It’s easier to chase than lead.
In a pair of come-from-behind performances, Brooke Henderson and Qi Wen Wong captured the premiere girls’ and boy’ 15-18 divisions Sunday afternoon at Roanoke Country Club in the prestigious Scott Robertson Memorial junior golf tournament.
Both the girls’ and boys’ age groups featured a 3-way shootout heading to the final holes.
In the girls, it was Henderson and Emily Campbell who found themselves three and six shots, respectfully, behind second round leader Nelly Korda. But, with Korda facing a balky putter, the three came to the 17th tee tied at minus-4.
Campbell. playing in the group ahead of Korda and Henderson, suffered a bogey-par finish to lead in the clubhouse at minus-3. After Korda and Henderson parred the par-4 17th, they came to the par-3 18th with the title on the line.
Henderson’s five iron on the 155-yard hole ended up on the front fringe, 55 feet short of the pin placement in the back-right of the green. Korda followed by sending her shot over the green, leaving an impossible chip. Korda chipped first with the ball sliding 12 feet below the cup.
Henderson then executed a masterful putt 4 feet below the hole, and when Korda missed her par attempt, Henderson calmly rolled the winner into the jar.
“No way did I think a par-par finish would win,” Henderson noted with a smile before she accepted the championship trophy. “This is a huge win for me. I absolutely love this course and love coming to Roanoke Country Club.”
The Ontario, Canada native was just hoping for a playoff. “I knew Nelly had a tough shot, so I just wanted to try to get my first putt close for a chance.
On the boys’ side Wong and Forest, VA standout Zachary Bauchou trailed second-round leader Ryoto Furuya by one shot heading into Sunday’s final eighteen. Bauchou was still one shot back when the final group stepped on the tee at the dogleg-left 18th. Bauchou made things easy for Wong when he pulled his tee shot left, out-of-bounds, leading to a double bogey 6 and third place finish behind Furuya. Wong’s 3-round total of 205 bested Furuya by 2 shots and Bauchou by three.
In the girls’ 14-under division, Caroline Curtis posted a 3-shot victory over runner-up Kyra Cox. Jayde Dudley led the local 14-U girls with a 12th place finish.
In the boys’ 14-under, Graham Hutchinson waltzed to a 9-shot victory with a three-day minus-6, 207 total. Locally in the boys’ 14-U Isaac Simmons of Huddleston posted a 3-day 226 while Roanoke’s Vincent Wheeler finished tied for 20th at 236.
Hidden Valley’s Kristin Hearp shot a 3-day 238 in the girls’ 15-18. Drew Lagan and Brad Williams each posted a 2-day 158 in the boys’ 15-18 which left them just short of the cut line for the final round.
– Bill Turner
