| Reston National |
| Reston, VA, 20191 |
| March 27-28 2010 |
| |
| Director: Gelenberg |
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March golf goes out like a….Lion!
Reston…….and decent weather….yeah! After a couple less-than-stellar-weather events at Reston, 42 players were treated to two days of rain/snow-free golf and took advantage of it to tear up the course!
Q: How were the conditions on the course?
A: Considering how tough the winter has been, Reston did an excellent job. The conditions were very good.
Q: The Boys 14-15 Division field was large and strong. How did they do?
A: Quite well. Saturday closed with half the field sitting within 8 strokes of the lead held by Addison Coll and Matthew DiSalvo, with Tyler Spears and Sam Stillwell each carding a PJGT personal best on Saturday. Sunday brought lots of great golf as well, with John Conley’s 77 earning him not only a personal PJGT tournament best but also fourth place. Addison Coll shot another solid round on Sunday and took third, while Will Guy’s 72 earned second. But it was another Sunday charge and a 71 by Cas Dickerson that topped this very impressive field. Cas also claimed the Weekend Medalist Award for all the 12-19 Divisions. Nice job!
Q: There were a lot of new players in the Girls 15-19 Division. How did they play?
A: The girls put on a solid showing at Reston. Nicole Feaster, despite an injured foot, played through both days and improved on her Saturday score by seven strokes. Jessica Merrill, in her first PJGT event, played solidly both days. Erica DeVal turned in a PJGT personal best tournament and, after a playoff with Jessica, took third. After a slow front nine on Saturday, Mckenzie Cutter turned up the heat and earned second. But it was Shabril Brewer’s solid performance (75-78) that earned the top spot. Well done!
Q: How did the Boys 16-19 Division fare?
A: This field had a few new players, some experienced PJGT members, and some who had not made a PJGT appearance in a while. At the end of Saturday’s round, two players (Ryan Lee-Young and Max Ruge) were within one stroke of each other and led the field. Ryan’s Sunday performance was strong enough to maintain his lead and earn him a first-place finish. Scott Davidson’s solid 75 on Sunday earned him a spot in a playoff with Max for second, where Max got up-and-down on the second round and earned second, with Scott taking third. Great job!
Q: Any drama in the Boys 12-13 Division?
A: Nothing but drama! Five strokes separated the first four spots after Saturday’s round, with Bennett Wisner taking a two-shot lead into Sunday. Sean Webber and Justin Nguyen (playing in his first competitive event) came to the scoring table with identical scores after two days of play and battled it out in a playoff, where Justin took third place. Kyle Berkshire and Bennett Wisner stepped up to the 18th tee in a dead heat. Kyle narrowly missed a putt on the 18th green to send this one into a playoff as well, walking away with a solid performance and second place. Bennett’s 75 earned him his eighth victory of the year. Great!
Q: How did the Boys 10-11 Division play?
A: Very well. Graham Hutchinson jumped age groups and played in his first event in the Boys 10-11 Division, turning in two solid rounds. Eric Hall carded a personal PJGT best round on Saturday and earned third. Teddy Hoffmann turned up the heat on Sunday with a division-leading charge that had him carding a 76 and taking home second. And Peter Knade’s 72 on Saturday was followed up with a solid Sunday performance to take the victory, as well as the Weekend Medalist for all 8-11 Divsions. Nice job to all!
The second half of the season is just getting started, with some great events coming. Penn National is a terrific course at Mont Alto; Stoney Creek Golf Course at Wintergreen Resort is the site of another Junior World Qualifier, Woodlands Nemacolin Resort was the host of the 84 Lumber Classic, and the Mid-Atlantic season wraps up at Herndon Centennial. Hope to see you soon!
Phil, Pené & Ben
philgel@gmail.com
