Four Are Headed to the U.S. Junior & Girls' Junior Amateurs
Eureka, MO - The U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur Qualifiers have been completed at Crescent Farms Golf Club. The day started with light showers, but then turned into a beautiful afternoon. Competition was hot for both the boys and girls as they tried to earn a place in a USGA Championship. One girl and three boys spots were up for grabs.
The U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur Qualifying happened first. Keeping the scores close, many of the girls set themselves up for a shot claiming the ticket to the championship. Xingtong Chen of Singapore kept her game steady. With three bogeys and three birdies to offset, Chen finished the day at even (E) par. There were five groups behind her, so Chen had to wait to see if her clubhouse lead score would hold out. Luckily, this was enough for Chen to earn Medalist honors and claim her ticket to the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur. Just one shot back, Xiaowen Lisa Zhang of St. Louis, MO and Eva Brown of St. Louis, MO sat tied at one-over (+1) par. The pair had to go into a playoff to determine who gets the first alternate place and the second alternate place. By the end of the playoff, Brown had claimed the first alternate position, leaving Zhang as the second alternate.
The boys took to the course hoping to be holding a ticket to the U.S. Junior Amateur at the end of the day. From the start, it was clear this would be some stiff competition as we watched the leaderboard quickly stack up. Samuel Ottwell of Alton, IL flew to the top on the back nine. Making the turn at one-under par, Ottwell carded an eagle on Hole 11 and coupled it with two more birdies on holes 14 and 17. Ottwell soared to the top of the leaderboard and securely earned his place in the U.S. Junior Amateur as the qualifying Medalist with a score of five-under (-5) par. Hank Homsey of Overland Park, KS came into the clubhouse with the second lowest round of the day. A bogey-free back nine and two birdies put Homsey at two-under (-2) par. There were a few people who had gotten to two-under during their round, but were unable to hold on. This allowed Homsey to claim the second qualifying spot.
One-under par was a popular position today as numerous players reached that score at some point in their round. Four golfers finished their day here: Harper Ackermann of Webster Groves, MO, Cole Packingham Lake St. Louis, MO, Dawson Schneiders Jefferson City, MO, and Beau Eftink of Quincy, IL. With only one qualifying spot left, the four set off into a playoff starting on Hole 18, followed by 10 if not completed, and then circling back if needed. Dawson Schneiders lost out on the first playoff hole, narrowing the competition down to three. They made their way down Hole 10 and soon we were looking at putts for par. Eftink and Packingham both skirted their putts by, leaving Ackermann to make a move. Ackermann faced a harrowing two-foot putt and was able to seal the deal by sinking the putt for par. Ackermann walked away with the final qualifying spot. Packingham and Eftink then had to play 18 one more time to decide the alternates. With a solid final hole Packingham took the first alternate position and Eftink settled as the second alternate.
Xingtong Chen of Singapore will play in the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur at Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, GA on July 14-19. Eva Brown waits in the wings as the first alternate followed by Xiaowen Lisa Zhang as second alternate. Samuel Ottwell of Alton, IL, Hank Homsey of Overland Park, KS, and Harper Ackermann of Webster Groves, MO will make their way to Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas, TX to compete July 21-26 in the U.S. Junior Amateur. Cole Packingham waits as the first alternate with Beau Eftink following suit as second alternate.
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