Urbana, OH (May 4-5, 2024) – The SOPGA Jr. Tour took to Urbana Country Club May 4 and 5 to compete in the Urbana Jr. Classic! Despite the threat or severe weather, the weekend brought some great scores!
The boys 16-19 division started off strong for the weekend. Despite a 30-minute weather delay early in the round, the boys came to play. Leading the way after the opening round was Sam Reynolds. Reynolds carded four birdies en route to an even par 72. One stroke behind Reynolds was Zach Hartley. Despite a slow start, Hartley made four birdies on his back nine to finish with a one-over-par 73. Michael Fickle ended the day in third place after a two-over-par 74.
As play began on Sunday, plenty of players were looking to make a jump up the leaderboard. Aidan Fischer would play the round of the day thanks to an even-par 72 to finish in a tie for fifth. Tyler Redman improved by seven strokes to jump into solo fourth place. As the day drew to a close, there was a three-way tie for first place in the division. Zach Hartley, Trent Thompson, and Sam Reynolds were tied for the top spot. In the end it was Reynolds winning the scorecard playoff and claiming his first win of the season.
The girls 16-19 division was a close race as day one drew to a close. Caroline Zeiger held a two stroke lead after day one thanks to an even par back 9 to finish at six-over-par 78. Closely behind Zeiger was Medha Pothuru. Pothuru would play her last three holes at one-under-par to keep Zeiger in sight heading into the final round. Rounding out the top-3 was Taylor Dunkle. Dunkle made two birdies on the day to sit seven strokes off of the lead.
Day two in the girls 16-19 division saw just under half of the field improve on their day one scores. Caylee Lattimer, Maho Tanabe, Ella Berning, Katelyn Miley, and Taylor Dunkle all saw improvements on day two. Dunkle’s six stroke improvement would catapult her into second place for the event as play concluded. Caroline Zeiger maintained her position at the top of the leaderboard thanks to a round of seven-over-par 79. Medha Pothuru would round out the podium finishing the event in third place.
The boys 13-15 division was jammed at the top of the leaderboard. As play finished on day one, Van Davis maintained a two-stroke lead after a round of five-over-par 77 thanks to an even par 36 on his back nine. In second place was Lucas Massa. Massa made two birdies on his back nine to stay within striking distance of Davis’ lead. Mitchell Corbin finished in third place after an opening round score of nine-over-par 81.
Eight players improved on their scores during round two in the boys 13-15 division. The biggest jump came from Mavrik Malin. Malin would birdie his final two holes of the tournament on his way to a two-over-par 74 to earn him the silver medal. Lucas Massa finished his front nine eagle-birdie on his way to claiming his second victory of the season in the boys 13-15 division. Rounding out the top three was Mitchel Corbin who’s steady play all weekend earned him a bronze medal.
The girls 13-15 division was the closest race of the tournament all weekend long. Despite not finishing their rounds on day one due to a weather delay, the girls battled all weekend long for the top spot. As play on day one concluded, Taylor Stringfield and Cadence Monroe-McCoy were in a tie for first place after rounds of twelve-over-par 84. Mallory Quickel rounded out the top three, trailing the leaders by two strokes heading into the final round. Keira Kwak sat just four strokes off of the lead looking to make a jump during round two.
As play started for the final round, plenty of players had a chance to earn the gold in the girls 13-15 division. In the end it was Taylor Stringfield making three birdies on her final 9 holes to earn her first win of the season on the SOGPA Jr. Tour. Mallory Quickel continued her consistent play on the season to earn second place. Cadence Monroe-McCoy rounded out the podium in the girls 13-15 division to cap off another great event on the SOPGA Jr. Tour.
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