The Centralian Advocate Fri 28 May 2021
Centralian Advocate; NewspaperNT
2021-05-28
Made available via the Publications (Legal Deposit) Act 2004 (NT).
English
Community newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Alice Springs; Tennant Creek (N.T.) -- Newspapers; Alice Springs (N.T.) -- Newspapers; Australia, Central -- Newspapers
News Corp Australia
Darwin
Copyright. Made available by the publisher under licence.
News Corp Australia
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/838630
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/838631
Celine Chen, James Goffman and Jacob Rawlings relax before teeing off in this year's NT Classic. Picture: Grey Morris THEY say golf is a game for all ages, and for a trio of young guns from around Australia, that will be the case at Darwin Golf Club this week. Three youngsters with low handicaps are among 190 hopefuls ready to tackle the 18-hole layout and a class field of golfers over three days of competition in the 54-hole NT Classic. Palmerston golfer Jacob Rawlings expects some hot opposition on a course he has played on a few times. The 13-year-old will play off a six handicap in a field containing several big names from interstate and across the NT. Lachlan Jones from the Concord club in Sydney, Kerryn Heaver and Leigh Shacklady from Alice Springs and Brock Oliver from Pelican Waters in Queensland are big chances. Another young player with high ambitions is 17year-old James Goffman from Royal Queensland, the club that produced Australian stars Greg Norman and Adam Scott. Its my first time in Darwin and Im loving it already, he said. The fairways are wide and the greens are pretty quick, but its been a good challenge in the two rounds Ive played. Celine Chen is another first timer on the Northlakes course. The 15-year-old from the Joondalup club in Perth is confident of a good showing. Her plus-one handicap indicates she will be in the mix when the prizes are handed out in a womens field containing rising NT star Katelyn Rika and Territorian Alizza Hetherington, who is now based at the prestigious Royal Melbourne club. GREY MORRIS TRIO ON COURSE TO EXCEL 46 SPORT FRIDAY MAY 28 2021 Her pro desire is in full swing REIGNING Darwin Open womens golf champion Katelyn Rika is a young player in a hurry. The 19-year-old Gove product has just returned from the US as part of a four-year golf scholarship with Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma. The 2015, 17 and 18 NT Junior Masters champion is already planning a professional career in a 12-year golf story that began on the green fairways of Gove. Always looking at ways to improve her game in order to reach the elite level, Rika readily said her game is still in the early stages, despite a successful junior career. Im really hoping Ive got a long way to go and its why Im definitely not at my peak right now, she said. The reason I went over to America was to improve my golf, with the aim being to reach the professional level. Now Ive been in America I know what is required and its been a lot of fun and hard work trying to improve in a lot of areas of my game. The only problem, I guess, will be completing my bachelor of psychology if I do turn pro, because Ill have to defer if I become a full-time player. So the plan is to complete my degree then turn pro after the four-year scholarship. The seven-year-old kid who followed her uncle Kevin Gentle to the golf course a dozen years ago is on track to join Karrie Webb, Minjee Lee and Jan Stephenson as Australian womens golfs pin-up players. GREY MORRIS Not all services and prod roducts may be ordered. Bunnings Group Limited ucts featured are available in all stores, but p