98th Maryland Junior Championship

Final Round

Thomas Chalfant from Bethesda Country Club, and Lane Krosse of Hayfields Country Club, both teed up on No. 10 at Maryland Golf and Country Club for their playoff after with 36-hole totals of 145 in the 98th Junior Championship of the Maryland State Golf Association, June. 20-21. The first playoff hole was No. 10, a 538-yard par 5. Krosse had the advantage as he hit his second shot just short of the greenside bunker and would be chipping on with a better look at birdie. Krosse left the chip about 8 feet short of the hole and would eventually miss the birdie putt and tap in for his par. Chalfant hit his 3rd shot short and left of the pin but still had a makeable putt for birdie. Chalfant also missed his birdie putt and tapped in for his par to send the playoff to its second hole. The second playoff hole was number 18, a 437-yard par 4. Krosse teed off first and hit his drive right of the fairway and into the rough; Chalfant drove his to the left side of the fairway but was facing a tricky downhill lie. However, Chalfant stuck his shot pin high and had about 20 feet for birdie. Krosse hit his shot just short of pin high, but the firm greens forced the ball to roll off the back of the green. Krosse then had to get up and down for par but duffed his chip shot and left a difficult look for par. After Krosse missed his long and testy par putt, Chalfant lagged his putt close to the hole and tapped his par in to win.

Before this climactic ending, there had been two dramatic turns of events.

Krosse, who held a four-stroke lead after the opening round, came out of the front nine shooting a 41 after a seven on the par-four 7th. This didn’t affect Krosse as much as Chalfant also struggled on the front, shooting a 40, only closing the lead by one stroke. After both players birdied ten, Krosse still had a three-stroke lead.

Heading to the 160-yard par-three 16th, Krosse, who had led throughout the round, still had control with a three-stroke advantage. That all came undone when Chalfant managed to birdie 16 while Krosse made bogey to close the lead to 1 shot heading to 17. After both players finished No. 17 with pars, they headed to 18 to finish their rounds. Chalfant played his drive down the left side of the fairway, hit his shot onto the green, and just left a birdie putt short to tap in for par. Krosse, just needing a par to win ended up bogeying the hole, which sent the two to a playoff.

“My putting,” said Chalfant when asked what worked to help him pull out the victory. “I didn’t have the greatest front nine, but my putter kept me in it, and I was able to make a bunch of birdies on the back nine.”  The rising high school senior was able to stay composed during the playoff by “taking it one shot at a time” and “focusing on the objective at hand.”

Carson Looney, also of Bethesda Country Club, shot 73-75–148 to win the 14-15 age division by a total of nine strokes.

Round 1

Lane Krosse, one of the first couple of players to turn in their scorecard, returned a 5-under-par 68 and took a 4-stroke lead halfway through the 98th Junior Championship of the Maryland State Golf Association at Maryland Golf and Country Club in Bel Air, on June 20. Krosse made seven birdies and two bogeys to record an excellent first round.

Thomas Chalfant from Bethesda CC posted a 1-under 72 while both Jai Sheth, Rolling Road GC, and David Regala, Chartwell CC, posted a 1-over 73.

Carson Looney, Bethesda CC, recorded an even-par 73, with three birdies on the day.

Landon O’Hara, YOC Maryland, shot a 39-34-73 on Monday. After making two bogeys on the front, O’Hara birdied 12, bogeyed 15, and then birdied 16 and 18 to pull himself back to even par.