COBB— Cooper Johnson of Hidden Valley Lake captured the 30th annual Lake County Junior Golf Championship on Wednesday at Adams Springs Golf Course on Cobb Mountain. Johnson carded a 79 to win by five strokes over his first cousin, Bodhi Moore of Cobb. Johnson shot a 40 on the front nine with his lone birdie of the day coming on the par four 6th hole. Cooper took a two stoke lead into the back nine and promptly added to it. With just five holes left to play, Johnson had a five stroke lead and knew how to hold it, recording four pars over that finishing stretch. Johnson is the Lake County Junior’s defending champion. A senior this August at Middletown High School, Johnson has been a three time all conference golfer in the Coastal Mountain Conference South and won the league 36 hole tournament this past May. He has played in the North Coast Section’s golf playoffs for three years. Over the last five years, a MHS golfer has won the Junior with Austin Pritchard having won three consecutive Junior titles from 2019 through 2021.
Bodhi Moore finished with an 84. He made three birdies on the back nine but also had a couple of hiccups to end up shooting an inward nine score of 42. Although Moore didn’t win the overall Lake County Junior championship, he did win the boys’ 16-17 age division. Moore also plays golf for Middletown High School, will be starting his junior year, and is a two time all-conference golfer. Mickey Mullins of San Francisco who plays on the golf team at Riordan High School was next in the 16-17 age division with a score of 104 and a 46 on his back nine. Ethan Gambill of Kelseyville posted a 107 while Nate Sherman of Kelseyville carded a 111. Gambill and Sherman are members of the Kelseyville High School golf team and are entering their junior year.
Sofia Arredondo of Lakeport won the girls’ division of the Lake County Junior by shooting a 102. She is a recent graduate of Clear Lake High School, played four years of high school golf, and qualified as an individual for the North Coast Section last autumn.
A pair of Hidden Valley Lake boys in the 12-13 year old division put on an entertaining competition as Andy Zimmerle of Hidden Valley Lake won over Max Stine of HVL. Zimmerle shot a 100 while Stine carded at 104. Both boys were tied with scores of 53 after nine holes. Andy shot a solid 47 on the back nine while Max came in at 51. Both boys are entering the seventh grade at Middletown Middle School and both have very nicely developed golf swings.
Lyle Valador of Kelseyville had a rock solid 54 over nine holes to win the 10-11 year old boys’ division. He will be a fifth grader this September at Kelseyville Elementary. Caden Mullins of San Francisco finished second with a 68. He attends St. Phillip’s School and will be entering the sixth grade.
The Lake County Junior Golf Championship was sponsored by Eddie and Linda Mullins, the owners of Adams Springs, the Adams Springs Women’s Golf Club, the Adams Springs Golf Club, Deb Wallace, McQueen Construction, and John and Julie Berry. Jerry Pendleton, Mike Owens, Franz Waltenspuhl, and Armond Urbano served as rules officials, Dennis Layton and Julie Berry coordinated the after tournament luncheon, and Liz Berry and her four year old daughter Delaney served as marshals.
The Lake County Junior and its contestants and parents recognized three past rules officials who passed away this year including Al Mankins of Riviera Heights, Jack Lucich of Clearlake, and Bob Norris of Cobb. All three men were active participants at the first Lake County Junior in 1994 and gave their time and expertise to the tournament through its 2022 edition.
The Buckingham Summer Junior Golf Classic is scheduled to be played at Buckingham Golf and Country Club on Monday. For information, contact the Buckingham pro shop at (707) 279-4863.
