Golfweek - Golf News Magazine

By RON BALICKI
Senior Writer

ARDMORE, Okla. – Denny McCarthy and Caroline Powers traveled on two completely different paths. But when their journeys ended Thursday, both reached the same destination.

McCarthy, of Burtonsville, Md., and Powers, of Bowling Green, Ohio, captured their respective titles at the 41st Trusted Choice Big “I” National Junior Championship at Dornick Hills Country Club.

McCarthy, 16, overcame a five-shot deficit during the final round and won the boys division with a 10-under-par 270, one stroke better than Michael McGowan of Southern Pines, N.C., who missed a short putt on 18 that would have forced a playoff. Third-round leader Corey Konieczki of Rockford, Ill., finished third at 6-under 274.

Powers, meanwhile, went wire-to-wire and pretty much unchallenged the final day, finishing at 9-over-par 293, six shots in front of Lizzie Bundy of Clayton, N.C., and seven better than Ashlee Prickerell of Salem, Ore., whose second round 68 was the only sub-70 score in the girls division.

“This (win) is very exciting, very special,” said McCarthy, 68th in the Golfweek/Titleist Performance Index, who will be a junior at Georgetown Prep in Bethesda, Md., this fall.

“It’s my first national win and right now it’s all just sinking in. Now I’ll just have to wait and see where it takes me. Hopefully it will get me some attention.”

Said Powers, 18, and an incoming freshman at Michigan State, “I came in here this week thinking I could win. It was a great experience. I led every day and was able to handle it. To have people putting pressure on you and then going out and playing well and getting the job done is very rewarding.”

McCarthy said the night before the final round he was sitting around with his roommates at his host family’s house when they all told him if he went out and shot 65 he would win.

“So that number stuck in my mind,” he said. “I felt like I had it in me. I shot 66 the second round so I knew I could do it. I did feel if I could shoot 65 I could win – and I did.”

It was certainly a hard-fought victory and one that he got some help achieving at the end.

McCarthy made the turn in 2-under and at 7 under was one shot behind McGowan and Konieczki.

Konieczki then started to come apart a triple-bogey 7 at the 10th hole and a bogey at 11. After 12 holes McCarthy and McGowan, son of former PGA Tour player Pat McGowan, were tied at 9 under.

Playing in the second to last group in front of McGowan, McCarthy got to 10 under with a birdie at the par-3 17th. A short time later, McGown matched it on the same hole.

After two-putting for par from about 25 feet, McCarthy was in the scorer’s tent going over his card as McGowan walked up to the 18th green. His approach shot on the par-4 finishing hole was just off the green, some 20 feet away.

His birdie putt went about two feet past the hole. Rather than mark his ball and let his playing partners finish out, McGowan elected to putt. He pushed it right, ending his chance at a playoff.

“I didn’t really know if (McGowan) was 9 or 10 under going to the 18th,” McCarthy said. “I was around the scoring area so I never saw what happened at the green. I was told later. I feel bad for Michael, but I feel good about being the champion. And I think I played well enough today, and all week, and earned the title.”

Powers held a three-shot lead going into the final round and no one was able to get any closer the entire day. By the time she walked off the 15th green, her lead was at six.

“The first three days I putted well and made some birdies,” said Powers, whose summer has consisted of playing the Taylor Made-addias Collegiate Series and competing in the Women’s U.S. Amateur Public Links, where she lost in the first round of match play. “Today I only missed two fairways, but I didn’t putt as well. The bottom line is I did what I had to do and got the job done.”

---

Scores with relation to par from the final round of the Big “I” National Championship, played July 30 at the par 70 (Boys: 6,524 yards; Girls: 6,041) Dornick Hills Country Club in Ardmore, Okla.:

BOYS

1. Denny McCarthy	68-66-71-65--270			-10
2. Michael Mcgowan	70-67-66-68--271			-9
3. Corey Konieczki	70-65-65-74--274			-6
4. Cory Mcelyea	69-71-68-68--276			-4
5. Talor Gooch	71-65-70-71--277			-3
5. Joshua Briere	68-67-69-73--277			-3
7. Brendan Connolly	71-73-66-68--278			-2
8. Will Bishop	69-66-75-69--279			-1
9. Patrick Fishburn	69-63-74-74--280			E
9. Justin Keiley	70-70-73-67--280			E
11. Richard Fountain	67-68-73-73--281		+	1
12. Austen Moix	72-70-69-72--283		+	3
13. Chad Ramey	71-68-72-73--284		+	4
13. Nick Umholtz	70-70-73-71--284		+	4
13. Payne Mcleod	68-72-71-73--284		+	4
13. Mike Basco	65-74-74-71--284		+	4
17. Ryan Mccormick	67-72-70-76--285		+	5
17. Jonathan Hauter	73-71-70-71--285		+	5
19. Garrett Howard	72-74-70-70--286		+	6
19. Joshua Salah	69-79-68-70--286		+	6
21. Casey Gleich	76-72-70-69--287		+	7
21. Nicholas Scott	71-70-74-72--287		+	7
23. Josh Clay	74-70-72-72--288		+	8
23. Ryan Zech	72-72-73-71--288		+	8
23. Andy Rodby	73-72-71-72--288		+	8
26. Andrew Riesen	69-75-72-73--289		+	9
27. Damian Telles	71-70-76-73--290		+	10
27. Alex Willnow	73-74-70-73--290		+	10
29. Hunter Brown	74-71-73-73--291		+	11
29. Ryan Marks	78-70-70-73--291		+	11
29. Matthew Seramin	73-74-68-76--291		+	11
32. Andrew Carreon	78-70-71-73--292		+	12
32. Eric Coatney	73-72-74-73--292		+	12
32. Robert Palacios	72-73-73-74--292		+	12
32. Jason Garrett	73-71-78-70--292		+	12
32. Walker Huddy	73-75-72-72--292		+	12
37. Brandon Mciver	73-74-71-75--293		+	13
37. James N Lee	73-75-72-73--293		+	13
37. Chris Cunningham	74-72-74-73--293		+	13
40. Carson Castellani	72-75-77-70--294		+	14
40. Coalter Paxton Iv	76-71-69-78--294		+	14
40. Justin Mortensen	76-70-70-78--294		+	14
40. Chris Ingham	73-73-70-78--294		+	14
44. Kevin Witte	73-71-75-76--295		+	15
45. Justin Marchiando	74-71-79-72--296		+	16
45. Jeffrey Ray	73-75-73-75--296		+	16
47. Glenn Payne I I I	75-71-73-78--297		+	17
47. Jordan Gilmore	75-72-77-73--297		+	17
47. Aaron Burton	75-72-76-74--297		+	17
47. Devon Purser	75-73-74-75--297		+	17
51. Carson Joye	77-71-72-80--300		+	20
52. Jordan Karam	75-70-77-79--301		+	21
53. Curtis Hanba	74-73-80-77--304		+	24
54. Max Kipfer	74-73-85-79--311		+	31
55. Corey Carrick	72-76-80-84--312		+	32
• • •
Missed the cut
56. Jared Adams	74-75--149		+	9
56. Cash Campbell	76-73--149		+	9
56. David Gushee	76-73--149		+	9
56. Jordan Hamblin	74-75--149		+	9
56. Jake Hedge	76-73--149		+	9
56. Seth Morgan	76-73--149		+	9
56. Taylor White	74-75--149		+	9
63. Lane Hulse	73-77--150		+	10
63. Eli Mattioli	74-76--150		+	10
63. Rustin Purser	73-77--150		+	10
63. Mathew Reinders	78-72--150		+	10
67. Will Dusenbury	75-76--151		+	11
67. Luke Feehan	78-73--151		+	11
67. Michael Jarnot	75-76--151		+	11
67. Brandon Kida	75-76--151		+	11
67. Michael Nagy	78-73--151		+	11
67. Zach Tucker	73-78--151		+	11
73. Denny Barnard	76-76--152		+	12
73. Brandon Bowman	78-74--152		+	12
73. Kevin Ellison	79-73--152		+	12
73. Travis Johnson	81-71--152		+	12
73. Drew Kirby	80-72--152		+	12
73. Jeremy Quinn	79-73--152		+	12
73. Hunter Smith	73-79--152		+	12
73. Jon Vandyk	74-78--152		+	12
81. Johnathan Chen	78-75--153		+	13
81. Conor Pocino	79-74--153		+	13
83. Dominick Bregar	80-74--154		+	14
83. Lukas Davison	80-74--154		+	14
83. Blayze Di Pasquale	75-79--154		+	14
83. Jake Erickson	72-82--154		+	14
83. Austin Langdale	77-77--154		+	14
83. Ian Patterson	77-77--154		+	14
83. Drue Thompson	80-74--154		+	14
83. Jack Whelan	80-74--154		+	14
91. Kevin Brady	77-78--155		+	15
91. Andrew Feldman	72-83--155		+	15
91. Alexander Grannon	80-75--155		+	15
91. J.P. Harper	76-79--155		+	15
91. Myles Lee Miller	78-77--155		+	15
96. Andrew Cornella	77-79--156		+	16
96. Ryan Reid	79-77--156		+	16
98. Jake Adams	79-78--157		+	17
98. Bryce Brown	80-77--157		+	17
98. John Gordy	82-75--157		+	17
101. Brandon Collier	80-83--163		+	23
102. Landon Moore	85-79--164		+	24
102. Blake Wilson	81-83--164		+	24
104. Tyler Lieberman	86-80--166		+	26
105. Cole Jost	88-79--167		+	27
GIRLS
1. Caroline Powers	73-72-74-74--293		+	9
2. Lizzie Bundy	77-72-73-77--299		+	15
3. Ashlee Pickerell	83-68-75-74--300		+	16
4. Alyssa Shimel	77-75-75-76--303		+	19
4. Ciera Min	75-75-76-77--303		+	19
6. Meghan Moore	77-74-82-71--304		+	20
6. Jenny Coleman	74-78-78-74--304		+	20
8. Stephanie Kim	80-71-72-82--305		+	21
8. Bethany Buchner	75-75-73-82--305		+	21
10. Brenna Nelsen	78-74-80-78--310		+	26
11. Heather Lott	80-71-82-79--312		+	28
11. Cassie Rushing	78-76-82-76--312		+	28
11. Katie Kirk	76-80-80-76--312		+	28
14. Jessica Ngui	77-78-80-78--313		+	29
14. Olivia Lavy	86-71-76-80--313		+	29
14. Alisa White	85-72-81-75--313		+	29
17. Felicia Espericueta	83-80-79-73--315		+	31
17. Hannah Pierce	85-77-78-75--315		+	31
17. Taylor Newlin	76-82-77-80--315		+	31
20. Taylor Neidy	82-76-75-83--316		+	32
21. Olivia Lugar	79-80-81-79--319		+	35
22. Kristen Garabedian	82-81-75-84--322		+	38
23. Alice Choi	80-81-78-84--323		+	39
24. Andrea Robbins	82-79-81-83--325		+	41
24. Jennifer Loiacano	82-81-79-83--325		+	41
26. Aly Seng	82-78-82-85--327		+	43
27. Gina Larson	82-79-78-89--328		+	44
28. Chanet Fiorina	83-80-78-89--330		+	46
29. Bethany Darrough	87-76-82-87--332		+	48
• • •
Missed the cut
30. Ashton Collier	84-80--164		+	22
30. Patricia Holt	83-81--164		+	22
32. Taylor Dodson	81-84--165		+	23
32. Mary Langdon Gallagher	86-79--165		+	23
32. Trish Gibbens	81-84--165		+	23
35. Kelly Hartigan	81-86--167		+	25
36. Loren Forney	84-86--170		+	28
36. Kristina Shalhoup	82-88--170		+	28
38. Emily Haas	91-80--171		+	29
39. Mckayla Anderson	90-82--172		+	30
39. Colleen Miller	85-87--172		+	30
39. Kaitlen Parsons	85-87--172		+	30
42. Jamie Caylor	85-89--174		+	32
43. Caroline Rouse	89-86--175		+	33
44. Ali Lucas	89-87--176		+	34
44. Jordan Ann Rearick	89-87--176		+	34
46. Ashleigh Ogolin	89-88--177		+	35
47. Kathryn Buckingham	91-88--179		+	37
48. Caroline Inglis	87-93--180		+	38
49. Brooke Larue	94-87--181		+	39
50. Kaitlyn Brasher	96-92--188		+	46
51. Tess Jones	95-94--189		+	47
52. Kathleen Gallagher	102-95--197		+	55
53. Abby Lauck	105-93--198		+	56
WD. Sami Crouch	81--WD

Posted: 7/30/2009

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