The Dunes Medal: Carl Banner and Molly Mclean secure individual titles

Carl Banner of England finished 1-under to win the men’s individual title by a margin of five strokes at The Dunes Medal at the Dunes Golf Club on the Mornington Peninsula.

Banner carded rounds of 66-77-68-76 for the tournament. Ben Henkel from Victoria, Australia, shot 71-75-75-71 to finish T2 at 4-over.

Despite holding the opening round lead with an impressive 66, Banner faced a setback in the second round, slipping to a fourth-place position with a score of 77. However, he swiftly rebounded in the third round, carding a 68 to surge ahead by 10 strokes.

Banner entered the final round with a commanding 10-shot lead at 5-under 221, leaving Henkel trailing at 5-over 221. Later, he added a 76 to finish five shots ahead of Henkel. The final round seemed almost like a formality as Banner cruised to victory.

The men’s division saw participation from 93 top amateurs, with 56 making the cut.

In the women's division, Molly Mclean, the reigning 2022 South Australian Junior Amateur champion, posted rounds of 75-80-79-73, bringing her total to 19-over. This tied her with Shanaiah Fernando, who carded 73-81-78-85. The deadlock led to an intense playoff, where Mclean ultimately secured the win after a compelling two-hole contest.

The women’s division had a total of 23 participants competing for the coveted title.

The tournament's past champions include Jason Day in 2005 and Hannah Green in 2014, both of whom have gone on to win major championships.