It was a beautiful day for golf at Windmill Golf Club in Ravenna as the 19th Matt Mishler Junior Portage County Amateur teed off.
Great competition, solid scores and movement on the scoreboard made it not only interesting for competitors but also a fun round for parents and grandparents to watch.
In the end, champions were crowned in five divisions as most of the golfers prepare for the start of the high school golf season on Monday.
Boys 16-19
James Morgan was consistent, firing great rounds of two-over-par both days at Raccoon Hill Golf Club and Windmill Lakes Golf Club. His final score, 74-72 146 gave Morgan, a senior on the Southeast Pirates golf team this fall, a 14-point cushion for the championship.
Runner-up, Tyler Pendergast of Mogadore, a member of the Wildcats golf team, played well, carding a 79 on his final day on the long, tree-lined fairways of Windmill Lakes.
Bryce Cannon of Ravenna also shot a 79 on Windmill Lakes Par 70 lay-out to earn third place with a total 162.
Low round of the day was Morgan’s 72 that included an even-par finish on the final nine holes.
GIRLS 16-19
Jessi Mix, a senior for the Southeast Pirates was in second place going into the second day of competition behind Kent senior Coco Golden.
Five strokes shy of Golden’s score, Mix found a balance at Windmill Lakes and added a 92 to the 91 she shot at Raccoon Hill on Tuesday.
Mix fired a 183 to edge out Golden by five strokes for the championship.
Taking home third place was Ava Miller, playing for the Rootstown Rovers this season, tying Golden in the second round at Windmill as they each carded 102.
BOYS 13-15
Andrew Van Damme held onto his strong lead from Tuesday (77) to fire an outstanding 74 at Windmill Lakes on Wednesday for a151 total.
VanDamme, playing for Kent Roosevelt this season, had the low two-rounds in his age division finishing with a 151 total.
Brock Thiry, Mogadore, bested his Wildcat teammate Max Simone to grab second place (170) as Simone finished with a 179 total including a 91 at Windmill.
GIRLS 13-15
Sammy Morgan, the Southeast Lady Pirate who captured the title at the Good Park Junior Golf Tournament this summer among other tournament victories, maintained her lead from Tuesday, firing a 78 at Windmill for a total 159.
Teammate Jenni Mix maintained her hold on second place (188) outlasting a surging Elizabeth Jia of Hudson, going into the eighth grade this fall, who fired a 189, missing a runner-up opportunity by one stroke.
BOYS 12-UNDER
Alden Pratt of Rocky River was solid on the fairways of both Sunny Hill and Windmill Lakes. Pratt fired a 40 on Tuesday and added a 41 for a total 81 for the championship.
Pratt topped Carston Chouinard of Copley who had an 88 after two nine-hole rounds followed by Gerren Waesch of Rootstown, taking home third in the youngest boys age group with rounds of 56-52 108.
The 12 and under boys were among the most fun to watch as they demonstrated just how experienced golfers can be at a young age.
Watch for many of the champions and golfers down the leaderboard to make an impact on high school golf this season.
19th MATT MISHLER JUNIOR PORTAGE COUNTY AMATEUR
FINAL SCORES FOLLOWING SECOND ROUND
AT WINDMILL LAKES GOLF CLUB, RAVENNA
BOYS 16-19
James Morgan, North Benton 74-72 146
Tyler Pendergast, Mogadore 81-79 160
Bryce Cannon, Ravenna 83-79 162
Jude Thiry, Mogadore 82-85 167
Deacon Smith, Kent 84-86 170
Brett Epple, Streetsboro 87-83 170
Owen Puhalla, Kent 84-86 170
Jack Flynn, Kent 90-84 174
Sully Evans, Uniontown 91-87 178
Max Shannon, Mogadore 89-95 184
Brad Simms, Kent 98-101 199
Andrew Just, Rootstown 105-101 206
Mason Storey, Mogadore 103-106 209
GIRLS 16-19
Jessi Mix, Deerfield 91-92 183
Coco Golden, Kent 86-102 188
Ava Miller, Rootstown 101-102 203
BOYS 13-15
Andrew VanDamme, Kent 77-74 101
Brock Thiry, Mogadore 82-88 170
Max Simone, Mogadore 88-91 179
Trevor Flarida, Atwater 97-91 188
Nathan Waesch, Rootstown 88-100 188
Dominic Vaccaro, Kent 94-102 196
Samuel Klem, Ravenna 91-104 197
Liam Miller, Rootstown 100-101 201
Jayden Eichler, Atwater 108-97 205
GIRLS 13-15
Sammy Morgan, North Benton 81-78 159
Jenni Mix, Deerfield 92-96 188
Elizabeth Jia, Hudson 98-91 189
BOYS 12 AND UNDER
Alden Pratt, Rocky River 40-41 81
Carston Chouinard, Copley 42-44 86
Gerren Waesch, Rootstown 56-52 108.
