COBB — One day after setting a scoring record and winning the Buckingham Summer Classic by 20 shots, Kelseyville High School”s Nick Schaefer picked up another tournament victory, this time in more dramatic fashion as he held off Blaine Ruggio of Middletown and Jonathan Bridges of Kelseyville to win the 15th annual Lake County Junior Golf Championship on Wednesday at Adams Springs Golf Course on Cobb Mountain.
Schaefer, a three-time All-Coastal Mountain Conference player for the Knights, fired a 76 to edge out Ruggio (77) and Bridges (78) for his first Lake County Junior championship.
Schaefer played steadily throughout his front nine until running into trouble at the ninth hole, where he carded a watery triple-bogey seven. He made the turn at 4-over-par 38 and trailed KHS teammate Bridges by two shots and Ruggio by one.
Bridges gave up his lead with a double-bogey six on the par-4 12th hole to fall into a tie with Schaefer, and moments later Ruggio did the same to fall one stroke behind on the leaderboard.
Schaefer took over the lead with a birdie on the par-5 14th hole but was caught by Ruggio when last season”s CMC freshman of the year birdied the par-4 17th hole. Playing one group ahead of Ruggio, Schaefer hit his tee shot into the water on the par-4 18th hole and walked away with a bogey five. However, Ruggio could not take advantage of Schaefer”s mishap and he too hit his tee shot right off the fairway and into the pond. Ruggio recorded a final-hole double bogey to end up one shot out of first place.
Schaefer shot identical nines of 38-38 for his 8-over-par 76 total. Ruggio finished at 37-40 (77) and Bridges was 36-42 (78). Because of the age divisions, Schaefer took home the overall championship trophy, Ruggio was first in the 14-15 boys” division, and Bridges won the 16-17 division.
Tyler Drake of Riviera West was second in the 16-17 age bracket with a score of 83. Jesse Phillips of Lakeport came in third with 90 and Ryan Richardson of Lakeport rounded out the top four with a score of 114.
Josh Sumpter of Cloverdale finished second to Ruggio in the 14-15 age division, shooting an 83. Luke Lucchesi of Redwood Valley was third with 88 and Tyler Beets of Lakeport came in fourth with 112.
Stone Phillips of Lakeport won his fourth age-division bracket at the Lake County Junior, this time capturing the 12-13 title with a round of 88. Corey Huber of Clear Lake Riviera came in second with 96, Max Whitaker of Clear Lake Riviera had 109, while Keanon Jardstrom of Clearlake finished fourth with 120.
Aaron Waldrop of Cobb won the 10-11 division with a score of 90.
In girls” action, Lisa Copeland of Hidden Valley Lake made the trek from San Francisco, where she placed third in the NorCal Girls Junior Championship at Lake Merced Country Club on Tuesday, to collect her tournament-record fifth consecutive Lake County title. Playing only nine holes, she fired a 2-over-par 36, the lowest score in the tournament”s history. Liz Berry won the 14-15 girls” division with a 49.
Jonathan Carlson of Buckingham gave a short speech at the awards ceremony following play. Carlson, who played in a handful of Lake County Junior Golf Championships back in the 1990s and who recently qualified for the United States Amateur at storied Pinehurst in North Carolina, spoke about the merits of the game of golf and of his appreciation for the efforts of the local community to enhance the sport for youngsters in the area.
A total of 28 golfers competed in this year”s Lake County Junior. The tournament was sponsored by a group of Cobb Mountain junior golf advocates, including the Adams Springs Men”s Golf Club, Eddie and Linda Mullins, Jack and Sharon Lucich, the Hoberg Family, and John and Julie Berry. The next junior tournament on the Lake County Amateur Golf Circuit schedule is the Parent-Junior Championship on Sept. 20 at Buckingham Golf and Country Club.
