Season Opener at Twin Lakes
Washington DC Junior Golf Classic
Clifton, VA— March 16th, 2020 — This past weekend was a bright spot in these unprecedented times. It was great to see both familiar and new faces at our season opener and we hope everyone had as much fun as we did. We are working closely with each course on the schedule through the first week of April and will continue to have events unless unable to do so due to course closures or restrictions. With that being said, we have officially canceled the Dayton Junior Golf Classic at Beavercreek that is scheduled for this upcoming weekend due to health reasons as well as the Washington DC Junior Golf Open at Brambleton on April 4th-5th. The Baltimore Junior Golf Open at Chesapeake Bay on March 28th-29th is still on as scheduled. For this tournament, we ask to limit the spectators to 1 or 2 people. We also ask that no one with any underlying health issues or those over the age of 60 come out to the event as a precaution. Please practice good hygiene habits both on and off the course. Until further notice we ask our contestants and spectators to not shake hands and if possible, bring hand sanitizer or other cleaning products to use before and after each round.
Now for the fun stuff! It was a fantastic Season Opener at the Washington DC Junior Golf Classic at Twin Lakes GC – The Oaks. Weather was beautiful for RD 1; the course was in great shape and we had some incredible highlights throughout the weekend. We also really enjoyed handing out all of our new membership items and gear and can’t wait to pass along the tournament results to the college coaches that have inquired about the tournament. Let’s jump into the action!
Round 1 – Saturday March 14th — Saturday had some beautiful and refreshing Spring-time Virginia weather. With temperatures in the high 50’s, slight cloud cover and a nice breeze, players were taking advantage for their first tournament of the 2020 Season. Our Boys 15-19 Division played Hole-12 really well and appeared to be the easiest for Round 1. With its high handicap and very little defense, this hole produced nothing higher than a Bogey. On the other hand, Hole-16 was difficult for just about everyone and was the toughest hole for the older boys on Saturday. An extremely long Par-4 that has guarding bunkers along the left side of the fairway, Hole-16 forces players play to their strengths. The long hitters needed to play the hole to the right side past the bunkers and accuracy players used their strength to stay in the fairway for an easy layup. Dustin Stocksdale from Ellicott City, Maryland, our Round 1 Leader in the older boy’s division, played the hole to perfection gaining a stroke on the entire field by birdieing the hole.
The Girls had the most trouble with Hole-14 on Saturday. This is the hardest hole on the course and is an extremely long Par-5. With guarding bunkers on the left and bunkers positioned right in the way of your second shot, laying up is probably the best option as long as you stay in the fairway, as this long hole can become even longer if you fail to do so. True to its handicap, this hole allowed nothing better than a double bogey in Round 1. Earlier in the round however, the girls took advantage of the high handicap 3rd-hole, a short par-4. The entire field did not get anything higher than a bogey. Erica Honadel from Bel Air, Maryland came in as our Round 1 Leader for Girls.
Our Boys 10-14 Division was a competitive field all around. The Boys must’ve run out of steam heading into the clubhouse because they had the most difficulty on Hole-17. Playing into the green is difficult on this hole with 3 bunkers that guard the left side of the pin. None of the players found anything better than a bogey. Going under par for the entire field, Hole-9 played the easiest for the Younger Boys in Round 1. This tree-lined hole gives away its defense as you closer to the green. Peter Barros from Bethesda, Maryland, our Round 1 Leader for the Division, was able to gain a stroke on the rest of the field by scoring a birdie on the hole.
Round 2 – Sunday March 15th — It was a chilly Round 2; we’ll leave it at that. With rain spritzing slightly before tee off, our players were bundled up but ready to go Sunday. The older Boys had some difficulty with the turn, hole-10 with its low handicap was the toughest for them in RD 2. Focus and a good mental game are required for this hole. One of the few large water hazards on the Oaks Course comes into play on the right side of the hole. A distance hitter probably has the most to fear as any tee shot over 270 yards and off right will land in this hazard, not to mention the trees on the left. Only a handful were able to find par. Sam Carollo, a local from Ashburn, Virginia, Jeremy Bershak from Sykesville, Maryland and Evan Twyman from Hanover, Pennsylvania did just that. Right before the toughness of 10 and the turn, the older Boys were shooting lights out on Hole-9. Landing your tee shot on the far side of the hill on this hole will give you a great chance for Birdie and that’s exactly what Daniel Kibe from Silver Spring, Maryland did, gaining a stroke on the entire field. Dustin Stocksdale continued his strong performance from Saturday being crowned our Boys 15-19 Division Champion after the completion of RD 2. Dustin had many key stats that helped earn his victory. A continued theme from last season’s champions, Dustin played the Par-4’s 5 strokes better than the next person in the Division. This stat helped Dustin play the Front-9 and Back-9 better than anyone in the field by at least one stroke. Congratulations on your victory at our Season Opener Dustin! Sam Carollo, a Champion from our 2019 Season, was our Runner-Up in the Division. Sam had a classic recipe for success by having the Most Pars, 22, in the Division. Congratulations on another great finish Sam!
The Girls once again found Hole-14 to play extremely difficult and the toughest for RD 2, double bogey being the lowest score. On the contrary, the girls showed the younger boys that Hole-17 wasn’t tough at all. It played slightly above Par for them in Round 2, almost a stroke better than the younger boys. Erica Honadel would continue her amazing streak by claiming victory in the Season Opener. Erica is familiar to the Winner’s Circle getting wins on tour last year at 3 events. Erica had a couple key stats that helped her on her way to victory. She had the most birdies and dominated the Par-4’s for the tournament. Great job on winning the season opener Erica! The Girls Runner-Up was Kylie Putt from Eldersburg, Maryland. Kylie showed great accuracy throughout the tournament playing the Par-3’s very consistently. Kylie also played the Front-9 extremely well both days to help earn her Runner-Up finish. Great finish in your first BJGT tournament Kylie!
The Boys 10-14 Division had trouble on some interesting holes the entire weekend, Round-2 was no exception. Hole-15 was the most difficult for them in Round 2. A long Par-3 with a strange angle, a tee shot on the green close to the hole is the only way to come out with a Par. Peter Barros continued his impressive streak grabbing at least a stroke on the rest of the field on this hole. Peter had the most impressive round ever seen on BJGT. He shattered 6 BJGT records this past weekend by claiming the following titles for his division: 9-Hole Record (33), 18-Hole Record (66), 36-Hole Record (138), 9-Hole Relative to Par Record (-3), 18-Hole Relative to Par Record (-5) and 36-Hole Relative to Par Record (-4). Breaking all these records resulted in a Championship for Peter and one of the most impressive golf rounds many of our staff, players and spectators have ever seen. Huge congrats to Peter for an incredible tournament and his first win on BJGT! Horace Pennix from Clinton, Maryland was the Division Runner-Up. Even with Peter’s incredible round, Horace and Alexander McClain from Reston, Virginia were close on Peter’s heels throughout the entire tournament. Horace had an impressive streak of his own, going 1 over on the last 4 holes after his putter unfortunately broke and he had to use his 5 iron!?! Maybe he should consider doing this more often, just a thought. Our Boys 10-14 consistently led Pace of Play throughout the weekend and was extremely fun group to watch. Great job guys!
We want to thank everyone for coming out to Twin Lakes this past weekend. We hope everyone had fun and felt a sense of normalcy during these trying times. We want to thank our players for working hard and keeping their minds on the game throughout the tournament. We want to also thank our parents and spectators for coming out and supporting their kids in a time when we really need the game of golf. We want to thank the staff at Twin Lakes, including Kirk Mason, for being host to a great tournament and atmosphere. We hope to see you at future events including the ones below!
Upcoming Events
BALTIMORE JUNIOR GOLF OPEN – March 28th-29th | Chesapeake Bay Golf Club, Rising Sun, MD
*PITTSBURGH JUNIOR GOLF CLASSIC – April 11th-12th | Cedarbrook GC – Red, Belle Vernon, PA
COLLEGE GOLF PREP SERIES @ GETTYSBURG COLLEGE – April 18th-19th | The Links @ Gettysburg, Gettysburg, PA
*BALTIMORE JUNIOR GOLF CLASSIC – April 25th-26th | Timbers @ Troy GC, Elkridge, MD
*Future Champions Golf – Callaway World Championship Qualifiers. For more info, click here