Allan, Harjai lead the way
Junior Niagara tour wraps up at Beechwood
It took five years, but Jack Allan finally got it right.
The 17-year-old Sir Winston Churchill student fired a 73 to top the junior boys field Monday on the final stop on the 2016 Niagara District Junior Golf Association Tour at Beechwood.
The victory was the first for Allan, who joined the tour as a 13-year-old.
“I’ve finished second a bunch of times and this is my first win,” Allan smiled. “It feels unreal.
“I’ve been working hard for awhile and have been close a couple of times and knew it would come eventually.”
Allan managed to shake off a terrible start that saw him double bogey the first hole and then bogey two of the next three. He did manage an eagle on the third hole.
“I was on the range this morning and I hit four shanks; I was hitting it terrible and then I had that start and figured it would be a rough day,” he said. “When I made the eagle it went well after that but at first I thought it was going sideways for sure. I thought I was in for an 85.”
Allan credits working with Travis Glass at Eagle Valley for helping him turn around the mental portion of his game.
“I have gotten a lot better that way in the last year or so,” Gibson said. “I used to have a bad score and make four of them in a row and really get down on myself. I just put it behind me now.”
Allan will now focus on the Champion of Champion qualifier Wednesday at St. Catharines Golf and Country Club.
Ethan Bennett of Twenty Valley took the overall junior points title with 688.5 followed by Nolan vonKalekreuth of Bridgewater at 660.5, Freddie Gualtieri of St. Catharines at 587, Jake Dupuis of St. Catharine at 551.5 and Jaret Chipman of St. Catharines at 551.
Ben MacLean of Eagle Valley was the under-13 peewee overall champion while Nolan Piazza of Eagle Valley was the under-15 bantam winner. Jordan Maloney of Twenty Valley was the under-17 juvenile points champion.
Harjai paces the field
Sukriti Harjai went out on top. The 16-year-old Niagara Falls resident fired a 70 to finish in first place in the junior girls division.
Harjai got off to a splendid start, firing a four under on the front nine to set a personal best for nine holes.
“It was up and down (round),” she said. “I was two over on the back nine but it was still pretty good. I wasn’t quite happy with that (back nine) but it was still a good day.”
Harjai was three under on the first three holes.
“That gave me a little bit of a boost to shoot under par and made me feel like I could do it,” she said.
She also fired an eagle on the par five third hole.
“It was my first eagle,” she said proudly. “It was an OK drive. I wasn’t that happy with it; it was in the rough. Out of rough I still had a 35-foot putt for eagle. I wasn’t expecting to make the putt. I would have easily taken the birdie but I hit the putt hard and thought it was going to miss the hole but luckily it hit the hole and went in.”
The strong start gave Harjai both confidence and some breathing room.
“It definitely did,” she said. “My first three holes I was three under.
“I always play my own game. I don’t really look at what other people are playing. I try and focus on my own game and try and shoot the best I can.”
The win was the third of the season for Harjai, who also took home top spot at Legends and Sawmill.
Overall, she finished second to Emily Ward of Willodell in the points championship 309 to 305.
“It would have been nice to win overall but I had some rough rounds,” she said. “I was happy with playing well today.”
Harjai will now concentrate on the club championships at St. Catharines.
Rounding out the top five were Susan Leone of Beechwood (230), Kayla Burke of Whiskey Run (217) and Taylor Simoneau of St. Catharines (192.5).
I have gotten a lot better that way in the last year or so. I used to have a bad score and make four of them in a row and really get down on myself. I just put it behind me now.”
Jack Allan