COBB — Matt Wotherspoon of Buckingham prevailed in the 20th annual Lake County Junior Golf Championship on Wednesday at Adams Springs Golf Course on Cobb Mountain. In the process, he became the youngest winner in the two-decade history of the tournament.
A 13-year-old who will be entering the eighth grade at Mountain Vista Middle School in September, Wotherspoon said he was surprised as everyone else when his 18-hole score of 96 held up for a two-stroke victory over the older and more experienced high school golfers in the field. Wotherspoon is a former age group champion of the Lake County Junior and is the only golfer to record a hole-in-one in the tournament”s history.
On a day when most of the area”s top junior golfers struggled, Wotherspoon opened play on the front nine and carded a 44 to find himself one shot behind Justin Johnson, an incoming senior at Kelseyville High School. Wotherspoon struggled on the back nine, shooting a 52 over the inward nine for an 18-hole total of 96. Nonetheless, Wotherspoon”s 18-hole total turned out to be the lowest score of the day.
Meanwhile, Johnson ran into some trouble during the inward nine and posted an 18-hole total of 98. Joe Tannous, a junior at Kelseyville High School, shot a 55 on the front nine, returned with a 43 on the during the final nine, and ended up tied with Johnson at 98. Brandon Huber was one shot behind Tannous and Johnson at 99.
With Wotherspoon winning the outright title, Tannous and Johnson were involved in a three-hole sudden-death playoff, ultimately won by Tannous, for bragging rights in the 16-17 boys” division. Two days earlier Tannous won the overall championship at the Buckingham Summer Junior with a round of 81.
In the boys” 14-15 division, Logan Barrick of Lakeport took home the hardware with an 18-hole score of 110. Jonah Lewis, also of Lakeport, carded a score of 114 to finish in second place. Samuel Long of Buckingham finished in third place with 120.
Among the boys competing in the 12-13 division, the door was wide open with Wotherspoon leaving their bracket as overall champion. Mike Camacho of Lakeport prevailed with an 18-hole round of 107. Jacob Blair of Cobb was runner-up at 114 and Jacob Lopez of Finley came in third at 121.
In the 7-11 boys” division, Hunter Blair of Cobb made it two Lake County Junior championships in a row as he repeated as his age bracket”s champion with a score of 48 for nine holes. Mason Tan of Cobb finished in second place with a 60 while Charles Johnson of Kelseyville, the youngest player in the field at age 7, turned in a nine-hole score of 61 to finish third. Johnson also received recognition for making the longest putt of the day, a 66-footer on the ninth hole.
Sophie Sells won her third straight girls” overall championship with a nine-hole score of 56. Sarah Parlee of Lakeport won the 10-11 girls” division with a 66.
Clearlake Callayomi Masonic Lodge, Eddie and Linda Mullins, the owners of Adams Springs Golf Course, the Hoberg family, Jack and Sharon Lucich, and John and Julie Berry sponsored this year”s tournament.
