Monday, May 16, 2016
Young golfers brave cold, snow, and in one division a playoff to qualify for Juniors tournament
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Flynn Auto Group Junior qualifier at Squaw Creek | Greatest Golfer Juniors May 15, 2016
By Steve wilaj
Vienna
Brian Terlesky didn’t try to do too much.
Heading into the decisive playoff hole against Jimmy Graham in the opening round of the Flynn Automotive Group Juniors Greatest Golfer of the Valley tournament Sunday, the Boardman High sophomore simply tried to par hole No. 1 at Squaw Creek.
“This golf course is extremely hard — especially with the conditions today,” Terlesky said. “So I thought if I make par, I should have a good chance to win, hopefully.”
Terlesky did just as he planned, taking a par four in the playoff hole to edge Graham’s bogey. It earned him a first-place finish in the U-17 division and qualified him for the championship round on July 22.
“It feels good,” Terlesky said. “I didn’t play exactly the way I wanted to, but it felt really good to come out of here with a win. He played really well, so it was nice.
“It was a long wait for that playoff.”
Terlesky and Graham — who both shot an 18-round score of 83 — waited approximately two hours in the clubhouse before their playoff.
Graham shot first on the final hole, out-driving Terlesky onto the fairway. Terlesky then shot just far of the green, while Graham came up well short.
A solid chip by Terlesky set him up for a two-foot putt, while Graham — after getting onto the green on his third shot as well — narrowly missed on an approximate 30-foot putt that sealed his fate.
“I hit my first drive really good right down the middle,” said Graham, a freshman at Warren JFK. “The second shot, I wasn’t really comfortable with the distance.
“I hit a 9-iron and chunked it and wasn’t too confident about it. I thought I hit a good third shot and felt pretty confident about my putt — just pushed it a little. But what could you do?”
Bobby Jonda, Anthony Graziano and Michael Butch each shot 84s to finish behind the top two. Cole Christman also took an 85, while Zack Jacobson shot an 87.
Terlesky and Graham said the cold weather conditions — which featured some snow — played a major factor.
“The weather was extremely hard today — from the snow to the hail to the wind,” Terlesky said. “But it’s golf. It’s fun. It’s not gonna be perfect 70 degrees every day.
“I didn’t play very good today. My swing is not on right now and nothing is really clicking right now with the driver, but it’s gonna get there. It’s a process”
Added Graham: “I felt I could have [done] a lot better and shot in the 70s. But the cold weather didn’t help. You have to concentrate more when the weather’s like this. But overall I’m happy with my performance.”
Same goes for Hannah Keffler, who won the girls U-17 division with a score of 85.
“I was happy with [my score] considering the conditions,” said Keffler, a Canfield High freshman. “It was really cold and windy and I’m just glad that I got out finishing happy with my score.”
Keffler added that she was keyed by her chipping, as she even chipped in for birdie on hole no. 9.
“I think my chipping was pretty good — most were within about five feet,” she said. “It’s a relief now knowing I don’t have to play every tournament and I’ll be in the finals.”
Britney Jonda finished second with an 87, while Erika Hoover took third with a 91. There were five no-shows in the 13-person girls field.
In the boys U-14 division, Conner Stevens shot the low score of the day with a 79. He took first in the field of four, and Justin Atkinson finished second with a 92.
Jayne Bernard finished first in the girls U-14 with a 105. She edged the field’s only other competitor, Olivia Taylor, who shot a 106.
The juniors tournament continues with Round 2 on Sunday at Pine Lakes at 1:15 p.m.
This is the seventh season for Greatest Golfer, and it has grown from an event serving 90 golfers to now impacting 3,000 golfers, 12 golf courses and 24 charities.