Colton Ryan ’ s junior golf career ends on high note at USSSA National by Ian Auzenne
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Colton Ryan , a Benton , Louisiana , native who will soon join the golf team at Central Baptist College in Conway , Arkansas , dominated in the first two rounds of the Mizuno USSSA National Championships at TPC Louisiana in nearby Avondale to win his second straight national title in the Boys 15-18 division . Despite some hiccups in the third round , Ryan ’ s earlier rounds of 71 and 72 offset his day-three 75 , allowing Ryan to take top honors with a final score of + 2 ( 218 ).
In addition to repeating as national tournament champion , Ryan ’ s clinched his second consecutive national points championship on the Mizuno USSSA Junior Golf Tour . Ryan is the first golfer to repeat as national points champion since Jamison Thomassee accomplished the feat in 2013 and 2014 .
Despite a dismal start to the tournament , Trey Morse , of New Orleans , recovered to finish in second place in the senior division . Morse , who shot 78 in the first round , recovered to shoot 73 and 70 in the final two days to finish at 221 . Jake Marler , of Shreveport , Louisiana , and Nolan Lambert , of Gretna , Louisiana , each shot 222 to tie for third place .
Holden Webb shot an opening round 70 en route to winning the national tournament championship in the Boys 12-14 division . Webb , of Shreveport , Louisiana , shot 73 in each of the last two rounds to finish the tournament at an even 216 . Logan Addison Batiste , of Slidell , Louisiana , finished in a distant second place by shooting 229 . Canon Clark , of Lafayette , Louisiana , took third place with a total of 238 .
Clark ’ s third place finish in the tournament was enough to secure him the national points championship in the intermediate division . It caps off a banner year for Clark , in which he won several titles , including the Louisiana state championship , and recorded top-three finishes in both the regional and national championship tournaments .
The tightest competition in the tournament came in the Boys 9-11 division .
Gabriel Augustin Wartelle and Christopher Cain entered the final round tied for the lead . The two battled neck-and-neck through the third day , but Wartelle , of Masclaux , France , edged out Cain , of Lafayette , Louisiana , to win the national tournament title by one stroke , 128 to 129 . Hunter McDermott , of Harvey , Louisiana , shot 43 in each of the three nine-hole rounds to tie Cain for second place .
That finish also determined the point champion in the junior division . Wartelle ’ s victory allowed him to leapfrog Cain to win the points title .
Karlei Hemmler , of Groves , Texas , won the national points championship in the Girls 15-18 division , edging out Louisiana state champion Claire Landry , of Napoleonville , Louisiana , and Louisiana state runnerup Shrayon Thibodeaux , of Broussard , Louisiana .
Grace Jin , of New Orleans , claimed both the national tournament and points titles in the Girls 12-14 event by shooting 234 .
Sophia Macias , of Denham Springs , Louisiana , won the national tournament title in the Girls 9-11 group by shooting 152 . In the process , Macias clinched the division ’ s points championship ..
The Mizuno USSSA Junior Golf Tour is now taking registrations for tournaments across the country for the upcoming 2017-18 season . The season begins with tournaments taking place in August . For more information about tournaments in your area , visit usssa . com .