Ethan Paschal (Fayetteville, N.C.) birdied the first playoff hole to cap a stunning rally, while Vanessa Borovilos (Toronto, Canada) cruised enroute to victories at the Dustin Johnson World Junior Golf Championship Presented by LA Golf at TPC Myrtle Beach.
Paschal trailed by as many as five strokes in the final round, but rode a furious back nine rally to victory. The University of North Carolina signee was on1-over on the day before catching fire and birdieing holes 13, 14, 15 and 18, to shoot 69 and force the playoff.
Conversely, Jackson Herrington (Dickson, Tenn.) appeared to be cruising to victory before making bogey on the par-3 No. 17 and the par-5 18th, allowing Paschal to draw even at 4-under par after 54 holes.
The sudden death playoff was contested on No. 18 and Paschal earned the win by rolling in a five-foot birdie putt.
Tyler Watts (Huntsville, Ala.), shot his second consecutive 69, highlighted by an 18th hole birdie, and finished the DJ World Junior at three-under par, good for third place. Blades Brown (Nashville, Tenn.), America’s No. 1 ranked junior, according to Junior Golf Scoreboard (JGS), shot a final round 70 and finished in fourth place with a cumulative score of two-under par.
On a difficult day for scoring, Borovilos’ 75 was good enough to maintain the three-shot advantage she had entering the final round. She finished the event at even par, three clear of Mia Hammond (New Albany, Ohio), Brynn Kort (Henderson, Nev.) and Ryleigh Knaub (DeBary, Fla.).
A Texas A&M signee, Borovilos is the fifth ranked junior girl in America, according to JGS, and she was never seriously threatened over the final 18 holes by a field that included 26 top 100 girls.
In total 68, of the 90 players were ranked among America’s top 100 juniors by either Golfweek or Junior Golf Scoreboard, highlighting the depth and quality of the field. On the boys’ side, 42 of the 54 players were ranked among America’s top 100 juniors while 26 of the 36 girls were top 100 players.
Johnson’s involvement with the tournament reflects his long-time commitment to junior golf, particularly in South Carolina, where he grew into one of the world’s best players. Through the Dustin Johnson Foundation, which is headquartered in Myrtle Beach, Johnson has donated more than $500,000 to junior golf, sponsoring numerous events throughout the state and helping cover entry costs for kids who need financial assistance.
worldjuniorgolfchampionship.com
Photo Courtesy of Dustin Johnson World Junior Golf Championship
