Atkinson holds a one-shot lead over Maitland's Bowen Small after a two-under (70) opening round at the ACT Week of Golf.

He landed five birdies in the first 18 holes at the Jack Newton Junior Golf event, which will be played across four different courses (Federal, Yowani, Gold Creek and Queanbeyan) from Monday to Thursday.

This follows a productive outing at the NSW Junior Championships in December.

Up against players four years his senior, Atkinson went one under and finished fifth overall at Mt Broughton Golf Club when storms stopped play after 54 holes.

However, his performance over the first two rounds saw him claim two boys titles.

Not only did he take out the under-14 division but he was crowned the NSW Junior Champions of Champions, having qualified as the 2020 winner at Kurri Kurri.

Newcastle's Ella Scaysbrook, who is Atkinson's girlfriend, achieved similar success with girls trophies for under 14s, NSW Country Champion and NSW Champions of Champions.

* NOVOCASTRIAN teenagers Josh Robards and Jake Riley remain unsure when they're next major competition will be, but hope they are back on course sooner rather than later.

A trip south to Victoria for the prestigious Australian Master of the Amateurs, due to start on Tuesday, was dashed after receiving word on New Year's Eve regarding COVID-19 restrictions for interstate travel.

The tournament is going ahead but with a much smaller field, which doesn't include NSW players.

On top of this the Avondale Medal, scheduled for the Sydney club later this month, was recently cancelled because of the latest coronavirus outbreaks while the NSW Amateur (January 25-29) and Australian Amateur (February 9-12) events aren't certain starters.

* THREE pro-ams are set to take place in the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie region next week. Proceedings kick start at Merewether on Monday, followed by Waratah on Wednesday and Belmont on Thursday.