McRae wins ASGA junior title at HSCC
Lakeside High graduate Cameron McRae cleared up some unfinished business Friday at Hot Springs Country Club, winning a junior golf tournament that had escaped his grasp.
Making up a six- stroke deficit during the round, McRae shot a 3- under 69 and defeated North Little Rock sophomore Hyun Je Lee on the second hole of a playoff in the Arkansas State Golf Association’s Southern Bancorp/ Alliance Junior Invitational on the Park Course.
‘ It felt good to win that,” said McRae, a playoff loser in the same event last year. “This is my next- to- last junior golf tournament, and to win it at my home country club is special.”
Coming undone at No. 18, the second playoff hole, in last year’s tournament, McRae drove a low iron down the middle and made sure on a downhill seven- foot putt.
McRae went to the putting green Thursday night after 36 putts in his opening- round 76.
“I’ve been striping it the last rounds, hitting it very well, and I came out last night and putted for a couple of hours,” McRae said. “I figured some-
thing out with my putter. I didn’t putt extremely well, but I was able to roll in a few birdie putts. I played golf how I’m supposed to today.”
McRae moved to 6 over after two bogeys in the first six holes but rebounded with consecutive birdies at 7 and 8 and on the short par 5s at 12 and 13. He made a par- 3 birdie at 15, then parred out for the lowest nine holes ( 33) and lowest round of the tournament.
“Of all the par 3s today, I don’t think I had a birdie putt outside of 10 feet,” McRae said. “That shows how good I’ve been hitting it.”
Lee, four strokes back after a first- round 74, righted his round after two early bogeys with a birdie at No. 7. He also birdied 12 and 13 in a back- nine 34, finishing at 1- under 71 for the day and 1- over 145 for the tournament.
First- round leader Ryan Spurlock, of Maumelle, doublebogeyed twice in a 6- over 78, tying recent El Dorado graduate Gage Parker for third at 148.
McRae goes into the biggest event of his golf career, U. S. Open sectional qualifying Monday at Northwood Club in Dallas, with renewed confidence.
“It’s huge,” McRae said. “I know I’m hitting it good, and hopefully I can just keep working it and carry my ball striking down there.”
Springdale’s Kade Keith won the boys’ 14- and 15- yearold division with 75_ 153, three strokes ahead of Fayetteville’s Denver Davis. Lake Hamilton sophomore Ryan Camras followed at 83_ 161.
Sherwood’s Hannah Bakalekos took the girls’ 15- 18 division by four strokes at 74_ 149. Henderson State signee Christian Barrett ( Camden Harmony Grove) finished second at 77_ 153 and Mount St. Mary senior Taylor Loeb third at 79_ 157.
Maumelle’s Josie Roberson won the young girls’ division by four over Fort Smith’s Sydney Staton, Roberson at 155 after the low round ( 72) by a girls’ player.