A year since a gaping hole was left in his life, Sydney professional Ewan Porter is about to fulfil a long-held dream to stage a junior golf tournament and memorialise his late father.
The inaugural Junior 6’s Invitational tees off at Cronulla Golf Club on Monday 7 October as one of the most innovative tournaments for teenage golfers in Australia. What makes Porter’s two-day tournament so unique is the mixed-field concept of boys and girls, a hybrid format (stroke and matchplay) as well as huge rewards for the two winners in the form of tour invites.
Born and raised in the Sutherland Shire in Sydney’s south, Porter retired from professional golf in 2013. A two-time winner on the now Korn Ferry Tour, the 37-year-old has made a successful transition into golf broadcasting in America and Europe.
Porter started playing golf around the age of 11 and joined Cronulla Golf Club as a 12-year-old. His former club pennant teammates included Scott and Jamie Arnold, and Aron Price, all of who forged careers as touring pros.
During those early years it was tournaments run by Jack Newton Junior Golf (JNJG) that left a lasting impression on Porter. They planted the seed to one day host a junior tournament.
The catalyst for The Junior 6’s was the passing of Ewan’s father on 29 September last year. Norm Porter was a big supporter of junior sport, caddieing for his son at tournaments, and Ewan wanted to create the sort of opportunity like those he once enjoyed.
Father’s Day here in Australia today. First one without the old man. It’s tough, no question, but every day that’s passed since Dad left us, has been an opportunity to celebrate what a legend he was. A great legacy from an extremely charismatic individual. 🙌❤️🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/FppcZ9Q4JN
— Ewan Porter (@ewanports) August 31, 2019
Initially, Porter reached out to Cronulla Golf Club to host a junior tournament. Subsequently, JNJG partnered with the event and assistance has also come from Golf NSW, PGA of Australia, Australian Ladies Professional Golf as well as supporters such as Mirvac, South Village and Titleist.
Porter says he’s lost count of the hours devoted to getting the 6’s off the ground: “It’s been every single day, even whilst I’ve been overseas, getting up at ridiculous hours to communicate.”
The fields for the 6’s are capped at 36 boys and 36 girls with a handicap limit of 4. They will play 18 holes of strokeplay on the Monday afternoon and another 18 on the Tuesday morning. The top eight then play six-hole matches against one another – quarter-final, semi-final and final – to decide the champions. Potentially, the winners could play up to 54 holes (not including extra holes).
Big rewards are on offer. The PGA Tour of Australasia has granted the boys’ champion entry into the 2019 NSW Open and 2019 Gippsland Super 6. The girls’ winner receives invitations from ALPG to compete in the 2020 NSW Women’s Open and 2020 Canberra Classic.
“Four tour exemptions is unheard of,” says Porter who expects to attract an array of elite junior talent given the 6’s immediately follows this week’s Jack Newton International Junior Classic in the Hunter Valley.
Current Australian junior champions Elvis Smylie and Hye Park have entered as well as rising stars Harrison Crowe (NSW) and Cassie Porter (Qld).
