The SOPGA Jr. Tour took to Jamaica Run Golf Course in Germantown, Ohio for the first time in tour history! Players battled for the top spot to continue their March to Muirfield!
Seven was a magic number for Andy Steed. Steed claimed his seventh win of the season on the SOPGA Jr. Tour at the Germantown Jr. Open. Four birdies powered Steed to a round of two-under-par 70 as he claimed the top spot for an incredible fifth consecutive start. Finishing in second place was Zach Hartley. Hartley has had a solid season thus far, and is looking to continue to build on his March to Muirfield. Rounding out the top three was Nick Collins. After a close call earlier in the season at the Oxford Jr. Classic, Collins seems to still be in form and looking forward to the rest of the season.
The girls 16-19 division also saw a repeat champion. Abby Haywood claimed her third win in a row at the Germantown Jr. Open thanks to an eight-over-par 80. Finishing in second place was Sydney Ater. Ater had just missed podium finishes in her first two starts of the season, and finally broke through at Jamaica Run. Finishing just behind Ater was Emily Pettigrew. Pettigrew had a solid showing at the Pipestone Jr. Classic and is looking forward to finishing the season strong.
The boys 13-15 division was full of first time medalists. Casey Colton claimed his first gold medal of the season thanks to a birdie on his seventeenth hole of the day. Two strokes behind Colton was Caleb Whitt. Whitt posted the same score on both nine’s on the day to cap off a silver medal finish. The final player on the podium was Will Schlemmer. Schlemmer birdied the difficult par-four 16th hole en route to a bronze medal finish.
The girls 13-15 division was a hard fought battle. Emerging on top was Rebekah Hartley. Hartley grabbed her first win of the season at Jamaica Run, capping off a great day for the Hartley siblings. Jackie Lehman finished the event in second place, earning her first medal of the season. Capping off a podium of all first-time winners was Roselynn Prindle. Prindle has had a couple of close calls this season, and she finally broke through grabbing the bronze medal.
Six boys in the 9-12 year old division descended on Jamaica Run with the hopes to earn a new trophy for the case. One boy battled all 18 holes with his trusty caddy by his side. Owen Engel bounced back on his final nine holes to earn his first medal of the season. The five players who competed over nine holes led to the closest battle of the day. Coming out on top was Jenner Gambill. Gambill made two birdies in his first four holes and was able to hold off Bear Kussman to earn a gold medal. Kussman finished just a single stroke behind Gambill on the day with a score of seven-over-par 43. One stroke behind Kussman was Tommy Priefer. Priefer used a birdie on his final hole of the day to win the bronze medal.
Thank you to Ricky Denny, PGA and his staff at Jamaica Run Golf Course for hosting such a great event and congratulations to all of our competitors on a great day on the course!
Click here for full leaderboard.
Click here for Player of the Year standings.