Mill Creek tourney attracts golfers from the world over
By BOB ETTINGER
sports@vindy.com
BOARDMAN
Erik Plenge wants to compete against the best. So much so, he’s willing to travel from South America to Northeast Ohio to do so, thinking not only of the current moment but the future, as well.
Plenge, 14, traveled the 3,672 miles from Lima, Peru, with his father to play in the American Junior Golf Association’s Mahoning Valley Hospital Foundation Junior All-Star at Mill Creek Golf Course North. It’s one of several events Plenge will take part in over the summer.
“It’s just a change,” Plenge said Wednesday. “I’ve been going to Florida a lot for my past few tournaments. I get to see a different kind of grass, another course. The best players play here [in the United States]. I want to play against the best competition.”
Playing in the event gives Plenge a chance to grow as a player.
“Each time I come here [to the states], I have an opportunity to play, prepare and improve,” Plenge said. “I don’t worry about making the cut. I come and try to do my best each time I play because I don’t get to play a lot of tournaments.”
Plenge is not the only golfer trying to improve his game against high-level competition. Players from 27 countries and all 50 states have competed in the Mahoning Valley Hospital Foundation Junior All-Star over the four years.
“I’ve learned it’s tough,” Plenge said. “There are a lot of people here like me, competing for scholarships. I have to work hard if I want to achieve my goals. My main goal is to get a scholarship at a Division I school.”
This year, players from overseas include Plenge, Benjamin Cai of Shanghai and Charlene Chung and Hoi Ki Lau, both of Hong Kong.
Plenge said he believes in what American colleges offer, both on the golf course and in the classroom.
“It’s competitive not only in sports, but academically,” Plenge said. “There’s a good balance between the two. It’s great.”
With this week’s event moved from the South Course to the North Course due to weather, Plenge got to experience something very different from his home.
“It’s nice,” Plenge said. “It’s really green. It’s not like home. It’s really different. Where I live, it’s desert. The layout is really nice. It’s a different kind of grass. Sometime, that gets me in trouble. It’s just different, but it’s cool to learn about this.”
After two rounds, Plenge and the rest of the field were trying to finish above the cut line, which stood at 50 percent of the original 132-member field plus ties.
Plenge turned in an even 69 on Wednesday to tie for 15th (142) heading into today’s final round, which begins at 7 a.m.
Andres Barraza of Parkland, Fla., is the leader at 3-under on the Par-69 course. He turned in rounds of 68 and 67, respectively. Will Lodge of Darien, Conn., shot a 65 in the second round and sits one stroke back.
Kaia Wu of Princeton, N.J., shot an even 69 and leads at 1-over 139 to lead the girls. Julie Shin of Brambleton, Va., is one shot back after her second-round score of 69.