Players got the full range of weather last weekend as the SOPGA Jr. Tour teed it up for the first time at Indian Ridge Golf Club.
A warm and sunny Saturday was the perfect way to start the SOPGA Jr. Tour season. Plenty of players took advantage of the ideal scoring positions during the first round. Nick Collins led the way for the Boys 16-19 age division through 18 holes posting the low score of the day with a three-over-par 75. Trailing closely behind Collins were Braylen Haney and John McClelland with opening round 79’s to keep them in the hunt going into the final round.
Harrison Young led the way in the boys 13-15 age division with an impressive opening round 79 in his first tournament as a part of the SOPGA. Brody Hayes and Lucas Massa were trailing Young by 3 shots after 18 holes of competition and were looking for a strong second round to start their seasons off on the right foot.
On the girls side, Ally Turner found herself in first place with an opening score of four-over-par 76. Leann Harker was just a shot behind Turner after a strong first round. Cadence Monroe-McCoy sat atop the girls 13-15 division following round one.
The beautiful Saturday weather was replaced on Sunday with gusty winds and rain for the second round of competition. Players battled the elements as well as the golf course while closing out their first weekend of competition strong.
Poor weather didn’t bother Andy Steed during the second round. After an opening 81, Steed bounced back in a big way shooting the low round of the tournament in challenging weather with a second round two-over-par 74. Steed’s play during the final round propelled him to a tie for first place, which he eventually won on a scorecard playoff. This victory earned Andy the first exemption into the SOPGA Jr. Tour Championship at Muirfield Village.
“It was really tough out there today,” noted Steed, “I just had to do my best and take it one shot at a time and good things happened to me. I can’t wait for the opportunity to play Muirfield Village later in the year!”
Ally Turner was able to hold on to her first round lead during the challenging final round. She posted a second round score of 11 over-par 83, the lowest among the girls, to claim her first win of the season on the SOPGA Jr. Tour and earn her spot in the Tour Championship.
“I just had to think that everyone was dealing with the same weather,” said Turner, “we were all playing in the same weather so I had to do my best to not let that bother me and finish strong.”
Lucas Massa continued his steady play in the final round to overcome a three shot deficit and claim first place among the boys 13-15 age division. Cadence Monroe-McCoy started her season off with a victory in the girls 13-15 age division.
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Congratulations to all of our players this past weekend and the SOPGA is excited for the rest of our season!