The second event of Ewan Porter’s adidas Junior 6s Tour offering World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) points for 2022, the Hunter Valley event will be played over two days and offers triple points on the year long order of merit, with just two events before the World Final held at Kingston Heath.

With a number of the boys points high flyers playing overseas, an opportunity is present for others to climb up the list in the chase for the various Tour exemptions on offer after the World Final. Meanwhile the girls field is stacked with high quality talent and recent winners.

Host of the TPS Hunter Valley event on the PGA Tour of Australasia and won by Aaron Pike earlier this year, the course has held up well despite heavy rain in New South Wales once again. Players to be greeted by sunny yet chilly conditions, with the forecast for Saturday predicting a 1°C temperature as play gets underway.

COURSE: Located in the golf and wine rich Hunter Valley region of New South Wales near Newcastle, Cypress Lakes Golf & Country Club is a well-established destination for travelling golfers.

Local Ella Scaysbrook already has a win at Cypress Lakes on her resume in 2022. PHOTO: Andy Cheung/Getty Images.

Ranked No.66 in Australia’s Top-100 Public Courses for 2021 by Golf Australia magazine, the par-72 measuring 6,467 metres was designed by American Steve Smyers and opened for play in 1992.

As one might suspect from its name, Cypress Lakes brings water into play throughout the round with Smyers’ design putting a premium on strategic golf. The front nine is more open with rolling terrain, whereas the inward half is more heavily tree-lined and plays out over the more dramatic terrain of the property.

Formerly the 1st hole, the uphill par-5 14th left of the clubhouse and played over water is a hole many visitors will remember and should offer birdie chances for the field this week, while the split fairway penultimate hole could play a crucial role in the outcome with options off the tee and a bunkerless green.

FORMAT: The competitors will play 36 holes of stroke play, with points on the year-long race awarded to a number of players, and the top boys and girls finishers to go head-to-head in a six-hole match for the title and additional points.

Novocastrian Jake Riley won on the adidas Junior 6s Tour earlier this year and knows this week's venue well. PHOTO: Jimmy Emanuel.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Boys points leader Jeffrey Guan is busy competing in America this week, so No.2 on the rankings Harry Takis has a chance to cash in on some recent good form and close the gap at the top.

Takis has already won twice on the Junior 6s Tour this year, was runner-up at the Queensland Boys Amateur a fortnight ago, and recently added the Singapore Boys Amateur to his mantlepiece.

Hailing from nearby Newcastle, Jake Riley is a likely contender this week around a course he knows well.

Riley won the Tour event at Elanora a few months back, was the winner of Junior segment of The Players Series Sydney, and teed it up here at the TPS event back in March. A protégé of PGA Tour winner Nathan Green, Riley has the ability to make plenty of birdies and will like his chances here.

Another TPS Junior winner, Michael Song claimed his trophy at the Geoff Ogilvy hosted Rosebud event. Song has plenty of tournament experience and is another to keep an eye this weekend.

On the Girls side, the points leader Grace Lee will tee it up with plenty of winning pedigree having claimed three events since December 2021.

RIGHT: Kiwi Tara Raj has impressed Tour founder Ewan Porter with two wins already and an all-round game. PHOTO: Supplied.

Lee will have a big task on her hands however if she is to add a fourth, recent Queensland Girls Amateur winner Haruhi Nakatani among those looking to continue some good form in the lead up to this week.

So too will Tara Raj of New Zealand be looking to keep momentum going after she claimed the most recent event on Porter’s Tour at Cromer Golf Club in Sydney.

The Kiwi made the trip over having won the first adidas Junior 6s Tour event played internationally earlier this year at home and owns a swing that finds plenty of fairways and greens and a putting stroke to envy.

Like Riley in the Boys, there is a local favourite with plenty of experience around Cypress Lakes.

Ella Scaysbrook won the Junior part of the TPS Hunter Valley in a play-off and impressed many with her play that week.

Returning to a venue she has had success and with a level headed approach to the game, Scaysbrook could well make it two wins from two events at the Steve Smyers designed course in 2022.