Russell, Talley rise to the top at Sage Valley to become two-time Junior Invitational winners

 

   It’s not unusual for some of the girls who tee it up in the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley to show up about 20 miles down the road from Graniteville, S.C. a couple of weeks later in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship.

   Nobody would be terribly surprised to see Asterisk Talley, who, as a previous winner, was able to slip on a gold jacket in her size after claiming a three-shot victory over a loaded field in the girls division of this year’s Junior Invitational, which wrapped up Saturday, contend for the title at Augusta National in a couple of weeks.

   Not sure how often one of the guys have been able to use the Junior Invitational as a tuneup for The Masters, the first of men’s golf four professional majors, which will tee off at the Augusta National Golf Club five days after the Augusta National Women’s Amateur wraps up April 4.

   But there was one this year.

   Mason Howell, by virtue of his stunning victory in the U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif. in the summer before his senior year of high school, will be in the field for this year’s Masters.

   It will be dream come true for a kid from Thomasville, Ga. who will join the program at Georgia in the powerful Southeastern Conference at the end of this summer, to have a starting time in The Masters.

   But first he teed it up in the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. It is a testament to the depth of talent in junior golf these days that Howell will play in the Masters. It is also a testament to the depth of talent in junior golf these days that Howell wasn’t nearly the best player at Sage Valley last week.

   That would be Miles Russell, the little left-hander from Jacksonville Beach, Fla. who is No. 10 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and, for the second year in a row, the wearer of the gold jacket that goes to the winner of the Boys Division in the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley.

   The people at Sage Valley have made no secret that they consider the Junior Invitational The Masters of junior golf, right down to the awarding of a jacket, in this case gold, to the winner. And they've largely succeeded.

    And Russell just imposed his will on a really talented field, pulling away with a final round of 5-under 67 Saturday for a three-shot victory over Tyler Watts of Huntsville, Ala. Not sure what the yardages were for either the boys or girls, but Sage plays 7,437 yards from the tips, so it was probably closer to 7,000 for the guys and 6,800ish or so for the girls.

   Russell has made an oral commitment to play at Florida State, but he won’t graduate high school until 2027, so he can still play junior golf for two more summers if he wants to. Blades Brown was a talented junior player who bypassed college golf and went directly to the pros. He hasn’t reached the PGA Tour yet, but he’s taking some very positive strides.

   Can't help but wonder if Russell is thinking about following that path.  

   Russell opened the proceedings at Sage Valley with a brilliant eight-birdie, no-bogey 8-under 64. When he rattled off four straight birdies at the 10^th, 11^th, 12^th and 13^th holes, he was already 8-under for the round.

   He could only manage pars the rest of the way.

   But this thing wasn’t over, not by a long shot.

   Russell cooled off a little in the middle two rounds as he posted a 2-under 70 in Thursday’s second round before matching par in Friday’s third round with a 72.

   That left him three shots behind Watts, who is No. 26 in the WAGR and has carved out a pretty spectacular junior career of his own, and a shot behind Howell, who is No. 98 in the WAGR.

   Watts was the runnerup in the U.S. Junior Amateur in the summer of 2024 at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Last summer, he beat a top field of collegians in the Sunnehanna Amateur, an Elite Amateur Series event with a long history that is played every summer at Sunnehanna Country Club, an A.W. Tillinghast gem in Johnstown.

   Watts, who will join the program at Tennessee in the SEC at the end of this summer, had opened with a sparkling 5-under 67 and added a 3-under 69 in Thursday’s second round before adding another 67 in Friday’s third round to get it to 13-under.

   Howell had offered a preview of what was to come last summer when he ripped off a pair of 9-under 63s at the Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta, Ga. to claim a share of medalist honors in a U.S. Open final qualifier.

   Howell’s victory in the U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club earned him a spot on the U.S. team a couple of weeks later in a Walker Cup Match at the iconic Cypress Point Club on northern California’s Monterey Peninsula and got to celebrate an American victory over Great Britain & Ireland.

   Howell was right there, just two shots behind Watts going into the final round at Sage Valley after he opened with a 2-under 70 and added a 4-under 68 in Thursday’s second round before getting it to 11-under with a sparkling 5-under 67 in Friday’s third round.

   But, much as did in his Junior Invitational victory a year ago, Russell seized the moment in the final round.

   Russell made an eagle at the par-5 fourth hole, then birdies at eight and 10 before making another eagle at the par-5 15^th. All which made a bogey at the 16^th hole not matter as Russell closed with a 5-under 67 that gave him a 15-under 273 total. Russell is the first repeat winner in Junior Invitational history.

   Watts finished up a 1-over 73 and settled for runnerup honors with a 12-under 276 total.

   Howell struggled to a 4-over 76 in the final round and ended up five shots behind Watts in third place with a 7-under 281 total. Still, he got in some competitive reps against top competition heading into his date at Augusta.

   If everything falls into place, golf fans in the Philadelphia area will have two chances to see these three future stars tee it up this year as the U.S. Junior Amateur will be played at Saucon Valley Country Club’s Old Course in Bethlehem, site of three U.S. Senior Opens since 1992, and the U.S. Amateur will be held at Merion Golf Club’s iconic East Course in the Ardmore section of Haverford Township for the seventh time.

   Lev Grinberg of Ukraine and Oscar Couilleau of France finished two shots behind Howell in a tie for fourth place, each landing on 5-under 283.

   Grinberg, who will join the program at SEC power Arkansas at the end of this summer, closed with a sparkling 5-under 67 to get it to 5-under. Grinberg had opened with a 3-over 75, but added a 3-under 69 in Thursday’s second round and matched par in Friday’s third round with a 72.

   Couilleau, who will join the program at Arizona State in the Big 12 at the end of the summer, was steady throughout, matching par with a 72 in the opening round and adding a 2-under 70 in Thursday’s second round and a 1-under 71 in Friday’s third round before closing with another 70.

   Luke Ringkamp of Palm Desert, Calif., the runaway winner of the Rolex Tournament of Champions, the marquee event of the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) at TPC San Antonio in November, and Louis Klein, a Class of 2027 competitor from Czechia, finished in a tie for sixth place, each ending up at 4-under 284.

   Ringkamp, who will join the program at perennial West Coast Conference power Pepperdine at the end of the summer, matched par with 72s in the first, second and final  rounds around a 4-under 68 in Friday’s third round.

   Klein had bookend 2-under 70s in the first and final rounds around a 3-over 75 in Thursday’s second round and a 3-under 69 in Friday’s third round.

   Ronin Benerjee of Irvine, Calif. finished alone in eighth place with a 3-under 285 total. Banerjee, who plans to join Watts at Tennessee in the summer of 2027, got off to a fast start with a 4-under 68 in the opening round, added a 3-over 75 in Thursday’s second round and matched par in Friday’s third round with a 72 before closing with a solid 2-under 70.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the Boys Division at Sage Valley was the pair of Tyler Mawhinney of Fleming Island, Fla. and Guus Lafeber of The Netherlands as they finished in a tie for ninth place, each landing on 2-under 286.

   Mawhinney, who teamed with Will Hartman to capture the title in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Plainfield Country Club in Edison, N.J. last spring, added a 1-over 73 in Thursday’s second round to his opening round of 1-under 71, got it going with a 4-under 68 in Thursday’s third round before closing with a 2-over 74.

   Mawhinney will follow his Four-Ball partner Hartman to Vanderbilt in the SEC at the end of this summer.

   Lafeber, winner of the R&A’s Boys’ Amateur Championship last summer at County Louth Golf Club in Ireland, opened with a 2-under 70 and posted back-to-back 1-under 71s in the second and third rounds before closing a 2-over 74.

   Lafeber will join Grinberg in what looks like a pretty good recruiting class at Arkansas at the end of the summer.

   When Asterisk Talley captured the title in the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley as a 15-year-old in 2024, it turned out to be the jumping-off point for a remarkable year.

   A couple of months later, Talley would get a share of low-amateur honors in the U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club.

   Talley was the runnerup to Rianne Malixi, the same girl Talley had beaten at Sage Valley, in both the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, Calif. and the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.

   Representing the United States in the Curtis Cup Match at Sunningdale Golf Club in Berkshire, England, Talley stunned Lottie Woad, then the No. 1 player in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), in a Sunday singles match.

   Saturday, Talley became the first two-time winner of the Junior Invitational’s Girls Division, which was added in 2022, with a three-shot victory over Anna Iwanaga of Japan.

   Like Russell, the boys champion, Talley is still two summers away from starting her college career. She has made an oral commitment to join the program at Atlantic Coast Conference power Stanford, the top program in Division I women’s golf.

   Talley came to Sage Valley at No. 11 in the Women’s WAGR and proceeded to show why she has that lofty ranking.

   Talley opened with a 3-under 69, but backed off a little with a 3-over 75 in Thursday’s second round. That left her two shots behind the defending champion, Aphrodite Deng, the native of Canada whose family relocated to Short Hills, N.J. and is No. 12 in the Women’s WAGR, at the halfway point.

   Talley recorded a solid 3-under 69 in Friday’s third round that gave her a one-shot lead over Amelie Zalsman of St. Petersburg, Fla. and No. 68 in the Women’s WAGR, going into the final round.

   But, in much the same way that Russell did in the Boys Division, Talley was rock solid in the final round. She made birdies on the fourth, eighth, 10^th, 14^th and 16^th holes with nary a bogey on the card for a sparkling 5-under 67 that gave her a 5-under 283 total.

   Iwanaga, who is No. 23 in the Women’s WAGR, matched Talley’s final round of 5-under 67 to finish alone in second place, three shots behind Talley with a 5-under 283 total.

   Iwanaga, like Talley, a Class of ’27 competitor, bounced back from an opening round of 3-over 74 with a 3-under 69 in Thursday’s second round before adding a 1-over 73 in Friday’s third round.

   It was three more shots back to Yujie Liu, a Class of ’28 entry from China and No. 34 in the Women’s WAGR, in third place with a 2-under 286 total. Liu had bookend 2-under 70s in the first and final rounds around a 2-over 74 in Thursday’s second round and an even-par 72 in Friday’s third round.

   It was in the summer of 2023 when a 13-year-old Deng showed up at the Moorestown Field Club for the Women’s Golf Association of Philadelphia Junior Girls’ Championship and shot 14-under for two days.

   Deng’s victory at Sage Valley a year ago set the stage for a big summer that culminated with a really impressive victory in the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Ga.

   Deng, still just a Class of ’28 kid, the equivalent of a high school sophomore, finished in a tie for fourth place with Amelie Zalsman, who plans to join the program at ACC power Wake Forest in the summer of 2027, each ending up three shots behind Liu with a 1-over 289 total.

   Deng had the lead at the halfway point with typically consistent rounds as she opened with a 2-under 70 and matched par in Thursday’s second round with a 72. She finished up with a 1-over 73 in Friday’s third round before closing with a 74.

   Zalsman, an impressive winner of the South Atlantic Women’s Amateur Championship, better known by its shorthand moniker The Sally, at Oceanside Country Club in Ormond Beach, Fla. in January, had opened with a 3-over 75 and matched par in Thursday’s second round with a 72 before surging in to contention on the strength of a 5-under 67 in Friday’s third round.

   Zalsman finished up with a 3-over 75 to join Deng at 1-over.

   Anna Fang of San Diego, Calif. and No. 40 in the Women’s WAGR, closed with a solid 1-under 71 to finish alone in sixth place with a 3-over 291 total.

   Fang, who plans to join Talley in what’s shaping up to be a really strong freshman class at Stanford in the summer of 2027, struggled a little in the opening round with a 3-over 75. She added a 1-over 74 in Thursday’s second round before matching par in Friday’s third round with a 72.

   The next two players on the final leaderboard, Nikki Oh of Torrance, Calif. and Jude Lee of Walnut, Calif., they’re headed for Stanford at the end of this summer. So yeah, the rich are just getting richer at The Farm.

   Oh, an impressive winner of the AJGA’s Rolex Tournament of Champions at TPC San Antonio in November, opened with a 2-over 74, matched par in Thursday’s second round with a 72 and signed for steady back-to-back 1-over 73s in the final two rounds to finish in seventh place with a 4-over 292 total.

   Lee was four shots behind her future Stanford teammate in eighth place with an 8-over 296 total. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Lee struggled a little in the middle rounds with a 6-over 78 in Thursday’s second round and a 76 in Friday’s third round. Lee recovered nicely in the final round with her best round of the week, a 2-under 70.

   Rayee Feng, another Short Hills, N.J. entry and a senior at the prestigious Pingry School in Bernards Township, N.J., finished a shot behind Lee in ninth place with a 9-over 297 total.

   Feng not only qualified for last year’s U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills, she made the cut and played the weekend. After opening with a 3-over 75, Feng added a 77 in Thursday’s second round and a 76 in Friday’s third round before righting the ship by matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the Girls Division was Louise Uma Landgraf of France and No. 47 in the Women’s WAGR as she finished alone in 10^th place with an 11-over 299 total.

   Looks like ACC power Florida State is getting a good one in Uma Landgraf as she opened with a solid 2-under 70 at Sage Valley, but struggled a little after that, adding a 4-over 76 in Thursday’s second round and a 78 in Friday’s third round before closing with a 75.

   Uma Landgraf will join the Seminoles at the end of this summer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baez leads Richmond to second straight team crown by taking title in Babygrande Donald Ross Collegiate Classic

 

   A victory in the Atlantic 10 Championship and a berth in an NCAA regional barely eluded Richmond a year ago. The Spiders seem intent on flipping that script in the wraparound 2025-2026 season.

   Coming on strong in the final round to erase a one-shot deficit to George Washington, Richmond claimed its second straight team crown in the Babygrande Donald Ross Collegiate Classic, which wrapped up Wednesday at the Mid-Pines Golf Club, your basic Ross gem, in Southern Pines, N.C.

   The Spiders were coming off a team title in the Loyola Intercollegiate last month in Goodyear, Ariz. and proceeded to go back-to-back for the first time in head coach Adam Decker’s 21 years at the helm of the program.

   Carlos Baez, a sophomore from Davenport, Fla., had captured the individual title in the Loyola Intercollegiate and he nearly did it again.

   Baez sunk a birdie putt on the 18^th hole that secured the team title for Richmond and earned him a spot in a playoff for the individual crown with Bowling Green’s Pedro Garcia, a freshman from Spain, and Virginia Commonwealth’s Carson Looney, a freshman from Bethesda, Md., each landing on 6-under-par 210.

   Garcia, however, hit it close on the first hole of the playoff and converted the birdie to claim his first collegiate victory.

   Garcia had opened with a 4-under 68 over the 6,657-yard, par-72 Mid-Pines layout and added a 3-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round to share the lead with Eastern Kentucky’s Anders Larson, a senior from Pine Island, Minn., going into the final round.

   Garcia’s final round of 1-over 73 enabled Baez and Looney to catch him at 6-under.

   Baez had opened with a 4-under 68 and matched par in Tuesday’s second round with a 72 before closing with a 2-under 70.

   Richmond, No. 141 in the latest Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings, got off to a great start at Mid-Pines as the Spiders opened with a 10-under 278, the best team round of the tournament.

   They fell a shot behind George Washington with a 2-over 290 in Tuesday’s second round, but another 2-over 290 in Wednesday’s final round enabled Richmond to hold off hard-charging George Mason by three shots with a 6-under 858 total.

   Richmond defeated a field that included seven of its A-10 rivals, including GW and George Mason, as well as Saint Joseph’s. I’ll round up how the lineup for the Hawks, largely comprised of Philadelphia area kids, fared later in this post.

   Richmond had another top-10 finisher in Lucas Rizo-Patron, a freshman from Rye, N.Y. who finished in a tie for ninth place with Loyola of Chicago’s Charlie Kulwin, a senior from Chicago, Ill., and South Dakota’s Joe Rohlwing, a junior from Apple Valley, Minn., each landing on 3-under 213.

   Rizo-Patron backed up Baez for the Spiders as he opened with a 3-under 69 before matching par in the final two rounds with a pair of 72s.

   Richmond lost to Davidson by a shot in the A-10 Championship at the Evermore Resort in Orlando, Fla. last spring.

   The Spiders accepted a bid to the National Golf Invitational at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Ariz. and finished in sixth place with Baez losing in a playoff for the individual title.

   By the way, that A-10 Championship was the final event in the Richmond career for Patrick Isztwan, the former Penn Charter standout. Isztwan did not accompany the team to Arizona.

   Pretty sure his services were needed back home as he helped Huntingdon Valley Country Club capture the title in the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s always hotly-contest BMW Team Matches. Isztwan has been a beaten finalist in the BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship twice in the last three years.

   George Mason had opened with a 4-over 292 and added a 2-under 286 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 5-under 283, the best team round in Wednesday’s final round, to earn runnerup honors with a 3-under 861 total.

   The Patriots got a solid showing from sophomore David Fuhrer II, a scholastic standout at Fox Chapel and a member of one of the first families of Pittsburgh amateur golf. After opening with a 4-over 76, Fuhrer posted a sparkling 4-under 68 in Tuesday’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 72 to finish among a trio tied for 16^th place at even-par 216.

   George Washington shared third place with James Madison, a Sun Belt Conference representative, each ending up 2-under 862.

   The D.C. Colonials took a one-shot lead going into the final round after adding a 6-under 282 in Tuesday afternoon’s second round to their opening round of 3-under 285 before closing with a 7-over 295.

   George Washington was led by Evan Eichenlaub, a two-time PIAA Class AA qualifier during an outstanding scholastic career at Moravian Academy.

   Eichenlaub, who transferred to GW after beginning his college career at Division III Babson College in Massachusetts, recorded back-to-back 2-under 70s in the first two rounds before closing with a 71 to finish in a tie for fourth place with Eastern Kentucky’s Larson, each ending up a shot out of the playoff for the individual title at 5-under 211.

   Eichenlaub, playing out of Saucon Valley Country Club, reached the semifinals of last summer’s BMW Philadelphia Amateur before falling to eventual champion Drue Nicholas at Aronimink Golf Club.

   James Madison, at No. 112 in the Scoreboard rankings the highest-ranked team in the field at Mid-Pines, opened with a solid 6-under 282, fell back with a 4-over 292 in Tuesday’s second round and matched par in the final round with a 288.

   The Dukes were led by Vaclav Tichy, a senior from the Czech Republic, and Michael Hake, a junior from Brentwood, Tenn. who transferred to JMU from Kentucky, as they finished in a tie for sixth place at 4-under 212.

   Tichy opened with a sparkling 4-under 68 before matching par in each of the final two rounds with a pair of 72s. Hake opened with a 2-under 70 and added a 1-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a solid 3-under 69.

   It was another eight shots back to VCU as the Rams, behind Looney, finished in fifth place with a 6-over 870 total. VCU, another A-10 representative and just a spot behind JMU in the Scoreboard rankings at No. 113, opened with a 1-over 289 and added a 6-over 294 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 1-under 287.

   After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Looney signed for back-to-back 3-under 69s that earned him a spot in the playoff for the title at 6-under.

   South Dakota, playing out of the Summit League, took a long trip to Donald Ross country in North Carolina's pinelands and finished two shots behind VCU in sixth place with an 8-over 872 total.

   The Coyotes were really consistent, registering a pair of 3-over 291s in the first two rounds before closing with a 2-over 290.

   Rohlwing led the way for South Dakota as he opened with a 2-under 70 and added a 1-under 71 in Tuesday’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Decent effort by St. Joe’s as the Hawks opened with a 6-over 294 and added a solid 1-over 289 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 9-over 297 to finish in 11^th place in the 20-team field with a 16-over 880 total.

   Backing up Baez and Rizo-Patron for Richmond was Drew Carlin, a senior from Ashburn, Va. who finished among the group tied for 22^nd place at 2-over 218. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Carlin added a pair of steady 1-over 73s in the final two rounds.

   Quin Polin, a junior from Cary, N.C., finished in the group tied for 38th place for the Spiders with a 5-over 221 total as he opened with a solid 1-under 71 and matched par in Tuesday’s second round with a 72 before struggling a little in the final round with a 6-over 78.

   Rounding out the Richmond lineup was Parker Moellinger, a junior from Vestavia Hills, Ala. who finished among the group tied for 68^th place with a 9-over 225 total. Moellinger opened with a 4-over 76 and added a 75 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 74 that was an important counter for the Spiders.

   Eastern Kentucky’s Landers had a share of the lead going into the final round after he opened with a sparkling 4-under 68 and added a 3-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round. Landers closed with a 2-over 74 to fall back into a tie for fourth place with GW’s Eichenlaub at 5-under.

   Eastern Kentucky, an Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) entry, finished in 14^th place in the team standings, the Colonels ending up with a 23-over 887 total.

   Loyola of Chicago’s Kulwin rounded out the trio tied for ninth place at 3-under as he opened with a 2-under 69 before matching par in each of the last two rounds with a pair of 72s.

   Kulwin led the way for the Ramblers, another A-10 representative, as they finished in 12^th place, two shots behind Saint Joseph’s with an 18-over 882 total.

   Leading the way for Saint Joseph’s was senior Christian Matt, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier during a standout scholastic career at Wissahickon who finished among the group tied for 26^th place with a 3-over 219 total.

   Matt, who has been the Hawks’ most consistent player this season, sandwiched a 1-under 71 in Tuesday’s second round with a pair of 2-over 74s.

   Backing up Matt for the Hawks was junior Noah Moelter, who finished in a tie for sixth place in the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a senior at Central Bucks South in 2022. Moelter ended up in the group tied for 38^th place at 5-over 221 in the Donald Ross as he matched par in Tuesday’s second round with a 72 after opening with a 3-over 75 before closing with a 74.

   Freshman Sam Feeney, the District One Class AAA champion as a senior at West Chester Rustin in 2023, finished among the group tied for 49^th place at 7-over 223 for St. Joe’s. Feeney opened with a solid 1-under 71, but struggled a little in Tuesday’s second round with a 5-over 77 before closing with a 75.

   Another freshman, Michael Henry Jr., a scholastic standout in the Inter-Ac League at Malvern Prep, ended up in the group tied for 56^th place at 8-over 224 for the Hawks. Henry added a solid 1-under 71 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening round of 2-over 74 before struggling a little in the final round with a 79.

   George Williamson Jr., a third freshman in the lineup for St. Joe’s from Sykesville, Md., finished among the group tied for 72^nd place at 226 as he got a little better in each round, opening with a 5-over 77 and adding a 75 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 74.

   Robert Morris, a Horizon League entry, had a couple of former Pennsylvania scholastic standouts in the lineup.

   Redshirt junior Chuck Tragresser, the runnerup in the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a senior at Franklin Regional in 2020, finished in the trio tied for 19^th place at 1-over 217. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Tragresser carded a solid 2-under 70 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 3-over 75.

   Freshman Connor McKenzie, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Upper St. Clair, finished in a tie for 96^th place for the Pittsburgh Colonials with a 240 total. After struggling to an 84 in the opening round, McKenzie recorded back-to-back 6-over 78s in the final two rounds.

   Robert Morris finished last of the 20 teams in the field with a 40-over 904 total.