Rising Star Amelia Harris Makes it Three Amateur Titles in a Row

Words: Karen Milliner

Victorian amateur Amelia Harris has capped off a brilliant 2026 winning streak in her last solo golf tournament on Australian soil ahead of her move to the United States to take up a golfing scholarship at the University of South Carolina (USC).

On a chilly, raining and windy Friday (April 10), the 17-year-old from the Yarra Yarra club stormed home from four shots behind leader Teresa Wang to take out the 2026 Australian Junior Amateur at Ballarat Golf Club.

Amelia handled the challenging conditions with an experience and resilience that belies her youth, shooting 70 on her way to victory by two shots.

Understandably she was over the moon with this win, her sixth attempt at the title and final tilt at it due to age eligibility (she turns 18 in early June).

“I was happy but also sad, saying goodbye to my junior status,” she says. “It was mixed emotions. My parents [Richard Harris and Kayo Nakano] don’t always get to watch me play so having them there at my last Junior Amateur was really special. When I was doing my speech I could see dad crying, so I was a bit emotional as well.”

Photos: Amelia Harris at the 2026 Keperra Bowl 

It was her fourth tournament win since the start of 2026 and third in a row. In February came her breakthrough pro victory in the final Women’s NSW Open regional qualifier at The Links Shell Cove, then in March she took out the Rene Erichsen Salver in South Australia and backed it up a few days later in Queensland winning the Keperra Bowl Women’s Championship. Also on her scorecard this year are top 10 finishes at the Women’s NSW and Victorian Opens.

Her stellar form meant she was the favourite going into the Australian Junior Amateur and she admits to feeling the pressure.

“I was pretty nervous. But coming off winning those two tournaments had given me confidence in myself because they were very different. I was five shots back going into the last day in the Rene Erichsen Salver but at the Keperra Bowl I led all the way.

“So I had confidence that either way at the Junior Amateur, if I started well or not, I could give myself a chance to win. I enjoy the chase and felt I could catch [Teresa]. I was still pretty nervous on the final two holes. Making par on 17 calmed me down a bit going on to the last.”

That Amelia could hold her nerve under pressure and in conditions that could test even seasoned pros was no surprise to her former coach at Rowville Sports Academy, Trevor Flakemore. He worked with her from when she moved to Melbourne with her family from their home town of Cairns at the start of 2021 until the end of 2024. She then attended McKinnon Secondary College and trained with the Golf Australia High Performance Squad.

“I remember when Amelia was about 13,” Trevor says. “We were on the Waverley Golf Club course and it was pouring with rain, mud everywhere, and a lot of the kids wanted to stop. But Amelia, she just took off her soggy shoes and walked through the mud and kept on playing.

“That sums her up. She has real drive, determination and mental toughness.

“Taking accountability for how you are playing, not looking to blame someone or something, is what sets future champions apart. And understanding it’s not always going to be smooth sailing, there will be ups and downs along the way. That’s what I worked on with her and that mindset she picked up really quickly. And also how to be creative, to adapt to conditions and control her shots.

“She was a very good student. I am not at all surprised to see her performing so well this year. It was always coming and she has plenty of good tournaments ahead of her.”

Amelia first started swinging a club for fun when she was about five-years-old, following her social golfer dad Richard out onto the Half Boon Bay Golf Club course in Cairns. Her friends were taking junior golf lessons, so she did too. When they quit, she stuck with it. The move to Melbourne was to further her golfing career, and at 14 she was Yarra Yarra club champion, playing off plus four, and garnered national attention when she qualified for the Australian Open.

“I love competing, doing it for myself,” she says. “It’s a solo game, different from other sports. I love getting better all the time and seeing progress. It’s hard sometimes but when the progress does come it brings a lot of joy and I think that’s what keeps all of us going.

“And I really enjoy all the friendships I’ve made along the way. I look forward to going to every tournament knowing I’ll have a really good time.”

One of her closest friends is Molly McLean, already part of the golfing program at USC. When I chatted to Amelia as she held aloft the 2026 Keperra Bowl trophy, she was quick to point to Molly’s name etched as the 2025 winner, and thrilled hers will sit beside it. Molly was also her support and confidante during the Australian Junior Amateur.

“With the time difference when I was going to bed she was waking up. We talked throughout the whole week and she’d be saying, ‘good luck, good luck’. Her support really helped me, and knowing that’s she’s enjoying her time over there in the States makes me excited about what’s to come.”

This week Amelia competes for Victoria in the Australian Junior Interstate Teams matches at Moonah Links (April 13-16), next month it will be the Australian Interstate Teams matches, followed by a trip to Japan for the Junior World Cup teams event. From Japan she’ll fly to America, play in some amateur tournaments and then start college in August.

“Turning pro and getting on the LPGA is my goal. I think everyone has goals to be the best and so do I, to show what I can do. But I also want to inspire more people to play the game and just enjoy myself. Live a happy life doing what I love.”

Photo: Amelia Harris putting at the 2026 Keperra Bowl