Following a hot week that saw 17 golfers advance levels, the Mount Vernon Junior League golfers cooled off a bit as 12 of the instructees gained ground and advanced to the next levels of play.
The golfers competed in the sixth week at the Vernon View Golf Course, 901 Beech St. in Mount Vernon, and for the second consecutive week, Grayson Workman fired the lowest score in the league, following his 29 of the previous week with a 32.
The program is instructed by Mount Vernon Nazarene University assistant golf coach and former PGA Canada Tour winner T.T. Crouch, along with Mount Vernon H.S. golf coach Anthony Savage.
Levels for golfers are: Level 1 – putting; Level 2- 25 yards; Level 3 – 50 yards; Level 4 – 100 yards; Level 5 -0 150 yards; Level 6 – 200 yards. To advance levels, the player must shoot a 36 or better. The player who has advanced the furthest after week seven will be the champion of their division. If multiple players have advanced to the same level, the player with the lowest score will be deemed the winner. Division sponsors are Wendy’s. Mount Vernon GMC and the Savage Pools & Patios.
Wendy’s Division
In the Wendy’s Division, following a week in which seven golfers moved up levels by recording a 36 or less, six golfers advanced during Week 6 to the next level of instruction and play.
Division leader Austin Hammond, the only Level 6 player in the group going into last week’s action, just missed advancing by shooting a 37. Griffin Beach joined Hammond for this week’s Level 6 play by firing a level-low round of 34. Just missing advancement from Level 5 were Tyler Marsell (37) and Somi Bright (38). Advancing from Level 4 were Ava Parker-Cuervo, who shot a 35, Grayson Workman, who shot a division low-score of 32, and Luke Moore, who finished with a 36. Just missing advancement to the next level were Tanner Nutter (37) and Silas Bailey (38). Advancing to Level 4 was Blake Frazee (33), and moving up to Level 3 was Tobias Burt (36).
After six weeks, Workman has taken over the overall division lead with a cumulative score of 171. Hammond is second at 175, Marshall sits in third at 177, and Bailey is fourth at 181. Beach has a score of 120 after missing a week of play, and Parker-Cuervo is at 142 having missed a week of action.
Mount Vernon GMC Division
Three golfers advanced levels following a week that saw five golfers move up. Cooper Lowe remains the only Level 5 player in the division after missing advancement to Level 6 with a close-call 38. Advancing to Level 4 were Cody Dapprich (36), Kenton Strouse (35) and Paxton Strouse (35). Greyson Rutter stayed at Level 3, missing advancement by two strokes after his 38.
Cuyler Anderson stayed at Level 2 by just missing a move up, with his 38.
Through six weeks, Lowe maintained a big lead with a cumulative score of 166. Leo Bailey is second at 182, Cody Dapprich moved into third place at 184, Justus Shaw jumped into fourth at 190 and Evan Palmer remained in fifth place at 191.
Savage Pools and Patios Division
Three advanced after six moved up the previous week. In tough course action, no Level 5 or Level 4 golfers advanced, but Jaydn Row and Alex White advanced from Level 2 to Level 3, and Blake Irons advanced to Level 2, with Jolie Cooper barely missing a jump by shooting a 37. White fired a 35, Row shot a 36 and Irons finished with a 36. The Savage Pools cumulative leader after six week is Fox at 177. Row is second at 193, and Sutton Quinlivan is third with a 194. Wyatt Artrip has a 140 but has missed one round of play.
The Junior League runs every Thursday from 10 a.m. - noon with play ending July 21 and is limited to 30 players (boys and girls) ages 10-18. Instruction focuses on putting and chipping, basic swing mechanics, the rules of golf and on-course play.
SIDEBAR
Golfers show improved skills
Mount Vernon Junior League golf is six weeks into its 2022 season, and its young players have shown improved skill levels and competition. The Mount Vernon Junior League teaches golf to local players ages 10-18 and focuses on putting and chipping, basic swing mechanics, the rules of golf and on-course play.
The competition is divided into three divisions, and that competition is fierce, with low scores moving players forward in skill levels.
The challenge of advancing levels and competing against players in their division is not lost on the golfers. Tobias Burt is currently at Level-3 in the Wendy’s Division, and he has seen improvement in his fellow golfers.
“Junior League has been a lot more challenging this year because there is a lot more competition. Everybody has got a lot better from last year to this year. My favorite part is chipping; that’s definitely something that I love to do and I am good at,” he said.
