Lecroy earns spot in Junior Worlds
- Updated: April 26, 2015
[corner-ad id=2]Donoho eight-grader rallies from 5 down overnight and 3 down at the turn to win trip to Torrey Pines
Donoho eighth-grader Jacob Lecroy stands with tournament director Bill Wilcox after winning a spot in the Junior World Championship at Torrey Pines in July.
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
Jacob Lecroy will have a little more confidence Tuesday when he steps on the first tee for the Class 1A golf sectional at Silver Lakes.
That’s because when he goes to the tee, the 15-year-old Donoho eighth-grader will know he has an invitation to a world-class tournament already in his bag.
Lecroy came from five shots back Sunday – three entering the back nine – to win the lone boys exemption from the AJGO Callaway Junior World Qualifier Sunday at Indian Pines Golf Course in Auburn.
He posted a final-round even-par 71, for a two-day total 4-over 146 that was two shots better than Nick Welden, a player at John Carroll Catholic High School.
The victory earned Lecroy a trip to the Callaway Junior World Championship at Torrey Pines in July. Hewitt-Trussville’s Logan Archer, a former Oxford player and cousin of Lecroy, played in the event last summer.
“It shows I can play with just about anyone in the state if I play good enough,” Lecroy said.
Given the deficit entering the final round, Lecroy’s main goal at the start of the day was simply to win his 14-15 age division. It would have been a nice accomplishment, but there was no trip attached to it.
He cut the margin to three by the turn and that’s when, he said, “I knew I could come back on him if I played to my ability.”
Lecroy, who turned 15 just last week, picked up a shot at 11, shaved another with a birdie on 14 he called the turning point and earned a share of the lead on 15 when he got up and down for par. He took the lead on 17 when he birdied and his opponent hit a bad second shot and then two-putted for bogey.
“Jacob has grown significantly as a player,” Donoho golf coach Madison Williams said. “I’ve known him for a long time.
“Going to a course you’ve never seen before and putting together two good rounds as an eighth-grader speaks volumes. He works hard in all aspects of his game. He has a chance to do special things. He is a talented golfer. The sky is the limit for him.”
You must be logged in to post a comment Login