The 100th Junior Amateur and 47th Girls’ Junior Amateur Championships were hosted at the United States Naval Academy Golf Club for the first time ever earlier this week. Noah Wallace of Chesapeake Bay Golf Club won the Boys Championship Division, and Zoe Cusack of Congressional Country Club won the Girls Championship Division.
The first round on Monday saw sunny but windy conditions with the winds blowing 25 MPH with gusts of 30 MPH. Wallace had to deal with the wind his entire round as he teed off at 1:10 in the afternoon. He started off his round by making a birdie on No. 3, but as he got around to No. 5, things got difficult. He made a double bogey on the 410-yard par 4, which was playing uphill and into the tough wind. He then made a bogey on No. 8 and consequently made the turn at 2-over-par (37). After making four pars to start the back nine, he birdied four out of his last five holes, carding five consecutive 3’s, to shoot 31. With the help of his impressive back nine score, Wallace carded a 2-under-par round of 68 to give himself a one-shot lead over Ryan Pratt of The Golf Club at South River.
Cusack was in a similar situation to Wallace during the first round as she teed off at 12:40 PM, so she also had to deal with the powerful winds for her whole round. She started her day on No. 10 and played a smooth nine holes by making two birdies and seven pars to shoot a 2-under-par score of 34. After she made the turn, she made a couple of bogeys on Nos. 5 and 8, but she finished her round in a positive way by making birdie on No. 9 to shoot 37. Her 1-under-par total score of 71 gave her a three-shot lead over Joelle Johnson of Youth on Course Maryland.
The Tuesday’s second round had much calmer conditions compared to the day prior. Wallace had a morning tee time, so he was playing his round without having to worry about too much foot traffic on the greens. He started on No. 10, and while he may not have been as hot as he was on the back nine as he was on Monday, he still shot a stable 1-under-par total of 34 with one birdie and eight pars. After making the turn, he bogeyed No. 2 and No. 6 to put him at 1-over par, but he battled back by making two birdies on No. 8 and No. 9 to close out another under-par round of 69 (-1). He gave himself a three-shot lead over Owen Newberry of Crofton Country Club, the defending Junior Amateur Champion, and Jackson Geyer of Youth on Course Maryland going into the final round.
Cusack, who started in the morning on No. 1, took advantage of the calmer morning conditions on the tougher side of the course. She made birdie on No. 3, but she gave back the gained shot on No. 6 with a bogey. She closed out her front nine with a birdie on No. 9 to shoot 35 (-1). On the back nine, she bogeyed No. 12 but got the lost stroke back on No. 13 with a birdie. She bogeyed No. 17, but she shot an even-par round of 72 to give herself a big six-shot cushion over Joelle Johnson heading into the final round.
The final round on Wednesday brought the heat with temperatures breaking the 90-degree barrier. Wallace felt the heat of Tommy Sharps of Baltimore Country Club and Owen Newberry to start the third round. Wallace was 1-over-par through the first five holes to put himself at 2-under-par for the tournament, and Sharps took advantage of Wallace’s early mistakes. Sharps birdied No. 3 and No. 5 to get himself to even-par for the tournament. Newberry was steady through the first five holes by staying at even-par. After Wallace made birdie and Newberry made double bogey on No. 7, there was a little more comfort for the 36-hole leader, but Wallace would then make three bogeys in a row on Nos. 8, 9, and 10. Sharps stayed at 1-under-par for his third round through No. 10, and suddenly, the three-shot advantage that Wallace started the day with was down to one. Sharps then fell off after making a double bogey on No. 11 and a bogey on No. 12, and Wallace took advantage of the opportunity to increase his lead again. He made three pars on Nos. 11, 12, and 13 before taking the lid off the cup on No. 14 with a birdie. The finish line was in sight, and he had a clean card in his last four holes as he made three pars and one birdie to shoot a 1-over-par round of 71. Wallace shot a 2-under-par total of 208 for the week, and he won by seven shots.
Cusack had a significant six-shot advantage to start her final round, and she only increased it from there. She had a stellar front nine by making five birdies and four pars for a 5-under-par front nine score of 31. Joelle Johnson was also under par for her first nine holes, but it was not enough to get herself any closer to Cusack. At the turn, Cusack’s lead was ten shots. She struggled on the par 3’s on the back nine by making double bogeys on both, but she gave herself a big enough lead to ensure a win. She would end up shooting a 2-under-par round of 70. Cusack shot a 3-under-par total of 213 for the week, and she won by seven shots.
The MSGA would like to thank the United States Naval Academy Golf Club for being such amazing hosts of the 100th Junior Amateur and 47th Girls’ Junior Amateur.