EASLEY, SC– Isolated thunderstorms continued to affect the area surrounding Smithfields Country Club during the final round of the 2020 Upstate Junior Classic. Pars came at a premium on the narrow fairways of Smithfields Country Club, as 1-over par (145) was good enough to earn a spot in a playoff to declare the Boys 13-18 Champion. A par on the first playoff hole meant Oliver Rotermund (Daniel Island) had clinched the title.
Overcoming a rocky start, Rotermund battled his way back into the thick of things. “I had a shaky start with a triple bogey early, but found a way to battle back. It feels good to get a win under my belt and serves as a total kick-start for my confidence level to where it was just two weeks ago,” the champion noted.
Rotermund’s counterpart in the playoff at 1-over par was Bluffton’s Andrew Swanson, the eventual runner-up in the Boys 13-18 Division. The low country natives separated themselves from the rest of the field, matching one another shot-for-shot down the stretch and finishing six strokes clear of the rest of the field.
The Girls 13-18 Division had plenty of drama on its own, with Taylor Burch (Elgin) chasing down first round leader Anika Rana (Duncan) to force a playoff of their own. Burch clinched the championship on the third playoff hole. When asked to discuss what was working for her and how much this victory means to her, the Elgin native stated “My putting was really good today. I also had a couple of really great bunker saves which helped me out a bit. It means a lot to me, it gets me in to play in the Blade which is a tournament I really have been wanting to play in.”
The Boys 13-14 Division was the lone bracket to be decided with no extra holes involved, as Lucas Acevedo (Daniel Island) carded a final round one-over par 73 to take the title by one shot over Harrison James (Chapin). Acevedo finished seven-over par in total, which was good enough to put him in a tie for third place in the overall championship.
The excitement continued as the Boys 12 & Under Division was forced to go to extra holes, with Will Ruth (Moore) making a birdie the par-5 ninth hole to force a playoff at 4-over par with Spartanburg’s Davis Petty. Ruth made par on the first playoff hole to take the crown.
The following players also earned exemptions into the 22nd Annual Blade Junior Classic, and will take their talents to the well-renowned Thornblade Club in Greer on July 14-15: Lucas Acevedo, Harrison James, Max Rotermund (Daniel Island), Henry Hall (Greenville), Jack Wofford (Greenville), Luca Seccareccio (Mount Pleasant), and first round leader Jackson Harling (Edgefield).
