Sunny skies kept the rain away as the SOPGA Jr. Tour headed to the Links at Groveport for the Groveport Jr. Open. 79 players teed it up with hopes of this being their week to claim the top spot in the opening event of the Columbus Junior Series.
After starting the year with a third place finish at the Oxford Jr. Classic, John McClelland claimed his first win on the SOPGA Jr. Tour! McClelland shot a three-over-par 75, playing his last nine holes at one-under-par, to sit alone atop the Boys 16-19 division. Closely behind Mclelland was Quentin Stall who posted a four-over-par 76 to finish in second place. James Wei played steady all day long to round out the podium with a five-over-par 77.
The Girls 16-19 division saw plenty of new faces teeing it up for the first time of the season with the SOPGA Jr. Tour. Olivia Aronhalt’s three birdies on the day propelled her to the top of the leaderboard en route to a three-over-par 75 and a gold medal. One stroke behind Aronhalt was Mia Raines, also in her first start on the SOPGA Jr. Tour this season. Raines finished with a four-over-par 76 and in second place. Finishing third for the event was Paige Weiss. Weiss shot a ten-over-par 82 to claim third place.
Elijah Hall-Bromberg bounced back in a big way after a tough opening hole. Hall-Bromberg birdied two of his final three holes on his front nine and rode that momentum to a first place finish, posting a six-over-par 78 in the Boys 13-15 division. Harrison Young continues to find himself in the mix of the Boys 13-15 division. Young shot a nine-over-par 81 to finish in a tie for second, claiming his third top three finish in as many tries. Tied with Young was Teja Pothuru. Pothuru highlighted his day with an eagle on the par-five second to finish tied for second place.
The Girls 13-15 division saw the low round of the entire tournament come from Gracyn Alexander. Alexander made four birdies during her round and finished with a two-over-par 74 and a first place medal. Behind Alexander was Caylee Lattimer. Lattimer made an impressive five birdies during her round en route to a seven-over-par 79 to finish in second place. Riding the momentum from a second place finish at the Locust Hills Jr. Open, Reagan Hoffmans found herself in third place on Saturday with a twenty-three-over-par 95.
The Boys 9-12 division had three players battling it out over 18 holes in hopes of obtaining their first win of the season. Tommy Mercer played steady all day long finishing with a score of eight-over-par 80 and sitting alone atop the leaderboard. Micaiah Lewis was within striking distance of Mercer all day long. A ten-over-par 82 gave Lewis a second place finish to start his season off strong. Rounding out the trio was Declan Hardy. Hardy made two birdies during his round on his way to a third place finish with a score of thirteen-over-par 85.
Four girls battled it out in the Girls 9-12 division over 18 holes at the Links at Groveport. Amelia Buettner played consistently all day long and found herself on top of the leaderboard with a nine-over-par 81. Finishing in second place was Jo Nicol with a nineteen-over-par 91. Closely behind Nicol was Grace Ugland. In her first event of the season, Ugland finished with a bronze medal after a twenty-six-over-par 98 for the tournament.
Five boys played in the 9 hole division of the 9-12 year olds. Graham Gilbert made six pars on his way to claim the top spot with a three-over-par 39. Two players finished in a tie for second shooting fourteen-over-par 50. Max Weber and Eli Ducay started their seasons off strong sharing the second spot on the leaderboard.
One player teed it up for nine holes in the Girls 9-12 division. Rylie Hilvert birdied the second hole on her way to posting a ten-over-par 46 and grabbing the top spot for the division.
Congratulations to all of those that played last weekend on the SOPGA Jr. Tour at the Groveport Jr. Open!
Click here for full leaderboard.
Click here for Player of the Year standing.
Thank you to the Links at Groveport for hosting the SOPGA Jr. Tour for the second year in a row!
Next on the tee: Sharon Woods Jr. Classic.