61 Juniors took to Clover Valley to battle for the chance to claim the Johnstown Jr. Open.
The boys 16-19 division was met with a firm and fast Clover Valley Golf Club as they led the way off of hole 10. These challenging conditions had no effect on the play of James Wei. Wei tallied four birdies during his round en route to a first place finish at two-over-par 74. Nipping at Wei’s heels was Colin Cleary. Cleary finished his round with back-to-back birdies to end the day in second place, one stroke behind Wei at three-over-par 75. Gabe Scherer battled back after a difficult first nine to finish the day alone in third place with a score of seven-over-par 79.
The girls 16-19 division saw plenty of fireworks on the day. Paige Weiss set a new season record at Cover Valley! Weiss made four consecutive birdies on her first nine holes of the day to turn at four-under-par 32. A strong second nine of even-par 36 catapulted Weiss to the top of the leaderboard at four-under-par 68! Finishing the day in second place was Addy Burris. Burris placed fourth at her first two events of the season, and finally broke into the podium at Clover Valley. In her first start of the season, 2022 SOPGA Junior Series Player of the Year Olivia Jones finished the day with a third place medal to start her season strong.
The boys 13-15 leaderboard was a tight race for the top spot. In the end, it was Mitchell Sargent claiming his second consecutive victory with a seven-over-par 79. Nolan Kniese finished the day in solo second in his first start of the season on the SOPGA Jr. Tour. Four players ended up in a tie for third at the Johnstown Jr. Open. Lucas Massa, Carson O’Korn, Lincoln Scherer, and Jack Faulkner all claimed a share of third place.
The girls 13-15 division was a hard-fought battle. Nikitha Suresh continued her impressive play of the season. Suresh, coming off a win at the Sharon Woods Jr. Championship, claimed her second consecutive victory at one-over-par 73. Eliza Mercer made her first appearance on the SOPGA Jr. Tour and finished the day alone in second place at five-over-par 77. Rounding out the top three was Caylee Lattimer. Lattimer finished the day at eleven-over-par 83.
Six players teed it up in the boys 9-12 division. Three of those players battled it out over 18 holes. In the end, it was Tommy Mercer who edged out Benjamin Vo by 1 shot for the gold medal. Declan Hardy continued his steady play on the year and claimed the third place spot. Three of those 9-12 year old boys competed in the nine hole division of the Johnstown Jr. Open. Hank McGinnis claimed the gold medal over nine holes in his first start of the season on the SOPGA Jr. Tour. Finishing in second was Parker Moore, and Cruz Forcum claimed the bronze medal.
Two girls fought for the top spot in the girls 9-12 division over 18 holes. Taylor Harstine made an incredible five birdies during her round en route to a three-over-par 75 and a first place finish. Reese Horner used a strong bounceback on her second nine to claim the silver medal at twenty-seven-over-par 99.
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Click here for Player of the Year Standings.
Thank you to Clover Valley Golf Club for hosting the SOPGA Jr. Tour and congratulations to all of our competitors on a great day of golf!