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Valley’s best junior golfers go head-to-head
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Joey Canann of Warren JFK qualifi ed for the championship round of Greatest Junior Golfer of the Valley golf tournament by shooting a 77 during a qualifer at Tamer Win Golf Course in Cortland on July 8. Canann will be a senior at JFK in the fall, but before he starts his last year of high school he is focused on winning the tournament today.
By NICK SHOOK
After multiple qualifying rounds, the Mahoning Valley’s greatest junior golfers are facing their final challenge.
The Vindicator’s Greatest Junior Golfer of the Valley tournament final will begin today at Trumbull Country Club in Warren at 1 p.m. The tournament, which pulled players from qualifying events at Diamond Back, Tamer Win and Tam O’Shanter, features two fields of 16 golfers, all within the age category of 16-18.
Maria Mancini, a 17-year old student at Poland High School, qualified for the final by shooting a 70 and finishing as one of the top four golfers in the qualifier at Tam O’Shanter. She is looking forward to the experience against her peers.
“I think there will be some good competition,” Mancini said. “I get to play with a lot of local girls, so I’m excited.
Mancini picked up competitive golf four years ago, thanks to encouragement by her father, both of her grandfathers and her aunt. She plays in at least one tournament per week in the summer, including a few LPGA qualifiers. Her travels have taken her to courses in Indiana and Michigan. Mancini recently committed to Indiana University to play golf for the Hoosiers.
The biggest surprise of the tournament lies in the field of 16 boys. Dominic Carano, soon to be a sophomore at Canfield High School, qualified for the final in the 16-18 age group. However, Carano is only 15. His youth didn’t seem to affect his attitude after qualifying for the final.
“I just felt relieved,” Carano said. “I’m just very thankful that I could play in an event that is set up at a nice golf course like Trumbull.”
Carano plays nearly every day in the summer, and as much as he can during the school year. He started playing golf full time at the age of 11, after making a tough decision to give up baseball.
“It came down to that I didn’t have enough time to manage two sports,” Carano said. “I just thought golf is the kind of sport you can play for the rest of your life.”
Carano is joined in the final by fellow Canfield student Joe Benson. Benson, 17, will be a senior at Canfield this fall and is looking forward to teeing off in pursuit of the title of the “Greatest Junior Golfer of the Valley”.
“I’m really excited.” Benson said, “because the jitters are already out and I already made it there, so it’s going to be fun.”
Benson is a newcomer to the game by golfing standards. He began playing competitive golf during his sophomore year, at the suggestion of his grandfather. He plays nearly every day, at either Mill Creek or Tippecanoe, the home course of Canfield. Benson would like to play golf at the next level, but hasn’t yet fielded any offers from schools.
Joey Canann of Warren JFK qualified for the final by shooting a 77 at Tamer Win. Canann will be a senior at JFK in the fall, but before he starts his final year of high school he is focused on winning today’s final.
“I know it’s a great opportunity,” Canann said. “It’s just nice to be involved with all of these kids and great athletes of the Valley.”
Canann is a two-sport athlete at JFK (baseball). He started golfing four years ago and makes it out on the course at Trumbull five times a week. He hopes to study architecture or engineering in college.