FOOTY may be Jake Miller’s first love, but golf sits a very close second.
The 15-year-old from Werribee is the son of a golf professional and has had a club in his hand since the age of six.
The left-hander’s first venture to the Mildura Golf Resort was a successful one after posting rounds of 75 and an even par 72 off the stick to claim the Mildura Junior Open this week.
Miller finished ahead of Riverside Golf Club’s Josh Furey who recorded rounds of 81 and 79, while Coomealla duo James Clay and Joel Doherty and Mildura’s Cameron Smith all had impressive first rounds all scoring 80.
After his friend and fellow competitor Sonny Holden signed up for the Mildura Junior Open, Miller, who was a Victorian junior football representative, decided to follow suit.
“The golf course was really good, I’d never played there before but I enjoyed the experience,” he said.
“It’s the kind of course where you just had to hit the fairway, the front nine reminded me a lot of Werribee, and there’s a of chances for birdies.
“I was a bit nervous for the second actually because I sent my first tee shot into the pool, but I was able to recover from that thankfully and finished with a couple of birdies.”
While football will be Miller’s focus, he admitted he will always have golf with his dad and brother heavily involved in the sport.
“Golf will always be there and I’ll always play where I can,” he said.
Event organiser Garth Doherty said Monday and Tuesday’s event was well received with 38 junior golfers taking part.
The Open was part of a concerted push for more junior golf events following the inaugural four-day Junior Golf Week back in April and the 18-hole Robinvale Junior Open in July.
“It was fantastic, the kids were great across the whole thing and showed a really good attitude out on the course,” Doherty said.
“The plan is to add a few new events in going forward, but most of the energy will probably go into developing the golf week.
“I think one of the aspects that most overlooked about our region is how many fantastic golf courses we have and how accessible they really are.
“Players can hit four courses in four days and face totally different challenges, while it’s also an opportunity to show people from out of town just how good the golf is here.”
