It was the last big South Carolina Junior Golf Association championship before the kids go back to school.
Indian Land’s Mason Kucia and Elizabeth Rudisill from Charlotte, NC ended their summer with wins in the Beth Daniel Junior Azalea played at the Country Club of Charleston.
Kucia, who came from 4-shots off the lead in the final round for the win.
The rising high school sophomore tied for the low round of the tournament when he carded a 6-under par 65 in the final round for a 1-shot victory.
Kucia, playing two groups in front of second round leader Bo Carpenter got within 1-shot of the Tifton, Ga. golfer by the turn.
Mount Pleasant’s Luke Walmet, who started the final round 2-shots behind Carpenter, finished the front nine at 4-under par to take the lead.
Walmet was 9-under par with a 3-shot lead starting the back 9, but Kucia made three backside birdies and took the club house lead at 9-under par.
Walmet had a chance to win or tie on 18, but a bogey dropped him into second place.
“It feels so great to be the champion,” said Kucia, who last May won his second straight South Carolina AAAA High School individual championship.
Kucia joins an outstanding group of recent champions including 2022 All-Americans Trent Phillips and Jacob Bridgeman.
“This tournament is so special to a lot of people here, and to have my name next to some really great past champions means a lot and is just so cool to me,” said the Junior Azalea winner.
Kucia trailed Boiling Springs’ Andrew Gregory for the top-spot in the Heritage Classic Junior Rankings going into the Junior Azalea. The win should move him up to the top spot.
The girls championship did not come down to the final hole as Rudisill shot a 2-under par 70 to finish with a 5-shot victory over Wrightsville Beach golfer, Ellie Hildreth.
“It feels so good to be the champion,” said Rudisill. “This was one of my top goals this summer because I finished second last year, so it is really special to get the win this year,” she said.
Rudisill finished at seven-under par 209.
After Hildreth, Macy Pate from Winston-Salem, NC was third with the CGA and WSCG champion Madison Messimer from Myrtle Beach in fourth.
Scores from the Beth Daniel Junior Azalea https://scjga.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/scjga22/event/scjga2215/contest/1/leaderboard.htm
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Categories: Junior Golf
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