COBB — Cooper Johnson of Hidden Valley Lake shot an 11-over-par 79 to win the overall boys championship Wednesday during the 29th annual Lake County Junior Golf Championship at Adams Springs Golf Course on Cobb Mountain.
Johnson, a two-time All-Coastal Mountain Conference golfer from Middletown High School, took an early lead on the front nine and never looked back. He birdied the par-5 fifth hole and then birdied the par-3 seventh to make the turn at 4-over-par 38 and a two-stroke lead over his closest pursuers. While Johnson had a couple of hiccups on the back nine while carding a 7-over-par 41, his early lead held up as he went on to post a three-stroke victory.
With former high school teammate Austin Pritchard having won the previous three Lake County Juniors, it marked the fourth year in a row that a Middletown High School golfer has won the tournament.
In second place was Cobb resident Bodhi Moore with 82. He posted a 40 on the front nine, including a birdie on the par-4 third hole, and a 42 on the back nine. Moore also was a member of Middletown High School’s golf team this past spring and like Johnson received All-CMC first-team honors. The two young men also happen to be cousins.
In addition to being the overall boys runner-up behind Johnson, Moore, a sweet-swinging lefty, won the age 14-15 boys division. Christopher Camp, a resident of Los Osos and a member of the golf team at San Luis Obispo High School, was the winner in the boys 16-17 bracket after shooting a 94, including a birdie-two on the par-3 second hole. Camp is visiting his grandmother in Lake County.
Other honors went to San Francisco’s Mickey Mullins, who played last spring on the golf team at Riordan High School. He shot a 104 to finish second in the 14-15 division. J.T. Allred of Hidden Valley Lake placed third with a 107.
Mason Harmon, a resident of the Los Angeles suburb of Palmdale, captured the 12-13 boys division with a 107. Like Camp, he is visiting relatives in the area — his grandfather lives in Kelseyville.
In a very lively flight of 10-11 boys, Max Stine of Hidden Valley Lake won his division by shooting a 46 over the course of nine holes. Stine was the overall boys champion on Monday during the Buckingham Summer Junior at Buckingham Golf and Country Club.
Andy Zimmer of Hidden Valley Lake finished second after posting a nine-hole score of 51. Chase Allred of Hidden Valley Lake came in third with a 56 while Caden Mullins of San Francisco rounded out the top four with a 61.
Girls
Brooke Hinchcliff, a member of the Clear Lake High School golf team this past spring, won the overall girls championship with a round of 120. It was the second win in three days for Hinchcliff, who also captured the overall girls title Monday at the Buckingham Summer Junior.
Sponsors
This year’s Lake County Junior was sponsored by Eddie and Linda Mullins, the owners of Adams Springs Golf Course, along with Deb Wallace of Middletown, Konocti Realty of Lakeport, McQueen Construction of Lakeport, the Adams Springs Golf Club, the Adams Springs Women’s Golf Club, and John and Julie Berry.
Part of the success of the this year’s version of the Lake County Junior Golf Championship was due to the multiple volunteers who served as rules officials, marshals, pace-of-play monitors and luncheon coordinators. Thanks are in order to NCGA rules official Jack Lucich, Jerry Pendleton, John Flynn, Mike Owens, Armond Urbano, Bob Norris, Shane Boehlert, Casey Cates, Julie Berry and Liz Berry.
