Gordon Sargent of Birmingham, Alabama, won the TaylorMade / adidas Golf Boys Junior All-Star with a 12-under-par 201 at Château Élan Golf Club.
The high school freshman shot 3-under-par 68 during the final round, including a chip-in eagle on No. 9, to earn his first win of 2018 and second ACDS Junior All-Star Series career victory.
Sargent led by three strokes going into the final round thanks to his record-setting 8-under-par 63, which was an AJGA tournament record and matched the competitive course record and was the AJGA’s fourth-lowest all-time 18-hole score.
“It’s really an honor to win,” Sargent said. “It’s really cool to play in an AJGA event. To win one makes it even better. I had some experience coming into this week, but it’s really tough to win on the AJGA and makes me feel really good about my game.”
The win secures a spot for Sargent on the Road to Reynolds, a series of 20 ACDS Junior All-Star events which culminate in the season-ending even at Reynolds Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Georgia, in October.
Gavin Aurilia of Phoenix, Arizona, shot a tournament low final round 4-under-par 67 to finish second at 10-under-par 203. The 14-year-old played in his first AJGA leader group and earned a career-best finish with seven birdies during the final round.
Evan Woosley-Reed of Shelbyville, Tennessee, ended in a tie for third with the other co-low final round award winner Luke Clantonof Miami Lakes, Florida, at even-par 213.
The 15-year-old Reed also earned a career-best AJGA finish thanks to his 1-under-par 70 final round effort.
Clanton, who won the 2017 AJGA Junior at Blue Hill, finished just outside the top 10 in the 2017 TaylorMade / adidas Golf Boys Junior All-Star. The 14-year-old is No. 124 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings and played in his first event of 2018.
Tied for fifth at 3-over-par 216 were Shane Ffrench of San Diego, California, and Nicholas Dunlap of Birmingham, Alabama.
ABOUT THE ACDS JUNIOR ALL-STAR SERIES
The ACDS Junior All-Star Series was created within the AJGA in 1998 to give younger players, ages 12-15, the opportunity to compete at the national level against their peers with a golf course setup that reflects this goal of yardages more appropriate for this age group. Many juniors got their start with the ACDS Junior All-Star Series, most notably Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, Inbee Park, Brittany Lang and Alison Lee.
ABOUT THE #ROADTOREYNOLDS
A season-long campaign, the Road to Reynolds celebrates champions from the 20 ACDS Junior All-Star Series events who entry into the season-ending Justin Rose Junior All-Star Invitational at Reynolds Lake Oconee. The 54-hole stroke play event held over Columbus Day weekend on the Reynolds Lake Oconee Great Waters course in Greensboro, Georgia, will crown an overall champion among junior golfers ages 12-15.