He may only be 11 years old, but Riley Stewart has already topped the adult golf ladder and has his eyes set on the next open.
Earlier this month, Riley took first overall in the net at the Mount Isa Open with a prize of $1,000.
"That was just luck for me," Riley said.
Off a handicap of 20, Riley played the 72-hole competition against competitive adults over four days.
Looking to the future
According to Golf Australia, the average handicap of an adult male is 16-20, putting the Mount Isa junior in good stead.
Dedication doesn't go astray, as Riley and his father have been going to the club three to five times a week, with competition days on the weekend.
Riley has his eyes set for professional golfing when he grows up, but with some assistance.
"Hopefully my Dad can take me to competitions across Australia," he said.
The junior golfer has been playing since the age of six, and despite growing up in the birthplace of Greg "The Shark" Norman, dad Jamie is still his golfing hero.
"I started off coming out with my dad, and two or three years later I wanted to be the best golfer in the world," Riley said.
Talent being watched
Club Captain at the Mount Isa Golf Club Mark Thinee said Riley's talent crept up on the club as a surprise.
"It wasn't until he started playing by himself that we realised that he's actually quite good," Mr Thinee said.
Mr Thinee said despite Riley's high handicap, the talent was still something to be watchful of for other senior players.
"On the four days, he hit well under his handicap and easily took out our net champion," he said.
"There's a lot of adults with a 30 or 20 handicap that would like to be a lot lower, so [Riley's] already there and he's only going one way."
No junior program for Mount Isa
For golfers like Riley, kids can only play with adults if they want to enter a competition.
There is currently no junior golf program in Mount Isa, but Riley's recent performance has sparked the club to being one back, potentially.
"When I was Riley's age we had a junior program run by the Greg Norman Foundation," Mr Thinee said.
"We only have four or five kids playing competitively, and at the moment, we can only encourage kids to play with their family and friends."
After the Mount Isa Open, Mr Thinee said Riley's friends have become interested in playing.
"We have a meeting next week, and it will be one of the agenda items to get a program going," he said.
