Kramer, Schofill win Rome Junior Classic
More than 70 of the country’s top young golfers compete at Coosa Country Club.
More than 70 of the country’s top young golfers compete at Coosa Country Club.
Aiden Kramer didn’t hide his affection for the fairways along the Coosa River following his win in the Rome Junior Classic on Sunday.
But when a golf course treats a player like Coosa Country Club did with Kramer over the weekend, it’s pretty easy to see why he’s such a fan.
The sophomore from Oviedo, Florida, earned his first AJGA victory with a 7-under-par 206 at the Rome Junior Classic presented by State Mutual Insurance Company, bogeying just four holes over the three rounds. Megan Schofill of Monticello, Florida, topped the girls’ division with a 7-under-par 206 as well, capturing her second AJGA win.
Kramer carded a 2-under-par 69 in windy conditions in the final round to clear the field by two strokes. The 16-year-old credited his par save on No. 15 as the difference maker after being partially blocked from the green after his tee shot.
“I’ve been looking forward to this one for a long time. Just making that putt on 18, it felt good to finally get my first victory here in the AJGA,” Kramer said. “I really liked the course this year. The scores were pretty low out here so you had to shoot a good round to go out and win. The last time the conditions were a lot tougher, but I thought the course was in great shape all week long, really firm and fast.”
Kramer and Fairfax, Virginia, sophomore George Duangmanee were tied at 7-under going into 15, where both ran into some trouble off the tee on the tight par4. Kramer hit a pitching wedge on his second shot to get through some trees and got on the green.
“That was probably the biggest shot, because I knew if I pulled that off he likely was going to make bogey from where he was,” Kramer said. “I ended up just missing birdie and made par, but that was a real big shot for me.”
Schofill, No. 23 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, is verbally committed to play for the University of Kentucky women’s golf team.
“Shooting my tournament best yesterday (5-under-par 66), and then a 7-under total for the tournament, this will definitely be a tournament I’ll remember forever,” Schofill said.
Hogan Ingram, a freshman at Rome High School, finished as the top local player at evenpar 213 to tie for 15th in the boys’ division, while Darlington’s Lindsey Cordell fin- ished tied for 31st at 6-over 219. A total of 24 players in the field of 72 were from Georgia.
Xavier Marcoux, a junior from Lexington, Massachusetts, carded three birdies and an eagle on Sunday to finish solo second in the boys’ division. A six-way tie for third at 4-under 209 included Duangmanee and Ringgold’s Gavin Noble.
Two-time AJGA champion Anina Ku of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, finished runner-up in the girls’ division at 5-under-par 208. Alyssa Montgomery of Knoxville, Tennessee, Jenny Bae of Lawrenceville, Georgia, and Yoon Min Han of Bradenton, Florida, finished tied for third at 1-underpar 212.