Local Sports

Strong play order of the day

Photos

Allen Moody | Highlands Today
Published: July 21, 2012

AVON PARK - Players in the Sertoma Junior Golf Tour picked up where they had left off on Thursday, the final day of the Bill Jarrett Ford Match Play Championships. There were plenty of solid scores on the day as players battled for final placing.

"It's really a great format," said Sertoma Junior Golf Tour Director Andy Kesling. "It's a nice change up from medal play."

Billy Carol edged Beckham Donovan 2 and 1 to capture the boys 9 to 10 year old division.

"That was a little bit of an upset," Kesling said. "Beckham has been the best in that age group so far, so for Billy to step up and take him down says quite a bit about his game."

In the battle for third place, Zach Doorlag got the best of Jackson Griffin 6 and 4 in a meeting of baseball all-stars.

"They are both baseball first kids, but have a tremendous amount of talent on the course," Kesling said.

In the 11 to 12 age group, Ashley Engle defeated Joseph Flood 4 and 2 to win the division.

"Ashley is the only girl to play in the age group and she won it," Kesling said. "She has a lot of talent."

Clayton Osha took third place with a 7 and 5 win over John David Spiegel.

In the 13 to 14 boys division, Jett Dexter broke through with a 3 and 2 win over Nick Kresl.

"Jett has finished as runner-up the last two or three years and it's always good to see a kid break through like that," Kesling said.

In the battle for third place, Sam Rogers edged Sam Weber-Callahan 2 and 1.

The 15 to 16 boys division has been a dogfight all season and match play was no different, as Cole Berger came away with a 3 and 1 decision over Rhett Pooley.

"That division is probably the most talented," Kesling said. "If you look at the fifth-place finisher, Colin Kresl, he had five birdies in a row. I don't know if I've ever had five birdies in a row."

Kesling said a number of players, such as Kresl, Ben Tubbs and Nic Staffieri are playing up in age.

Dustin Baber captured third place with a 2 and 1 win over Staffieri.

"There were a lot of players in that division who were pretty close to par," Kesling said. "Ben Tubbs, who finished seventh, was 1-under."

In the boys 17 to 18 division, Daniel Miller made a late charge to take a 1-up victory over Jonah Brown.

"That was a good match," Kesling said. "Daniel was down two with three to go and made a nice up-and-down on the final hole for par."

Colin Walkup won the third-place match by an 8 and 6 score over Scott Cantwell.

Kesling said the short game is more noticeable in match play format, as players are able to instantly notice when they lose a hole because of a three-putt or a stray chip shot."

"I hope the kids notice how the short game affects the whole match," he said. "I hope they take something from that and work on their short game."

Sarah Liles took her second consecutive victory, as she defeated Lindsey Moffat 4 and 3 for the championship in the girls 14-18 age group.

"Lindsey took down our Goliath, Kendall Griffin, on Wednesday and has been really playing well, so for Sarah to step up and win shows what kind of game she has," Kesling said. "I'm proud of her to win in a division that really is loaded with talent."

Griffin defeated Savana Fisher 4 and 3 took place third.

"Savana was down six through nine holes and it was good to see her hang in there," Kesling said. "She showed a lot of fortitude."

Kesling said the 60 kids who played in the tournament is the largest number they have had in a match play event and he was grateful for everything Bill Jarrett Ford does for the kids.

"The support we get from Bill Jarrett Ford is second to none," he said. "We really appreciate what they do for the kids."

amoody@highlandstoday.com (863) 386-5841