Daily Mail World Junior Golf Championship 2024
The second edition of the World Junior Golf Championship (WJGC) took place in Spain between 20th and 22nd February 2024, where over 250 players from 36 countries competed in the event sponsored by the Daily Mail, and juniors from nine different nationalities were crowned champions.
We may well have found a new home for the WJGC, as the simply breathtaking Anantara Villa Padierna Palace Resort (Marbella) hosted the event, with their magnificent hotel and two stunning courses providing the perfect venue for this major tournament on the junior golf calendar.
The 5* hotel is second to none, while the Alferini and Flamingos Courses provided arguably the sternest test that we have put in front of the juniors to date, to make for a memorable week for all.
The weather in southern Spain could not have been better – beautifully sunny and warm conditions – although the wind did pick up on the third day to add some spice to the final round.
We had two holes-in-one, one on each course, and an albatross on Alferini, along with plenty of birdies and eagles, a 6-hole sudden-death playoff, and some incredible scoring to cement the growing reputation of this event. Well done, everyone!
We also welcomed a new title sponsor this year in the shape of the Daily Mail, and what a difference this has made – the opportunity for the juniors to have their name in print is priceless.
WAGR Overall Rankings
Sam Marshall topped the boys’ combined leaderboard, adding to his existing WAGR total, with the result moving him up by around 550 places in the standings, while Jorja Newbold headed the girls’ combined table to claim her first WAGR ranking.
Sam won the Boys 16-18 Division with a 54-hole total of 216 and Jorja took the Girls 16-18 title with a total of 231.
Notable Shots
Oban Webber – Hole-In-One: 14th Hole (Day 2; Alferini)
Fraser Mackenzie – Albatross – Par 5: 4th Hole (Day 1; Alferini)
Oliver McNamara – Hole-In-One: 4th Hole (Day 3; Flamingos)
Putting Competition Results
Total distance from the hole for two putts
7&Under
Winner: Gonzalo Bernal Suarez (1090 mm)
Runner-Up: Ihan Yoon (1282 mm)
8-9
Winner: Cayssi Dunlop (1240 mm)
Runner-Up: Yorick de Hek (1348 mm)
10-11
Winner: Maybel Brooks (500 mm)
Runner-Up: Alex Pomerleau (648 mm)
12-13
Winner: William Finlay (621 mm)
Runner-Up: Marie Malhomme (780 mm)
14-15
Winner: Armaan Gawde (984 mm)
Runner-Up: Laura Czastka (1091 mm)
16-18
Winner: Austin Scott (190 mm)
Runner-Up: Cameron Bewley-Doyle (1225 mm)
Boys 16-18 - Champion - Sam Marshall (England)
Sam (216) secured a 4-shot victory, with a brilliant 69 on Day 2 putting him in control over Roy Willemsen (220), who couldn’t catch Sam on the final day, and Oliver Toyer (225), who grabbed third place with a countback decision over Ayden Knight.
Girls 16-18 - Champion - Jorja Newbold (England)
Jorja (231) headed the field by a commanding 11 shots, opening with a fine 74 that gave her the perfect start, ahead of Frederika Rychtarikova (242), who ended with a 74 to rue a difficult start, while Olivia Vivas Trevino (244) completed the podium places in third.
Boys 14-15 - Champion - Christian Photin (Denmark)
A Danish one-two, as Christian and his best friend, Noah Lundskaer, ended the week tied at the top on 232. Christian took the Daily Mail WJGC title at the first extra playoff hole, meaning that Noah settled for the silver trophy, with Hannarah Choi (237) taking third place and the bronze trophy.
Girls 14-15 - Champion - Maisie Whittall (England)
Maisie (243) required a birdie at the first extra playoff hole to get the better of Matilde Modesti (243) to take the Daily Mail WJGC title, while Mia Ingham (255) came home in third place.
Boys 12-13 - Champion - Fraser Walters (Scotland)
Fraser (213) defended his 2023 WJGC title with another impressive display that included the low round of the week (68) on Day 2 to finish 8 shots clear of Dean Janssens (221) in the runner-up position and Sebastian Aigner (226), who came third and took the final trophy place.
Girls 12-13 - Champion - Sabrina Wong (Hong Kong)
Sabrina (217) secured the title with three impressively consistent rounds, to finish clear of Mariella Buchanan (226) in second, who also had a very consistent week, while Francisca Ferreira Da Costa (231) took third place and the bronze trophy.
Boys 10-11- Champion - Skyy Wilding (Thailand)
Skyy (216) went one place better in 2024, taking top spot this time with a 5-shot victory over Victor Kornienko (221), who took home the silver trophy for second, while Adit Veeramachaneni (222) completed the podium just a single shot further back.
Girls 10-11 - Champion - Sofia Gamilla Karpa (Spain)
Sofia (228) defended her WJGC title but only after an incredible 6-hole playoff with Shania Breinholder (228), who just lost out on gold but still had a fantastic week in the silver position. They finished 11 shots clear of Stella Walters (239), who added a bronze trophy to the impressive family collection.
Boys 8-9 - Champion - Dmitrii Elchaninov (Russian Federation)
Dmitrii (207) was another player to defend his 2023 title with a superb display of golf, starting and ending with rounds of 68 to finish 15 shots ahead of his nearest rival, Henry Atkinson (222), who had a fantastic first WJGC to take home the silver trophy. Diego Gross Peneque (223) took bronze just one shot further adrift.
Girls 8-9 - Champion - Ella Kenny (Ireland)
Ella (245) overcame an 8-shot deficit going into the final round to claim the victory by a single shot over Teagan Tudla (246), who narrowly missed out to finish second, while Sana Kojima (252) ended the week with a podium finish in third.
Boys 7/Under - Champion - Louie Goh (England)
Louie (166) added another World Junior Title to his collection, having taken the 6&Under IMG Academy JWC in 2023. Louie finished five shots ahead of Nihaal Cheema (171), who grabbed second place by the narrowest of margins on countback from Gonzalo Bernal Suarez (171) after a final round of 1-shot better.
Girls 7/Under - Champion - Glory-Lily Hong (Germany)
Glory-Lily (173) topped the standings with three solid rounds that gave her a clear 10-stroke margin over Amelia Sandhu (183) in second place, while Charlotte Johnston-Aucamp (226) finished the week in third place.
And last, but not least, thank you so much to our sponsors and supporters…
The staff at Anantara Villa Padierna Palace Resort were superb hosts, and the Alferini and Flamingos Courses provided an ideal and stern test, worthy of the Daily Mail World Junior Golf Championship! Special thanks must go to Andreas, Jorge, and the whole golf team for all their help during the week, along with Mar and the hotel team for looking after us and all the players so well.
Daily Mail - We are incredibly grateful to the Daily Mail for their support of this event, and we hope that this relationship continues for many years to come, as we look to grow the event together.
Envision Signage & Print - Many thanks to Chris and the team, the 1st tee boards and banners looked amazing and gave the players a real taste of professional golf!
Malaga Removals - Our thanks go to Jonathon for shipping all the equipment to, and from, Spain - great, reliable service that we couldn’t do without.
Titleist for their support with the prizes for the winners, many thanks!
Future Champions Golf - Our thanks also to Future Champions Golf for offering all division winners a spot in the 2024 FCG Callaway World Championship in California, in July!
Details of the 2025 event will be released after the European Open in France at the end of July.
We look forward to seeing you back at Villa Padierna in 2025 – for now, please save the dates: 17-21 February!
In the meantime, the BJGT will be kicking-off its UK season on the 4th April and will be bringing you over 25 events between April and October in England. The full schedule is available on the BJGT website.
