Andy DevaneyThe Kent Golf Junior Championship had the sort of morning every tournament organiser dreams of and every young golfer immediately suspects will turn nasty later: blue skies, early sunshine, a handsome Kent coast backdrop and, eventually, enough wind to remind everyone that golf is less a game than a negotiation with the elements.
At Prince’s Golf Club, 60 players contested the 36-hole Junior Championship across the Himalayas and Shore courses, while another 18 took on the 18-hole Stableford competition over the Shore and Dunes courses. It made for a full day of junior golf, proper scorecard tension, and the useful reminder that the future of Kent golf appears to have a very tidy short game.
The two headline acts were Tommy Hulance of Dartford Golf Club and Selina Bartarya of Royal Blackheath Golf Club, who claimed the Kent Boys and Girls titles respectively with performances of considerable poise.
Hulance Starts Fast And Refuses To Panic
Tommy Hulance did not so much ease into the championship as kick the front door in wearing spikes. His opening round of five-under-par 67 gave him a three-shot lead at halfway and set the tone for the day.
That first round was the platform. The second was the examination.
As the afternoon wind strengthened, the scoring became less about swagger and more about nerve. Hulance answered with a one-over-par 73, not quite as sparkling as the morning’s work but arguably more telling. Anyone can look elegant when the sun is out and the card is behaving. Holding a lead when the breeze begins rifling through your pockets is a different business entirely.
His total of 140 was enough to secure the title of Kent Boys Champion 2026.
Simpson Chases, Chenu Charges
Behind Hulance, Marley Simpson of Rochester & Cobham Park Golf Club put together rounds of 70 and 75 to finish runner-up on 145. It was solid, composed golf, though Hulance’s early 67 had given the rest of the field the faintly irritating problem of requiring excellence merely to keep him in view.
Third place went to 2024 champion Justin Chenu, also of Rochester & Cobham Park, who produced a superb afternoon round of 70 to finish on 146. He edged clubmate Thomas McManus on countback, the golfing equivalent of losing a parking space because someone’s bumper was half an inch better behaved.
Chenu’s consolation was far more than ornamental. He also claimed the prestigious A.E. Packman Trophy for the best gross score by a boy under the age of 16.
Prince’s Pair Shine In The Nett Competition
There was a distinctly local flavour in the boys’ nett event, where Prince’s Golf Club members made good use of familiar territory.
George Bennett captured the Richard Young Cup with a nett score of 142, winning on countback from fellow Prince’s member Max Klosek. Dartford Golf Club’s Quinn Jameson, described as rapidly improving, secured third place on 143.
Home advantage in golf is never quite as simple as knowing where not to miss it. You still have to hit the shot. Bennett did that well enough to leave with the silverware.
Bartarya Produces A Championship Statement
If Hulance built his victory on a flying start and controlled finish, Selina Bartarya produced something closer to a full stop.
The Royal Blackheath Golf Club player continued her excellent recent form with rounds of 73 and 69, finishing ten shots clear of the field to become Kent Girls Champion 2026. A 69 in the afternoon, after already putting herself firmly in contention, was not merely good scoring. It was the sort of round that quietly removes suspense from the premises.
Emma Kwan of Chart Hills Golf Club claimed runner-up position after rounds of 82 and 70, responding impressively in the afternoon.
Bartarya will now move forward with the sort of confidence that does not need to announce itself. The scorecard has already done the talking.
Sophia Payne Makes Her Chance Count
Prince’s Golf Club also had reason to celebrate in the girls’ nett competition, where Sophia Payne lifted the trophy after a consistent two-round total of 138.
Payne came into the event as a reserve entrant, which adds a pleasing edge to the story. Golf has a habit of rewarding those who stay ready. It also has a habit of punishing everyone else, usually with a three-putt from a distance that looked perfectly civilised from the fairway.
On this occasion, Payne took her opportunity and made it count.
Stableford Honours For Ellie Taylor
The 18-hole Stableford competition produced some excellent scoring of its own.
Ellie Taylor of Faversham Golf Club claimed victory with an impressive 43 points, a total that tends to make the rest of the field check whether they were playing the same game. Ethan Crabb of Prince’s Golf Club finished second on 36 points, while fellow Faversham player Joey Holman secured third place with 34 points.
It was another encouraging snapshot of junior golf in the county: competitive, well supported, and clearly not short of players who can score.
Kent’s Champions Head For Woodhall Spa
Kent Golf congratulated all prize winners and wished Tommy Hulance and Selina Bartarya success when they represent Kent at the England Golf Champion of Champions Tournament at Woodhall Spa in September.
That will bring another stage, another examination and, almost certainly, another day when the weather decides it would like a speaking part.
For now, the 2026 Kent junior titles belong to Hulance and Bartarya, two young golfers who handled the demands of Prince’s with calm heads and proper championship instincts. Sunshine started the day, wind sharpened it, and by the end the Kent coast had done what good venues do best: it found the players who could think as well as swing.
