The 17-year-old is hoping that an improved long game and home-course advantage provides a winning edge in the Jack Newton International Junior Classic at Cypress Lakes starting Tuesday.

The 72-hole championship is the final big event for Ingrey in a junior career that started in Jack Newton events when he was 11.

"I turn 18 in the middle of November so this is pretty much my last big junior event," Ingrey said. "It would be nice to finish on a high, especially around my home track at Cypress Lakes. The last few years I have been there or thereabouts but haven't been able to get over the line."

Ingrey is a member at Cypress Lakes, Newcastle and The Australian.

He won the club championships at Cypress Lakes last month and does the majority of his practice there.

"It is a course where you need to know where to hit it," Ingrey said. "I have been up there nearly every day, getting my mind and game ready for this week.

"With all the rain recently, the course is playing quite long. That falls into my hands. I'm one of the bigger hitters in the juniors.

"Certainly your short irons and wedges need to be on point because the greens are so big and sloping. You need to put the ball in the right spot."

Ingrey, who is in year 12 at Macquarie College, has had a growth spurt and stands 185cm tall.

"I am getting used to that, the extra long levers," he said. "I can get my drive out to about 260 metres to 270 on the fly now."

Ingrey will be up against a strong field including locals Jake Riley and Harry Atkinson, NSW junior representative Jye Halls (Mollymook), West Australian Joseph Buttress, who won the Victorian Junior Championships by 10 strokes last week and Queenslander Kai Komulainen.

Ella Scaysbrook (Newcastle) and Amy Squires (Nelson Bay) face strong opposition in the girl;s division from gun Victorian 14-year-old Amelia Harris, who made the matchplay final of the Adidas junior super 6 series and Queenslander Sarah Hammett, who won the Katherine Kirk Cup at Maroochy River Golf Club last week after opening with a 12-under 60.

The Jack Newton International Junior Classic was cancelled due to COVID-19 in last two years. More than 400 golfers, aged eight to 17, will play at three courses of the next four days.

"It is great to have the tournament back up and running," Golf NSW regional manager Mark Ingrey said. "We have each state and territory in Australia represented and there are also teams from Hawaii, Singapore, New Caledonia and New Zealand."

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