By JARROD POTTER
STRIKING cleanly a 172-metre drive would be the envy of a lot of young golfers around the South-East suburbs.
Hitting the ball that sweetly at 10-years-old is a whole other level of achievement – and something rarely seen in junior golf.
That is until Don Bosco Primary School student Kay Bannan steps up to the tee.
The 10-year-old from Skye has secured her spot on the School Sports Victoria Under-12 Girl’s Golf team on the back of an incredible rise through the ranks.
Picking up a golf club for the first time a few years ago, Bannan has scorched competition in the junior and senior ranks – playing for Southern Golf Course in Dingley.
Her abilities have already earned the rising star a number of awards – winning the Stuart Appleby Junior Golf Medal of Medallions for best junior golfer in 2012, an under-14 champion at 13th Beach and playing a number of interclub and pennant matches against older opposition and consistently winning.
She played under-21 pennant team for Southern last year when she was only nine-years-old and currently represents the club’s senior women’s team – remaining undefeated throughout the winter season.
Her dreams are as strong as her huge drives – Bannan wants to go professional with her golf one day and emulate the likes of Karrie Webb and Annika Sorenstam to become a world champion.
“I feel it’s really good as I’m young and they’ve been playing that much more than me,” Bannan said.
“I want to become a professional (play on the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour) and become a world champ.”
With a handicap of 21, which she hopes to get down to 10 by the end of summer, Bannan is setting hard challenges to prove herself to be one of Australia’s best emerging junior golfers.
Bannan will represent Victoria at the School Sport Australia 12-years-and-under Golf Championships, held on the Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria from 10-14 November.
