Oh my, where to begin? The year has gone so incredibly fast, but we were able to experience so much. So many stories and memories we get to take with us from here on out. They say golf mirrors life. In both, you can hit good shots and get bad lies, hit bad shots and get good lies, and at the end of the day, you can’t do anything about the shots you’ve already hit. The only thing you can do is move forward to the next shot and learn from the last one. Golf is deceivingly simple yet endlessly frustrating. And as we all know, it only ever takes one shot to bring you back. And no matter how good or bad you are, we can all find a middle ground on the golf course. We all find an appreciation for this game that not only drives us crazy but provides so much joy. Golf gives us so much. From competition and friendships, to exercise and a place to relax and let go. We get life lessons and lasting memories and a burning passion that will never die. Golf mirrors life, and as life goes on, so will golf.
I’m beyond blessed that I have had enough of those “one shots” to say I’m hooked for life. Golf is my home and my happy place. As I continue my career as a Professional in this wild world of Golf, part of my passion and my duty is to bring this game to others. And I chose to bring it to kids. Especially the kids that are growing up in the place I was lucky enough to grow up in. In an area that has been lacking Junior Golf for so long, this tour has been a refreshing reminder of what we can do. When I moved back here, I wanted to give back to my community through golf in some way. And I chose kids. As fate would have it, while I was subbing at Northern High, I met Jeremy Johnson. Our discussions evolved into what we have now with the Garrett County Junior Golf Tour. We had big ideas and dreams with reasonable expectations. But this community exceeded those expectations by a long shot. 43 kids signed up. From competitive players that have been playing soccer they could walk, to players who had never even picked up a golf club. Sponsors that gave thousands to the tour to ensure the players had prizes and supplies needed to play. Courses, Lodestone Golf Club, Thousand Acres Golf Club, Fantasy Valley Golf Course, Oakland Golf Club, and Winnfield Golf, graciously and without hesitation hosted and provided an incredible opportunity for these kids to play. We exceeded every expectation, and now the sky is the limit.
Now, what @everyone is waiting for? Our final Championship and Season Results.
In the Scheffler Tour, Carter Bishoff fired off an incredible 75 with a 2 under par 34 on the front nine to win 1st Place in the Tour Championship. Nolan and Noah Luzier came in tied for 2nd at 106. The brothers then had a sudden death playoff on hole 9 where Nolan drained an 8-footer for bogey and a big fist pump to take 2nd Place over Noah. In the Woods Tour, Carter Goff put up a very solid 79 to seal the deal and take home the 1st Place trophy. Graham Harvey put on one of his best displays all year to drop an 86 and take 2nd Place. Olivia Nichols kept her consistent momentum she has had all year and posted an 89 to keep 3rd Place. The Nicklaus Tour definitely had some drama as well. Brooks Mead put up a 93 to take the lead and held 1st Place. Alex Benton and Collin Larson tied for 2nd with 98 and were forced into a playoff. The sudden death playoff had Alex Benton walking in his 14-footer for par and giving his best Tiger Woods impression to take 2nd place. This finish from these three players shook up the season-long points results a good bit.
For our season-long points competition, we had some very tight battles into the finish.
In our Scheffler tour, Carter Bishoff dominated with 50 points to take first place and the champion Taylormade golf bag. Austin Mason showed great consistency all year with 23 points and took 2nd Place to earn the GCJGT Backpack. Nolan Luzier was close behind Austin with his 2nd Place Championship finish and ultimately took 3rd Place overall with 17 points for the year and brought home the GCJGT Duffle bag.
In our Woods Tour, the big 3 fought it out all year. Carter Goff sealed the deal with his Championship win and earned 1st Place with 44 points. Wyatt Johnson held together just enough to retain 2nd overall at 33 points. Olivia Nichols was right on Wyatt’s heels with 28 points to clinch 3rd Place.
Our Nicklaus Tour could have been taken by 6 different players depending on the outcome of the Championship with only 4 points separating 1st through 3rd. In the end, Brooks Mead put up the win in the Championship and clinched 1st Place with 28 points from 5 spots back going into the final day. Alex Benton just barely misses 1st Place by one point and finishes with 27 points to hold 2nd Place. Luke Brenneman played well enough all year that given his absence at the Championship, he was still able to retain 3rd Place with 24 points.
The players that placed 1st and 2nd in each tour for the season have also earned a spot in the WGW Community Youth Cup on August 23rd at Thousand Acres. These players will play alongside myself and Jeremy and represent the Tour. These players are teamed up as follows:
Brooks Mead, Carter Goff, Carter Bishoff
Alex Benton, Wyatt Johnson, Austin Mason
We also had 6 peer-voted character awards for each tour. Listed below is a description and the winners.
Course Clown- who has a future as a comedian and can always get a laugh on the course.
Jensen Holcomb
Jesse Campbell
Brooks Mead
The Griddy- who had the best dance moves and birdie celebrations.
Austin Mason
Keaton Mckinnie
Alex Benton
The Drippy- who was best dressed.
Carter Bishoff
Olivia Nichols
Monk Garland
Most Improved Golfer- who improved the most over the season.
Kingsley Hernandez
Quinton Sigmund
Andrew Mason
The Jack Nicklaus- who showed exemplary integrity on and off the golf course.
Carter Bishoff
Carter Goff, Wyatt Johnson
Luke Brenneman, Amelia Bolden, Monk Garland, Collin Larson
The Junior Payne Stewart- who showed the most integrity, and sportsmanship, and always kept the value of the game at heart.
Kingsley Hernandez
Wyatt Johnson
Monk Garland
Our Championship Winners
SCHEFFLER
1st Carter Bishoff
2nd Nolan Luzier
3rd Noah Luzier
WOODS
1st Career Goff
2nd Graham Harvey
3rd Olivia Nichols
NICKLAUS
1st Brooks Mead
2nd Alex Benton
3rd Collin Larson
Our season-long Winners
SCHEFFLER
1st Carter Bishoff
2nd Austin Mason
3rd Nolan Luzier
WOODS
1st Carter Goff
2nd Wyatt Johnson
3rd Olivia Nichols
NICKLAUS
1st Brooks Mead
2nd Alex Benton
3rd Luke Brenneman
Thank you all for an incredible year and we cannot wait to see you all next year.
