Key & Lucas Capture Santa Maria Championships

Sams & Hodge Win Age Division Titles

Easton Key of Meridian, Mississippi and Ali Lucas of Crowley, Louisiana captured the Boys and Girls Overall Championships at Arrowhead Golf’s Santa Maria Junior Classic in Baton Rouge, LA. John Lewis Sams of Coushatta, LA and Lana Hodge of Monroe, LA brought home Age Division Titles at the tournament.

Santa Maria, a Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed course, was in excellent condition for the event. A forty-minute shower on Saturday that fell on competitors midway through the round was the only interruption of sunshine throughout the weekend. Boyd Kernan and staff at Santa Maria again proved extremely hospitable hosts. The AJGT returns to Santa Maria for the Arrowhead Junior Masters the last weekend in March, one of the AJGT’s Annual Championship Tournaments.

Key Fires Final Round 68 for Victory

Hunter Smith Takes Second

Derouen & Moseley Tie for Third

“Course played hard today,” was a refrain heard repeatedly in the Santa Maria clubhouse after Saturday’s round. The first round set-up was virtually tipped out, AJGT Championship-style. Easton Key (71-68-139) of Meridian, MS, unfamiliar with the tract, perhaps didn’t know how much trouble can be found at Santa Maria. Key covered the 36-hole tournament with applomb, skirting danger occasionally, making the occasional bogey, but carding multiple birdies to offset his few mistakes. Key’s 5 under par, 139 total was one of the most impressive performances in recent AJGT history.

There is an ancient Eastern philosophy that states, “He who would be calm . . . must take on the appearance of being calm.” Don’t know what’s happening inside Easton Key, but he has the outward appearance of calm down pat. UNO Men’s Golf Coach Chris McCarter offered as much after the round. “He never seemed to lose his composure,” said McCarter, “and that’s unusual at this level. It was impressive.”

Key fired a final round, 4 under par 68, with birdies on the 437-yard, par four 1st hole, the 538-yard, par five 3rd, the 510-yard, par five 7th, the 410-yard, par four 14th, the 378-yard, par four 16th and the 520-yard, par five 18th. Key shot 3 under 33 on the front side and 1 under 35 on the back. Key carded a 1 under 71 on Saturday, with birdies on 3, 15 & 17. Key shot 2 under 34 on the back side Saturday.

Hunter Smith (74-79-153) of Baton Rouge fired a first round, 2 over 74 enroute to a second place finish. Smith birdied 7, 17 & 18 and played the back in 1 under 35 on Saturday. Smith recorded four more birdies on Sunday and shot 1 over 37 on the front side. Blake Derouen (79-78-157) of Lake Charles, LA and Matthew Moseley (82-75-157) of Franklinton, LA tied for third at 157. Derouen birdied 2 & 7 on Saturday and 17 on Sunday and played the front in 2 over on both days. Moseley carded six birdies on the weekend, including four in a final round, 75 effort. Moseley played Sunday’s back nine in 1 under 35.

Nickel, Peters & Spears Tie for 5th

Gauntlett & Griffitt Knotted in 8th

Mixon Busts Top Ten

John David Nickel (82-76-158) of Crowley, LA, Lewis Peters (80-78-158) of Baton Rouge and Chuck Spears (77-81-158) of Pineville, LA tied for fifth. Nickel, who fired a final round 76, birdied the par five 18th on Sunday and played Saturday’s front nine in 1 over 37. Peters collected seven birdies on the weekend, including four on Sunday. Peters, who covered the front in 2 over 38 on Sunday, shot a final round 78. Spears birdied two holes each day, including the last hole on the front and back sides on Sunday, and played the final nine holes of the tournament in 1 over 37.

Shreveport’s Hunter Gauntlett (81-78-159) and John Griffitt (79-80-159) of Mandeville, LA tied for eighth at 159, one shot back. Gauntlett birdied 2 & 3 on Saturday and 3 & 16 onSunday, while putting together sandwich 38’s on Saturday’s back and Sunday’s front. Griffitt played the front in 1 over par 37 on both days and nailed three birdies on the weekend. Julian Mixon (83-78-161) eagled the par five 18th on Sunday and birdied 3 & 14 to finish with a 78 and take tenth. Mixon shot 1 over 37 on Sunday’s back side.

Lucas Edges Kippers:
Both Fire Final Round 71’s

Templet Shoots 74 for Third

Schorr Closes With 77 for Fourth

Henry Fonda and Paul Newman starred in a film called “Never Give An Inch”, a big-screen adaptation of writer Ken Kesey’s “Sometimes a Great Notion”. Newman is Henry Fonda’s son and the heir of a logging outfit in Oregon that bucks a local union strike and earns the enmity of an entire town. The family’s motto is “Never Give An Inch”. The same could be said of the pair of AJGT seniors battling for the Girls Overall Championship at the AJGT Santa Maria Junior Classic.

Ali Lucas (76-71-147) and Allison Kippers (78-71-149) came to play. Two strokes separated the pair after Saturday’s round and at the tournament’s conclusion, two strokes was still the final the margin of victory. Lucas finished 3 over for the tournment at 147, while Kippers concluded the action at 5 over par 149. Neither gave an inch all weekend.

Lucas birdied the toughest hole on the course, the par three 5th, to jump start her Saturday round. Lucas then birdied the par four sixth and stood at even par 36 after nine holes. Kippers responded with a birdie on the par five 7th and shot even par 36 Saturday’s front as well. No inches given yet. Lucas birdied the par four 16th and carded a 40 on the back and stood at 76 for the day. Kippers shot 42 on the back and finished at 78.

Lucas, steady as a rock, shot 36-35-71 on Sunday, with a lone birdie on the par five 15th. Kippers, equally determined but displaying a more mercurial round, birdied 7 and 9 and covered the front in 2 under 34 to draw even with Lucas for the tournament after 27 holes. Kippers birdied 14 on the backside and carded a 1 over par 37, while Lucas was 1 under with a 35 to earn the two-shot win on the tournament’s last nine holes.

The pair did not shake hands on eighteen after the round. They embraced. Each knew they had been part of an excellent duel in the sun at Santa Maria. It will not be their last.

Jara’ Templet (81-74-155) of Baton Rouge shot 2 over 74 on Sunday and finished in third at 155. Templet birdied 2, 8, 9 & 11 and played the front side in 1 under 35, shooting 35-39-74 for the day. Hannah Schorr (84-77-161) of Broussard, LA posted a final round 77 enroute to a fourth place finish. Schorr birdied 6, 11 & 16 and shot 2 over 38 on her final nine holes.

Nguyen Captures Fifth Place

Cardwell Takes Sixth

Failla, Blount & Shea Round Out Top Nine

Jennifer Nguyen (85-82-167) of Slidell, LA was fifth at 167. Nguyen birdied the par four 4th on Saturday and the par three 17th on Sunday, while shooting a final round 82. Lea Anna Cardwell (87-92-179) of Ruston, LA carded a first round 87 and birdied the par four 14th enroute toa sixth place finish in the Girls 15-18 Year-Old Age Division. Rachel Failla of New Orleans posted a final round 87, with a 43 on the back nine, to take seventh. Emily Blount of Denham Springs, LA shot a final round 88 and took home eighth. Delaney Shea of New Orleans finished ninth in her AJGT debut.

Hodge Tops and Third Overall

Lana Hodge (78-77-155), only fourteen and playing in Sunday’s final pairing, finished third overall and captured the Girls 12-14 Year-Old Age Division Championship. Hodge birdied the par three 17th on Saturday and covered the back nine in 1 over 37. Hodge played Sunday’s front in 1 over 37 and then birdied the par four 13th on the back.

Sams Captures Boys 12-14 Age Division Title

LeBlanc is Two Shots off the Pace

Ruston’s Maxwell Takes Third

John Lewis Sams gets tight with an approach shot

John Lewis Sams (75-74-149) of Coushatta, LA edged Brennan LeBlanc (75-76-151) of Baton Rouge by two shots to earn the Boys 12-14 Year-Old Age Division Title. Sams and LeBlanc both shot first round, 3 over par 75’s.

Defending AJGT Boys 12-14 Points Champion Brennan LeBlanc

Sams birdied 3, 11 & 15 and shot 1 over 37 on Saturday’s back nine. LeBlanc also birdied the par five 15th and played the front side in 1 over 37. Sams birdied 7 & 17 on Sunday, while LeBlanc birdied 10. An eagle for Sams on the par five 15th proved the two-shot margin of victory. Sams shot 39-35-74 on Sunday and LeBlanc shot 38-38-76. Ruston’s Johnny Maxwell (81-80-161) birdied 3 & 18 on Saturday and posted a final round 80 to capture third place at 161.

Alford and Cole Knotted in Fourth

McCormick & Booth Tie for Sixth

Crissman, Neal and Myers Round Out Top Ten

Shreveport’s Ryan Alford (86-76-162) and Jordan Cole (87-75-162) of Gibsland, LA tied for fourth, one shot back at 162. Alford birdied no. 3, one of two birdies on the weekend, and covered Sunday’s front in even par 36 enroute to his final round 76. Cole posted a final round, 3 over par 75. Cole, who made eagle on no. 3 on Saturday, birdied 3 on Sunday enroute to a 1 under par 35 on the front side.

Charles Nugent of Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Ben Booth (85-78-163)of Baton Rouge and Mobile’s Daniel McCormick (82-81-163) tied for sixth at 163. Booth birdied the par five 3rd hole and played Sunday’s front side in 2 over 38. McCormick, still battling a broken finger tip, birdied the par three 17th on Saturday. McCormick played the front in 3 over 39 both days. Shreveport’s Ryan Crissman (84-80-164) was eighth. Crissman birdied 2 & 3 in succession on Sunday and shot 2 over 38 on the front side. Chrisian Neal (86-80-166) of Covington, LA took ninth at 166. Neal shot 3 over 39 on Sunday’s front and later birdied the par three 17th. William Meyers 82-86-168) of Baton Rouge rounded out the Top Ten. Myers birdied 5 & 10 on Saturday and covered the front in 2 over 38.