Steady Wood Wins Western Junior
Adam Wood, 16, of Zionsville, Ind., turned in
four rounds under par on his way to winning the
95th Western Junior Championship by four at the
Country Club of Florida near Boynton Beach.
Wood, who will not graduate from Zionsville
High School until 2014 but has committed to play
for Duke, entered the final round Friday with a
five-shot lead and closed with a 1-under-par 71
for a tournament total of 9-under-par 279.
Tae Wan Lee of Orlando, fired a Country Club
of Florida competitive round record 6-under 66 to
finish tied for second at 5-under 283 with Danny
Walker of Bradenton, Fla., and Clayton Madey of
West Linn, Ore. All three joined Wood in earning
exemptions into this year’s Western Amateur at
Exmoor Country Club in Highland Park, Ill.
“I had my ‘A’ game the entire week and I hit
the shots when I had to,” noted Wood, ranked
No. 8 in the AJGA/Polo Golf Junior Rankings. “I
shot myself out of last year’s tournament on the
back nine when I was in contention, but this is a
fantastic tournament filled with some of the best
players in the world, and I’m glad I’m joining a
group of such prestigious champions.
“It feels amazing,” he continued. “It’s been a
wonderful week and will always be something I’ll
look back on.”
Wood played his front nine in even par, but his
back-to-back birdies, on the 461-yard, par- 4 10th
and the 564-yard, par- 5 11th, sealed the deal.
“I hit the ball extremely well off the tee and
then putted very well, too, and on these greens
that was no easy feat,” Wood explained. “I think
having both of those parts of my game working
for me helped take me to the top.”
Wood enjoyed his frequent birdie moments on
the course, but the walk down the 18th fairway
Friday was the highlight for him.
“It was pretty incredible, just walking up there
with my dad and most likely knowing that trophy
was mine,” Wood said. “It was an incredible feeling. And when I rolled that last putt in, nothing but
joy and happiness. It was a great feeling.”
RESULTS
Staff and Wire Reports
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Evans Scholars Foundation
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Championships Since 1899 | Scholarships Since 1930
