Cowart and Whitton win at Southeastern Junior
Day two of the Southeastern Junior, hosted by Columbus Country Club, resulted in a number of exciting finishes and strong play across our age divisions. The weather remained perfect for our players, with minimal winds and some cloud cover. The course at Columbus Country Club was again in perfect shape and proved to be the perfect host for the Southeastern Junior. In the end, our overall female and overall male champions were Ainsley Cowart and Carson Whitton.
The male 12-13 division produced the two low rounds of the tournament, in the final round. Coming out on top, after a scintillating final round of 65, was Shaun Cook. Five birdies and an eagle in his final 12 holes gave Cook a six-under par final round and the low round of the tournament. Chasing Cook to the very last hole was the male 12-13 runner-up Andrew Garger. A final round 67 contained just one bogey and moved Garger up from third place into second. Finishing up the 12-13 male awards was Brock Blais. Even with two double bogeys on his card, Blais fired a strong 72 in the final round.
Ballou Phillips (a 2022 grad) decided to move up from the male 12-13 division to the longer yardage of the male 14-15 division. The decision paid off: Phillips shot consistent rounds of 73 and 71 to take the division first-place award. Close behind, in second place, was Luke Phillips. The un-related Phillips made two birdies in his final round 74 and totaled 147. Coming in third place, after a card playoff with Theo Chronos, was Luke Dasher. Carding a strong back nine of 33, Dasher shot a final-round 72 for a 149 total.
The male 16-19 division produced the overall male champion, thanks to a birdie in the second playoff hole. Carson Whitton, of Newnan, Georgia, shot a great second round of 68 to take the title. Whitton posted rounds of 72 and 68 for a 140 total and the overall male Southeastern Junior title. Losing out in a sudden-death playoff was Walker Hinds. Back-to-back rounds of 70 gave Hinds the same 140 total as Whitton. Both players headed to the 18th hole for a playoff and, despite two solid pars by Hinds, Whitton came out on top. Finishing third in the division, with good rounds of 73 and 70, was Wilson Andress. Three birdies on the back nine helped Andress to his one-under par final round.
The female 12-14 division was won by Morgan Ellison. A strong final round of nine-over par gave Ellison a 169 total. Hannah Dees, of Fairhope, Alabama, came in second place. Dees finished strongly, parring six of her last nine holes.
Winning the female 15-19 division, and the overall female championship, was Ainsley Cowart. A second-round 74, combined with her first-round 70, gave Cowart a 144 total. Cowart made five birdies over the 36 holes and her strong round one became too difficult for her competitors to catch. Coming in second place, after a great final round of 72, was Emilia Smith. Making just three birdies, Smith put on a strong display in the final round and finished 10 shots ahead of third place. Rounding out the female 15-19 division in third place, with a 166 total, was Mailey Grace Buzzell.
Everyone at the SJGT would like to thank the Country Club of Columbus for their fantastic hosting of the 2017 Southeastern Junior. The course was in great shape and provided a tough test for all our players. For more information, scores, and pictures, please visit our BlueGolf Tournament page.
