Harris, Komoto break away to win Webb Simpson Junior Championship
Juniors break ties in final round at Tanglewood Park - Championship Course
CLEMMONS, N.C. — Dylan Harris of Southern Pines, N.C., scored a 1-under-par 69 in the final round to win the Webb Simpson Junior Championship with a 4-under-par 206 tournament total. Kacie Komoto of Honolulu finished with a 9-over-par 219 to win in the Girls Division.
The Webb Simpson Junior Championship was a 54-hole tournament conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at Tanglewood Park's Championship Course in Clemmons, N.C. The event featured 72 boys and 24 girls, ages 12-18, from 20 states and six countries. The Boys Division played the par-70 course at 6,778 yards while the Girls Division played the course at 5,983 yards.
Harris was a leader during all three rounds in his final AJGA event before he attends UNC Wilmington in the fall. He was 2-under-par through the front nine, but nerves almost got the better of him coming down the back nine.
“That was the most nervous I've felt in quite a while,” Harris said. “It started on No. 17 when I still had a two-stroke lead. On No. 18 I thought I hit a great shot from 140 yards with my pitching wedge, but it went over the green. Maybe that was a little adrenaline, but I'm glad to win.”
In second place finishing one stroke behind Harris was Tanner Owen of High Point, N.C., with a 3-under-par 207. In a three-way tie for third were Will Seger of Jasper, Ind., Jason Chen of Brea, Calif., and Ethan Wagner of Port Orange, Fla., who each finished at 1-under-par 209.
Komoto was one of four girls tied for the lead after the second round. She shot a 1-over-par 71 in the final round to win her first championship in her second AJGA event.
“I started off with just trying to make pars,” Komoto said. “It's a tough course and I knew the scores weren't going to be that low. I was a little bit nervous because I wasn't too sure what the group in front of me was shooting. Everyone always tells me that if you're nervous then that means you care. It's a good thing that I cared about the turnout.”
In second place was Jordan Ferreira of University Place, Wash., with an 11-over-par 221. Tied in third place were Andrea Unson of Murrieta, Calif., and Shannon Aubert of Reunion, Fla., at 12-over-par 222.
The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. The AJGA provides valuable exposure for college golf scholarships, and has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,000 junior golfers from 49 states and more than 40 countries. To ensure scholarship opportunities for all junior golfers who have the skill, the AJGA created the Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant program to provide financial assistance to young players in need.
Titleist, the AJGA's National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association's success since 1989. Rolex, which is in its third decade of AJGA support, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004. In 2007, after 12 years of support, Polo Ralph Lauren became the AJGA's second Premier Partner.
AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 500 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Stewart Cink, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Inbee Park and Morgan Pressel.
For more information on the Webb Simpson Junior Championship, please contact AJGA National Headquarters at (770) 868-4200 or visit the AJGA website at ajga.org.
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