Classic winners - where are they now?
Winners of the Cameron Smith Junior Classic, which tees off again next week at Wantima Country Club, are now forging careers across the world.
Some have turned professional, others hope to follow. Some are starring for US colleges, others have won in Europe and Australia.
Here's a look at the boys' and girls' champions from the eight previous stagings of the Cameron Smith Junior Classic.
2017
Lion Higo - Winner of the first CSJC Girls’ title in 2017, has recently turned professional after passing the Japan Ladies Professional Golfers’ Association Pro Test.
She posted on Instagram: “I was able to get through the JLPGA Pro Test and am excited to take the next step! So thankful to have such amazing people by my side through it all!”
This year Lion won the 2025 Women’s Australian Master of the Amateurs World Cup with Sarah Hammett, was eighth at the Australian Women’s Amateur Championships and seventh in the Webex Players Series Victoria.
She was at Pepperdine University in Los Angeles, majoring in sports medicine and making the All-WCC (West Coast Conference) first team in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
Lion was also the 2022-23 WCC Player of the Year, made the All-WCC first team again and was named in the WGCA (Women’s Golf Coaches Association) All-American second team.
That year she shot a course record eight under 64 in the second round of the WCC Championships at Gold Mountain Olympic Course.
Lion tied third in Pepperdine’s records for lowest round, had seven top 120 finishes and 11 top 20 finishes – the latter equalling Pepperdine’s record for a single season.
Before going State-side, she won the 2021 Australian Master of the Amateurs and in 2020 the Queensland Women’s Amateur title while finishing sixth at the Australian Women’s Amateur.
Higo won the Northern Territory Ladies Classic, Australian School Sports National Championships, was in the Queensland Girls’ team 2017-20 and state women’s team 2019. As an amateur she hit a career-low 62 at the Victoria Golf Club.
Tyler Duncan - The first CSJC Boys’ winner in 2017, turned professional last year, but has now reportedly stepped away from the game.
Tyler secured his PGA Australasia Tour card after tying for seventh at qualifying school 18 months ago which earned PGA of Australia membership for 2025.
It came months after shooting a remarkable 13-under-par round of 57 at Nudgee Golf Club in a Bulka-Medley Multi Tee Single tournament.
Accepting a late invitation to play, Tyler's round included three eagles, six birdies, pars on the last three holes and a putt on the first “lipping out”.
Tyler also finished tied fourth in the 2023 Masters of the Amateurs tournament.
He spent a scholarship week with Cameron Smith in Florida playing at the famous TPC Sawgrass course, home of the “fifth major” The Players Championship.
2018
Chloe (Gayeon) Nam – the 2018 CSJC Girls’ winner, turned professional and is playing on the Secondary Tour in South Korea – chasing her dream of making the main tour.
She recently tied for 16th at the KLPGA Dream Tour’s 12th tournament, tied 15th in the year’s opening event. In qualifying she had 1st, 4th, 12th and 17th place finishes from six events.
Chloe recorded her first professional win in 2021 lifting a KLPGA Jump Tour (South Korean third tier) event.
She won by two strokes after rounds of 67 and 65 and a 12-under-par total, moving from tied fourth overnight to top spot.
That gave her full professional status, as a KLPGA member, in 2022 and in 2023 she joined the Dream Tour (second tier).
Chloe came to the Gold Coast in 2014 to study at St Stephen's College and joined the ANK High-Performance Junior Program.
Among many tournament wins was the 2021 Australian Junior Age Championship by seven shots.
Mitchell Hennessy - won the CSJC boys' title in 2018 and played for another two months before taking up a golf operations position at Meadowbrook Golf Club, while studying full-time at the University of Queensland.
Mitchell said it enabled him to "continue my passion for the game and create many lifelong connections with colleagues, PGA Professionals and members".
He graduated from UQ after four years and is now an Associate - Audit and Assurance for Grant Thornton in Brisbane.
2019
Kortni Houston – The 2019 CSJC girls’ champion, who said winning at Wantima was "the best day”, is winning in Australia and overseas.
She was recently in South Africa finishing second at the Devondale Boland International Junior Open with a three-round total of 228.
The 15-year-old has had 18 age and tournament wins in 12 months including at the ACT Week of Golf, Brett Ogle Junior Masters and Cooma Open.
She won the 14-15 years division and was second overall at the Wagga Wagga Junior Masters and South Coast Junior Masters – and won club and junior titles at Gungahlin Lakes.
Last year, Kortni competed in her first professional event, the NSW Open regional qualifier at Wagga Wagga finishing 28th and was selected for the ACT Junior State team.
In 2023 she made the WA Junior squad, won the Mt Lawley Division One Pennant team event and is the Lakeland Ladies Club Champion.
She also beat the 2021 and 2022 champions at the WA Amateur Matchplay in March that year – the latter in a play-off at the first hole.
Houston won the 2022 Rockingham Junior Bowl and Salver with a gross 71 and was nett winner at the Bowra and O’Dea Women’s Classic, her first 72-hole event.
Before moving west, she won the 2021 overall stableford in the Queensland Junior Point Series, the Mixed Foursomes and was at the Gold Coast Academy of Sport.
Andrew Park (Southport) - The 2019 CSJC Boys’ winner, has been steadily building on that success in both Australia and the US.
Andrew joined the New Mexico Junior College Thunderbirds in 2023, starting with second places at the USW Fall Invitational and Andrews Collegiate followed by third at the Waco River Classic.
As a freshman he helped Thunderbirds with the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Championship
As a second-year student (sophomore), Andrew and his teammates have finished first, third and fourth in 2024-25 tournaments.
Last year, at all ages events in Australia, he was 22nd in the NextGen Amateur Tour Pelican waters, 27th in the tour’s Newcastle event and 32nd in the Australian Master of Amateurs,
In 2022 Park won the Adidas Golf Junior 6s Tour event in Newcastle. In the US he took second at the USW Fall Invitational and seventh in the Waco River Classic.
He also won the 18-20 years division of the Gary Player Classic at Pacific Golf Club with a final round 70 and birdie on the last to edge out overnight leader Manato Nakatani.
2020
Justice Bosio (Caboolture Golf Club) – Justice won the 2020 CSJC Girls’ title, is now professional and carving out a career in Europe.
Justice turned pro in October 2024, joined the WPGA Tour of Australasia and was second in the 2025 Webex Players Series Sydney.
The 21-year-old also won the Ladies European Tour (LET) Q-School pre-qualifier and joined the LET Assess Series - a path to the European Tour.
At the time of writing, Justice was second in the LETAS Rookie of the Year rankings and ninth on the LETAS Order of Merit, but has missed a European Tour card for 2026.
On the Access Tour she was close to a maiden pro win having seven top 10 finishes from 16 events, with three second places (two shared).
In May, Justice lost a three-way play-off in Spain after a nine-under 207 and two weeks later lost a four-way play-off at the Amundi Czech Ladies Challenge after a one-under 215.
She was also runner-up at the Lavaux Ladies Open in Switzerland with 68 69 71 for an eight-under 208.
As an amateur Justice tied sixth at the 2024 Women's NSW Open but won the Pacific Northwest Women’s Amateur Championship in America.
In 2023 she helped Australia to sixth at the Women’s World Amateur Team Trophy in the UAE.
Justice has also twice won the Australian Women’s Order of Merit and was runner-up in the 2022 and 2023 Australian Amateur Championship.
In 2020 she became the first female winner of the Keperra Bowl ... and won again in 2023, followed by the South Australian Women's Amateur.
Her best World Amateur Golf Ranking is currently 48.
Harry Takis - Won the 2020 CSJC Boys’ title and is now Australia’s top player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) at 72.
The 21-year-old started this year with third at the Australian Amateur of Amateurs and fourth in the Australian Men’s Amateur Championship.
He won the Singapore Open Amateur Championship in July, leading all the way to finish on 11 under 264 - and winning by 11 shots.
Harry was then fourth at the 2025 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Dubai finishing 12 under, three off the winner.
It followed a superb second year at San Diego State University, winning the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year.
Harry was runner-up at the collegiate Sahalee Players Championship, Lamkin Open and Credit Union 1 Mountain West Men’s Golf Championship.
That followed victory at the International Junior Masters in 2023 with two rounds of 69.
Harry was also 33rd in the US Junior Amateur Championship, while on home soil he tied second in the Riversdale Cup in Victoria.
In 2022, he took the 16-17 years title at the Gary Player Classic by two shots and won the Wayne Grady Cup after missing 2021 due to injury.
2021
Haruhi Nakatani (Florida State University) – Haruhi, the 2021 CSJC Girls’ winner and sister of Manato, has followed her brother to the US.
Now 19, Haruhi is in her first year on the golf roster at Florida State University, in Tallahassee, where she is majoring in Economics.
She was 32nd on her debut at the Folds of Honor Collegiate, helping Florida State University finish sixth in the team event.
Haruhi then shot a career-low 70 in the first round of the Schooner Fall Classic to tie in 21st with Florida State University again finishing sixth.
In 2021, the year she won the CSJC, Haruhi also topped the Queensland Girls Amateur Order of Merit and was second in 2022.
Haruhi had just five finishes outside the top 10 in 18 events including winning the Tasmania Junior Masters, Queensland Girls Amateur, South Pacific Ladies Open and NSW Amateur Strokeplay.
She has also won the Queensland Junior Amateur Championship 2021, 2022 and 2024, won the Queensland Women’s Order of Merit 2022 and this year was second at the Victorian Amateur and third in the Singapore Amateur Open
She started playing golf in London at the age of nine, has lived in New York, Tokyo, the Gold Coast and now Florida.
Manato Nakatani (University of Maryland) - Won the 2021 CSJC Boys’ title and is now in his third year studying and playing at the University of Maryland , outside Washington DC.
As a freshman in 2023, Majoring in Computer Science, Manato competed in five events recording 33 birdies and two eagles.
His first top 20 finish came with 18th at The Cleveland Golf Palmetto with a three-round 213 and there was a 29th place finish at the Dorado Beach Collegate.
In his second year, Manato tied for 14th at the Kent State Individual, 29th at the Testudo Cup and 45th in the Myrtle Beach Golf Trips Intercollegiate.
The 21-year-old was recently 19th at the Golden Flash Individual and has been on the student athlete advisory committee.
Manato started playing in the UK, moved to Australia, is a member of Coolangatta and Tweed Heads and has won a slew of competitions.
They include the 2020 Greg Norman Junior Masters; 2021 Sunshine Coast Junior Masters and Northern Territory Classic and 2022 Bobby Locke Junior Classic and Pacific Junior Classic.
In August 2022, Manato tied fifth at the Pacific Harbour Amateur and was then 30th at TPC Wisconsin Individual in the US.
2022
Kirra St-Laurent (Biarritz) - Winner of the 2022 CSJC Girls’ title, is continuing to make her mark in Europe – and from next year America.
The 17-year-old, whose family moved to France in 2023, says on social media she has committed to Southern Methodist University, Texas for 2026.
It follows an impressive year where the European Golf Rankings show she has had four top-ten finishes from eight under 18 events.
Kirra was third at the Flogas Irish Women’s Amateur in June and fifth at the International Italian Women’s Championship.
She was also eighth at the Swiss Golf International, 10th in the Internationaux de France Dames and 12th at the Annika Invitational.
Last year, Kirra was runner-up at the Italian International Ladies Amateur and had four top-four finishes at amateur events in France and Switzerland.
In 2023, she won the Grand Prix De Seignosse, in Biarritz. Competing as an under 16 player, Kirra shot a three-round 222 to win by three shots.
It followed fifth in the Grand Prix du Cap d’Agde, sixth at the European Young Masters and 14th at the French National Under16-18 Championships.
Competing for Tahiti, Kirra collected a bronze medal after taking third place in the Pacific Games women’s tournament in the Solomon Islands
She has also been ranked France’s top junior girl player.
Wesley Hinton (Keperra Golf Club) – The 2022 CSJC winner has been in superb form with three wins, a second and third in six tournaments.
In arguably the biggest win of his career, Wes won the Queensland Amateur Championship (strokeplay/matchplay) at Bribie Island in August.
He held off Lachlan Jones, from Brisbane Golf Club, in a thrilling finish to take the title two up.
That followed third at the Pacific Harbour Amateur and a one-shot win in the NextGen Amateur Tour Noosa Springs with a three-round total of 206.
After taking the state title, Wesley won the Gary Player Classic, taking the 18-20 Years Division by seven shots after rounds of 69 67 73 72.
Last year he added the Cameron Smith Scholarship to his Cameron Smith Junior Classic award, spending a week in the US with Cam.
While state-side, Wesley watched Cameron in action at the LIV Golf Chicago tournament and played rounds with The 2022 Open Champion.
Wesley was also runner-up at the Victorian Men’s Amateur Championship last year.
In 2023 he led the Australian Junior Amateur Championship at halfway but finished sixth and in 2022 won the Queensland's Men's Foursomes Championship for amateurs with Alfie Ward.
Wesley was also the first junior to win a club championship at a metropolitan club when landing the Keperra Club A Grade title by two shots.
2023
Allegra De Guzman (Pacific Golf Club) – see below
Isaak Jensen (Yeppoon) – Won the 2023 CSJC boys’ title by two shots from defending champion Wesley Hinton and continues to hone his game.
Last year he was second in the EG Oxenford Plate best gross at Redcliffe with a 68, beaten only by the host club’s Tony Summerfeldt on count back.
Before adding the CSJC to his sporting resume, Isaak won the 2022 Central Queensland Junior Open by 27 strokes.
He signed for rounds of 70 and 69 to add the tournament to his Rockhampton Junior Open and Greg Norman junior qualifier victories.
Isaak also won the 2022 Australian Junior Age Division Boys 15-16 title by seven strokes on 217, after rounds of 78 69 70.
In 2021 he had the lowest single-round score of 69 in the Greg Norman Junior Masters and in 2020, aged 14, was the youngest to win the Frenchville Sports Club Open Championship run by North Rockhampton Golf Club.
2024
Allegra De Guzman (Pacific Golf Club) – Became the first player to win back-to-back CSJC titles in 2023 and 2024 - and this year won two national titles.
Now studying for a Bachelor of Business majoring in Sport Management, the 18-year-old led Griffith University from the front in the UniSport National Championships.
At RACV Royal Pines, Allegra won the women’s national title by 26 shots, finishing 13 under after four rounds, including a final round 63.
Her remarkable performance on the Gold Coast also helped Griffith University win the women’s team title.
In junior and all ages World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) events, Allegra has made the top five in 10 of 13 events and been runner-up five times, this year.
These included second place finishes at the Grant Field Junior Classic, South Australia Junior Amateur and South Australia Junior Masters.
Allegra says she still hopes to be accepted into the Golf Australia High Performance program.
At present she is “still enjoying golf”, travel, “meeting new people wherever I go” – and working as a casual in the golf entertainment business.
Alfie Ward (Sanctuary Cove) – Last year’s boys’ champion has added a growing list of impressive performances to his resume.
Before winning the CSJC, he was unbeaten in Open Pennants and won the 2024 Queensland Schoolboys Championship. He was also runner-up in the Gary Player Classic and Jack Newton International Junior Classic.
After winning the CSJC by five shots, his fine form continued with fourth at the Greg Norman Junior Masters and second in January’s Grant Field Junior Classic on eight under after rounds of 65 73 67.
Two weeks later Ward also landed the Tasmanian Junior Amateur title at Launceston finishing 14 under par with a lead of seven strokes!
In all ages events, Ward was fifth in the Keperra Bowl, 18th in the Victorian Amateur and 41st at the Queensland Amateur Championships.