Nathan Franks, who has made a verbal commitment to play college golf at South Carolina,  won a 3-way playoff to become the first champion of the new Mimosa Hills Junior Invitational in Morganton, North Carolina. (CGA Media Photo)

Nathan Franks is going to be remembered for winning the first Mimosa Hills Junior Invitational. He will also be remembered for how he did it.

Franks started the final round of the new CGA presented championship trailing Zach Adams from Charleston by 2-shots.

In the final round Franks fell from second place to as far back as fifth place.

He started the second day with a birdie, but found it was hard to card a second birdie until after the turn.

“I birdied the first hole. but I didn’t make another one until #12,” he said. “I missed a 5-foot eagle there, but after that my putting really turned around and started dropping,” said Franks.

And that is when Franks made a comeback.

He birdied 13, 14 and 15, to pull even with Adams, but still trailed Jack Conklin from Cary, NC by a shot going to the final 3-holes.

While Adams was birdieing his 17th hole, Franks playing one group in front of the final group rolled in a pressure packed birdie to finish with his second straight 68.

Zach Adams finished in second place after a 3-hole playoff with Nathan Franks. (CGA Media Photo)

Neither Adams or Conklin were able to birdie their final hole so Franks had worked his way into a tie and a 3-way playoff.

“When I found out we were going to a playoff, I was happy to play with Zach. We have been friends since we were about four years old so that was fun,” he said.

The first playoff hole cut the number to two as Adams and Franks each made birdie putts.

Both golfers parred the second and third playoff holes to force a fourth. Franks and Adams would play the ninth hole for the second time in the day.

Franks had bogeyed the hole during the final round, but this time after Adams missed a 30 foot birdie putt and then missed his par, the young golfer from Roebuck drained a 5-footer for his par and the championship of the first Mimosa Hills Invitational.

“I’m happy to have played well, but so did everyone else.  I’m just excited to have won,” concluded the champion.

Maria Atwood of Holly Springs, NC won the girls championship by 3-shots at Mimosa Hills. (CGA Media Photo)

The girls championship was won by Maria Atwood from Holly Springs, NC.

Atwood carded a final round 2-under par 70 to finish 3-shots in front of four golfers at 145, 8-under par.

Sarah Boteler from Greenville , Kennedy Gooding from Lexington, Adrian Anderson from Murrells Inlet and Ella Pema from Durham all finished at 148.

Chesnee High School golf teammates Isabella Britt and Sydney Roberts finished in a tie for sixth place.

CGA Media contributed to this report.

Complete scores are available at: https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/2627808