Ohio phenom Clemente has solid showing in Dixie Women's Amateur with seventh-place finish

    While golf fans were obsessed with Tiger Woods and his 12-year-old son Charlie playing in the PNC Championship in Orlando, there was a phenom playing some pretty good golf a few miles down the East Coast of Florida in Pompano Beach.

   Gianna Clemente, a 13-year-old from Warren, Ohio, ultimately finished in seventh place in the Women’s Dixie Amateur, which wrapped up Sunday at the Palm Aire Country Club’s Cypress Course, but the kid put her considerable potential on display when she ripped off a sizzling 7-under-par 64 in Friday’s second round that gave her the lead at the halfway point.

   Clemente first appeared on my radar when she teed it up in the 2019 Pennsylvania Junior Girls’ Championship at Hershey Country Club’s East Course a few weeks after completing fifth grade. She shared fifth place with Rolling Green Golf Club’s Sydney Yermish, who captured the PIAA Class AAA crown this fall as a junior at Lower Merion.

   Clemente represented Avalon at Buhl Park in Sharon, just over the Ohio border from Warren in western Pennsylvania, and her junior career was just getting started. Later that summer, Clemente would grab some headlines when, at age 11, she earned a trip to the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Miss.

   Last spring Clemente teamed with another rising American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) star, Avery Zweig, to reach the semifinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton, Texas, the precocious pair falling in 20 holes to eventual champions Savannah Barber and Alexa Saldana, roommates at Crown Golf Academy in Arlington, Texas.

   In October, Clemente became the youngest winner in the history of the AJGA’s PING Invitational at Karsten Creek Golf Club, Oklahoma State’s home course in Stillwater, Okla. and site of the 2018 NCAA Championship.

   After opening with a 2-over 73 at Palm Aire’s Cypress Course Thursday, Clemente got it going early in round 2 with birdies at the second, fourth and sixth holes. It was more of the same on the incoming nine as she made birdies at the 11^th, 13^th and 14^th holes before finishing with a flourish with a birdie at the last. Seven birdies, no bogeys, 64. She’s not in high school yet.

   Clemente came back to earth a little over the weekend with another 1-over 73 in Saturday’s third round before closing with a 2-over 74 in Sunday’s final round for an even-par total of 284 that left her in seventh place.

   The Women’s Dixie amateur champion was LSU junior Latanna Stone of Riverview, Fla. as she pulled away from the pack with a fairly flawless final round of 4-under 67 that gave her a 9-under 275 total and a four-shot victory over an ambitious group of youngsters who are about to make names for themselves on the college golf scene.

   Stone knows all about being a golf phenom as she was just 10-years old when she qualified for the 2012 U.S. Women’s Amateur at The Country Club in Cleveland.

   Stone was part of a strong LSU team that was the top-seed and host for last spring’s NCAA Regional at its home course, The University Club in Baton Rouge, La. When days of heavy rain wiped out the regional, the Tigers advanced to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. based on their seeding.

   LSU finished one frustrating shot out of the match-play bracket at Grayhawk in a tie for ninth place. You can make a case that LSU’s momentum took a hit sitting round and not competing in the regional, although the No. 2 seed from Baton Rouge, the Tigers’ Southeastern Conference rival Mississippi, did OK at Grayhawk with a stunning run to the national championship.

   LSU entered the midseason pause of the wraparound 2021-2022 college golf season ranked 21^st by Golfstat.

   The Women’s Dixie Amateur is the beginning of the Orange Blossom Tour, an unofficial series of events in South Florida each winter. Stone, as a native of South Florida, has been an Orange Blossom Tour regular.

   Stone led an LSU sweep of the top three spots on the leaderboard when she won the Harder Hall Invitational in 2020 at the Harder Hall Golf Club in Sebring, Fla.

   With Harder Hall Golf Club closing, the event, dating back to 1956, faced an uncertain future. But the Sebring community banded together and the event, re-imagined as the Citrus Golf Trail Ladies Invitational will tee off next week at Sun ’N Lake Golf Club. The event will rotate among six golf courses in the Sebring area. More importantly, an event with a rich tradition in the women’s amateur game will be preserved.

   At Palm Aire, Stone carded a pair of 2-under 69s in the first two rounds that left her a shot behind Clemente at the halfway point of the Dixie Women’s Amateur. A 1-under 71 in Saturday’s third round enabled Stone to take a one-shot lead over Clemente and Canadian Angela Arora heading into the final round.

   Stone’s experience was evident in the final round as she made birdies on the fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth holes to separate herself from the field. She proceeded to par the last 10 holes for a bogeyless final-round 67 that left her four shots clear of the field.

   Reagan Zibilski, a prized recruit for Arkansas, closed with a 3-under 68 to earn runnerup honors with a 5-under 279 total.

   Zibilski, the pride of Springfield Catholic High School in Springfield, Mo., qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open at the Country Club of Charleston in 2019 and earned a spot in the match-play bracket in the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md.

   Arora, who will join the program at Indiana in the Big Ten at the end of next summer, closed with a solid 1-under 70 to finish a shot behind Zibilski with a 4-under 280 total.

   Andie Smith, a senior at The Benjamin School in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. and winner of Florida’s Class 4-1A crown this fall, was another shot behind Arora in fourth place as she closed with a solid 3-under 68 that gave her a 2-under 282 total. Smith will join the program at Atlantic Coast Conference power Duke at the end of next summer.

   Nicole Gal, the reigning national Junior Girls champion in Canada, and Michelle Zhang of Plano, Texas via China shared fifth place, each landing on 1-under 283.

   Gal, winner in the Girls 14-15 division of the 2019 Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club, will join the program at reigning national champion Ole Miss next summer. She closed with a 1-over 72. Zhang, a Southern Methodist recruit, matched par in the final round with a 71.

   Then there was the 13-year-old Clemente, who more than held her own against her elders, finishing in seventh place at even-par 284. Can’t help but think most of that top seven will be doing battle on the LPGA Tour in a decade or so.,

   A few miles inland at Eagle Trace Golf Club in Coral Springs, Texas A&M sophomore Evan Myers closed with a scintillating 6-under 66 to capture the Men’s Dixie Amateur by two shots.

   Such is the depth of talent in Division I college golf that Myers of Northbrook, Ill. has a hard time cracking the starting lineup for the Aggies, who play in the ultra-competitive Southeastern Conference. Texas A&M entered the midseason pause ranked No. 9 by Golfstat.

   After signing for a 1-over 73 in Thursday’s opening round, Myers carded a pair of 1-under 71s in the second and third rounds Friday and Saturday and entered Sunday’s final round two shots behind Quentin Debove, a junior at Florida from France.

   Myers got off to a slow start in the final round with a bogey at the third, but then he drained an eight-footer for eagle after reaching the par-5 fifth hole in two and that really jump-started his round. He reached the par-5 eighth hole in two and just missed his try for another eagle, but tapped in for birdie.

   Birdies on Eagle Trace’s incoming nine at the 10^th, 12^th, 13^th and 15^th holes enabled Myers to pull away as his 66 enabled him to finish with a 7-under 281 total.

   Debove closed with a 2-under 70 and shared second place with Christian Castillo, a redshirt sophomore at High Point University out of Allen, Texas, each landing on 5-under 213. Castillo finished strong, posting a 4-under 68 in the final round.

   A week earlier, Eagle Trace played host to the Dixie Senior, Mid-Master and Super Senior events.

   Joe Shaktman, a Coral Springs local who was very familiar with the Eagle Trace layout, closed with a 1-under 71 to capture the Dixie Senior crown with a 1-over 217 total.

   Shaktman rattled off birdies at the seventh, eighth and 10^th holes to pull away for the win. He had opened with a 2-over 74 before matching par in the second round with a 72.

   Jerry Slagle of Southlake, Texas and Michael Hughett of Owasso, Okla. finished two shots behind Shaktman in a tie for second place, each finishing with a 3-over 219 total.

   Slagle matched Shaktman’s final round of 1-under 71. Hughett led Shaktman by a shot heading into the final round, but fell back with a 2-over 74.

   Marc Engellenner of Rocklin, Calif. cruised to a four-shot victory to claim the Dixie Mid-Master title. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Engellenner carded a solid 3-under 69 in the second round before closing with a 2-under 70 for a 5-under 211 total.

   Jon Lindstrom, one of Colorado’s top mid-am players, and Shaw Pritchett of Montgomery, Ala. shared runnerup honors as each ended up at 1-under 215. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Lindstrom added a 1-over 73 in the second round before closing with a 2-under 70. Pritchett sandwiched a 1-over 73 in the second round with a pair of 1-under 71s.

   Steve Fox of Pinehurst, N.C. rode a 5-under 67 in the opening round to a two-shot victory in the Dixie Super Senior. Fox cooled off in the final two rounds with a 76 in the second round and a final-round 74, leaving him with a 1-over 217 total.

   Steve Humphrey of Ocala, Fla. and Edward Turner shared runnerup honors as each landed on 3-over 219. After opening with a 1-over 73, Humphrey matched par in the second round with a 72 before closing with a 2-over 74. Turner had a pair of 75s in the first two rounds before finishing up strong with a 3-under 69.

   Vince Scarpetta Jr., an Anthracite Golf Association stalwart from Moosic, made the run down to South Florida to tee it up in the Dixie Super Senior and finished in seventh place with a 12-over 228 total. Scarpetta matched par in the first and final rounds around a 79 in the second round.