Tāneatua's Young Golf Sensations Swing Alongside Clubroom Pros in Tauranga Junior Pro-Am

Three rising golf talents from Tāneatua recently had the chance to play alongside professionals at The Clubroom Junior Pro-Am in Tauranga. Bayleigh Teepa-Tarau, Pedro Robinson, and Lincoln Reneti are making waves in New Zealand's golf community, especially Bayleigh, who has autism and recently won the national Zespri Aims Games nine-hole championship using borrowed clubs. Remarkably, he had only played three games prior to the win.

The young golfers, who come from a small rural area without a golf course, have inspired many and received generous donations to help them advance in the sport. They joined the Junior Pro-Am event at Tauranga Golf Course last Wednesday, an event designed to give young players a chance to play with some of New Zealand's top golfers.

The Junior Pro-Am serves as a warm-up to the Carrus Tauranga Open and is part of the Jennian Homes Charles Tour. This year, the event saw its largest turnout yet, with 12 teams of young golfers participating. Carson Van Asselt of The Clubroom Tauranga highlighted the event's growth and its role in inspiring young players to improve their skills.

The Tāneatua trio were special invitees to the tournament, having received golf clubs donated by The Clubroom earlier this month. Whetu Wiremu, a teacher aide at Tāneatua School, said the boys have been thrilled since their Aims Games victory and were excited to use their new clubs among the pros. The experience, he noted, was invaluable for their development and enthusiasm for the sport.

The event used an ambrose format, where each player tees off and the group chooses the best shot to play from next. Local professionals like Josh Geary and Kieran Muir praised the boys' performance and encouraged them to keep enjoying the game.

Bayleigh and Pedro both expressed their enjoyment of the tournament, with Pedro noting how "cool as" it was to participate. Kieran Muir summed up the sentiment, saying, "We all started somewhere. It's good to be able to get out there, have fun with them and be social. That's the key."