz claim first place, with a comfortable seven-shot margin over Germany’s Nina Holzenbein. The under-18 boys’ category was closely contested, with Jonas Rother from Germany eventually winning by three shots over Eric Casademont Vinyoles from Spain.
Finally, Hugh Zhang, a local player, won the best net score prize, playing five over his handicap over the fifty-four holes. The organizers thanked the sponsors, volunteers, and all who helped to make the tournament a success. Congratulations to all the winners, and we look forward to the next edition of this exciting event!
