Press Releases

First Playoff in BJGT History at Old Hickory

Washington DC Junior Golf Championship

                    Woodbridge, VA — May 26th, 2020 — BJGT held the Washington DC Junior Golf Championship this past weekend at the extremely difficult Old Hickory Golf Club in Woodbridge, VA. Old Hickory plays extremely tight off the tee box making accuracy the key to success. Stamina was another factor that came into play. Course length, hills and some extra distance between holes added to an already difficult track, but our juniors weren’t phased. They embraced the challenge and posted some amazing scores! Check out some of the highlights from a fantastic weekend in Virginia below!

                   Round 1 – Saturday May 23rd — An extremely wet and rainy Friday resulted in humidity hovering around 90% during the Saturday afternoon Round 1. The Boys 15-19 struggled the most with the extremely long 206-yard, Par-3, 5th-Hole. The tight gap, long distance and tee-box orientation accounted for the 4.71 average. Shots were spraying of right causing unnecessary trouble and the high scores. Teddy Ross from Alexandria, VA and Daniel Kibe from Silver Spring, MD were the only players to par the hole, gaining strokes on the rest of the field. Contrary to Hole 5, the Boys were not going to let the long 517-yard par 5 get to them. One of the hardest holes on the course, at least from the tee box, the Boys played Hole-14 the best in Round 1. It’s a difficult tee shot because of the 217-yard carry to the fairway over a wasteland full of tall grass, swampland and water moccasins…scary stuff. Jeremy Bershak, last year’s Player of the Year for the Boys 15-19 Division, showed just how good he is by grabbing a Birdie and gaining a stroke on the entire field. Teddy Ross came into the Clubhouse with an impressive 79 to lead the Older Boys Division in Round 1.

                   The Boys 10-14 Division had the most trouble with the 18th-Hole in Round 1. After walking 17 holes on this very demanding course, it appeared as though the Boys just ran out of steam. Sam Walker from Burke, V must have told himself that if he finished the hole strong, he would be able to relax for the rest of the night. Sam picked up a Birdie gaining a stroke on the rest of the field. In complete contrast, Hole-1 played the easiest for the Boys in Round 1. The Boys 10-14 always have a great mindset teeing off in Round 1. This really showed as the field played the Hole under par in Round 1. Horace Pennix from Clinton, MD and JD Mahoney from Ellicott City, MD lead the Division with Birdies to start the Round. Benjamin Baker had an extremely impressive showing on Saturday coming into the clubhouse with a 71. He was closely followed by Sam Walker and Horace Pennix who both shot a 73. Very impressive scores fellas.

                   The hardest hole for the Girls in Round 1 was Hole-16. This is an extremely tight Par-4 and one of the hardest on the course. Not hitting it straight off the tee makes way for a high score and resulted in a 6.66 average. Hole-6 played the easiest for the Girls in Round 1. The second easiest hole on the course, this Par-5 is on the shorter side and doesn’t have much defense. Stay in the fairway and you are going to give yourself a good shot at a Birdie chance. Matilde Dias, an 11-year old local from Woodbridge, VA, lead the Division in Round 1 with a 96. She was followed extremely close by Kendall Hawley from McLean, VA who had a Round 1, 100. 

                   Round 2 – Sunday May 24th — Sunday’s round was much cooler and less humid, no complaints there. Hole-4 played the toughest for the Boys 15-19 in Round 2. One of the few dog-legs out at Old Hickory, the extra distance adds to the difficulty of the 9th-Handicap Hole. Staying in the fairway and making sure you hit your drive at least 250-Yards is the way to attack this hole. Dustin Stocksdale from Ellicott City, MD and Teddy Ross were the only players to finish with a par on the hole which helped them stay atop the leaderboard at the conclusion of Round 2. Earlier in the round, the Boys played Hole-2, one of the easier holes at Old Hickory, extremely well. A straight forward Par-4 with the only danger looming right in the form of a water hazard. If you can drive the ball far and with precision, Hole-2 will give you a good chance at Birdie. Anthony Shelby from Herndon, VA did just that and was the only player to Birdie Hole-2 in the tournament. This is where things get really good. Late in the round, the final pairing was exhausted from battling it out all day. Teddy Ross had the lead all day but Dustin Stocksdale hung around. Dustin gained two strokes on Hole-18, resulting in the first Playoff in BJGT History! Nail-biters didn’t need the nail clippers on Sunday. Our Sudden-Death playoff format offered plenty of suspense and a fantastic finish. The Boys played Hole 1 to decide who would come out on top. Dustin and Teddy had great tee shots right down the pipe, both were in the zone. They both finished with a Par and forced another playoff hole. They replayed Hole-1 as the 2nd playoff hole. Teddy put his tee shot in almost the exact same spot as before. Dustin Stocksdale was not as lucky. Dustin crushed his tee shot but it trailed off left over the bunker that sits 246-yards from the tee box and into the lateral hazard. The 3-minute search time was up without finding Dustin’s ball. Taking a drop, Dustin with ice in his veins put his 3rd shot within 5-feet of the pin. Teddy played his 2nd shot a little short and landed about 30-feet from the pin on the green. Teddy’s putt put his 3rd shot about 6-feet from the pin. With Teddy still being out, Dustin had a little extra time to read the green. Teddy just barely goes left of the hole on his 3rd putt, offering Dustin the chance to take the tournament. Stocksdale knows this might be his only chance to take Teddy down. Taking a deep breathe, he lined up and sinks it! Dustin gives a “YEAH” and a Tiger-esque power fist. What a show these two Boys put on to finish the tournament. Watching these two and the respect they had for each other’s game mixed with competitive nature was an absolute blast to see. Dustin picks up his 2nd win on BJGT in his 3 tournaments out this year and is in a healthy lead for Player of the Year honors. Teddy moved up to 3rd place in the Player of the Year race with his runner-up finish. Well done Gentlemen! Thanks for a memorable first sudden-death Playoff!

                   Hole-11 played the toughest for the Boys 10-14 in Round 2. This is one of the toughest holes on the course with a 4-handicap. It can be simple if you stick to the fairway but we all know that’s easier said than done. The hole’s main defense is its length and the bunkers that guard the green on the right side. Alexander McClain from Reston, VA wasn’t scared. He claimed the first Eagle of the 2020 BJGT Season! Alexander is extremely fun to watch on tour. He has a passion for the game which becomes evident after dominating a tough hole like 11. Once again, the Boys 10-14 played a hole under Par except this time it was Hole-2. Taking notes from the Older Boys, the Younger Boys knew there were going to be Birdie opportunities on Hole-2. 3 of the Players in the Field, Alexander McClain, Maxwell Houck and Nolan Vogel started their Round 2 off great snagging Birdies. Benjamin Baker, a 13-year old from Broadlands, VA, was just too consistent and finished hot with another impressive round. Sunday, he finished with a 72, coming in at 1-under Par on the weekend. Benjamin has the Most Pars or Better throughout the tournament, 2 better than the 2nd place finisher in this statistic. Probably the biggest key to his success was his -3 on the Front-9. This was 6 strokes better than his nearest competitor and really propelled him into becoming this the Boys 10-14 Boys Champion. Congratulations on your 1st tour win Benjamin! Horace Pennix from Clinton, MD finished as the Boys 10-14 Runner-Up. Horace is always calm, cool and collected, a great trait to have in such a mental game. This is his 3rd Runner-Up finish in 3 tournaments on tour this season. Horace always finishes strong and you could see that this weekend with his -1 total on the Back-9 in the tournament. Congratulations on your Runner-Up finish Horace, that 1st Tour win is coming soon!

                   Once again, Hole-18 proved to be extremely difficult for the ladies. The Girls Division played the hole as best as possible but it just has too much to contend with to be an easy hole. However, Matilde Dias did pick up a stroke on the rest of the field on this hole. Hole-15 with its 18-handicap stayed true for the Girls in Round 2. Carris Sanders from Woodbridge, VA knows this hole well, as Old Hickory is her home course. She picked up a stroke on the rest of the competition by snagging a Par. Kendall Hawley and Matilde Dias both played a great tournament. They finished the Washington DC Junior Golf Championship as Co-Champions. These two were extremely fun to watch all weekend. Kendall being older played more of a power game picking up the most birdies. Matilde is just 11-years old and is extremely consistent hole in and hole out. Matilde had the most Pars. Congratulations on both of your first victories on tour ladies! Carris Sanders, 11-years old as well, was the Division Runner-Up. Carris can crush a drive and has a great attitude towards the game. She played the Par-3’s fantastic throughout the 36-holes. Great job Carris!

                   BJGT wants to thank all of our players, participants and the wonderful hospitality of the Old Hickory staff. We understand we are in some very unique times and appreciate all of you following social distancing guidelines and taking our hygiene tips very seriously. BJGT is continuing to grow in the DC and Baltimore area and we look forward to coming back to the area again in 2020. BJGT is hosting its largest tournament ever this coming weekend at Briarwood Golf Clubs-East Course in York, PA. This is a course that has been on the BJGT Schedule since we first started in 2018 and we really look forward to it. There is still time to register for the event. You can follow the link below or click on the link to the right of this page to register.

Share

Comments are closed.