The 25th edition of The Blade Junior Championships at Thornblade had a decidedly local feel.
Greer’s Dawson Szabo and Greenville’s Olivia Pellerin won the boys and girls 13-18 titles, respectively, giving the event a pair of Greenville County winners in the older division.

Both said their wins were the product of a long process.

Szabo was playing in the older division for the second time after two tries in the tournament’s younger division.

“I’ve been chasing this one for a while,” he said. “I came second when I was 11 and 12, and then missed the cut last year. This is one that I’ve really wanted.”

He made the most of the opportunity.

Szabo was three-under through the first round, and picked up a shot to finish four-under through two rounds.

In the final, with pro-level pin placements, he shot four-over, but made a tester for birdie on the 18th to preserve a three-day total of even par and a one-shot victory over Jack Crousore of Bluffton.

“I feel like I played great,” Szabo said. “The putter was hot. With these pins today and with a triple ( , it was just a great battle. 

Szabo said he thinks the tournament will serve as a springboard for him.

“I think it will serve as an edge for the rest of my season,” the rising freshman at Blue Ridge High said. “To finish out this tournament with such a good field on such a tough golf course, it’s a great feeling.”

For Pellerin, the win in her final attempt at The Blade was particularly sweet.

“It’s super exciting,” she said. “It’s my last year playing in The Blade, and it’s always been a dream of mine to win. To be able to pull it off this year is exciting.”

Pellerin also enjoyed playing close to home, with a large gallery following and cheering her on.

“A bunch of my friends and family came out to watch, so it was super fun to have a big group here for my last one was fun, and to be able to win it in front of them was super special.”

The secret to Pellerin’s win, she said, was trying to stay out of trouble, and effectively minimizing the damage when she couldn’t.

She finished with an eight-over 79 and shot 18-over for the tournament, but avoided a double bogey in the final round and added a birdie at the ninth, helping her edge Grace Lindsey of Mount Pleasant by a stroke.

“It was just being able to get out of trouble,” the rising senior golfer at Mauldin High said. “I didn’t play solid golf today, or hit the ball any better than I have the past couple of days. It was just being able to make bogey and not have any doubles. That saved me a few shots and helped me turn my round around. It was just playing smart golf, and trying to avoid trouble. Especially with the pins out here, just picking spots away from trouble and playing conservative golf is what saved me a bunch of strokes the past couple of days.”

Tournament Chairman Rob Reeves said the pin placements that both golfers mentioned mirrored those of the final round of the Korn-Ferry Tour’s BMW Pro-Am.

The chance to play professional tournament conditions is part of The Blade’s longstanding appeal.

“Dawson finished at even, and I think that’s a great score,” Reeves said. “The kids got to experience Thornblade as the Korn-Ferry pros do. These were the Sunday pins today. With the exception of one teeing area, those were the same. On the pin positions, they had to think about it. It was a tough golf course all three days.”

Scores from The Blade Junior https://scjga.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/scjga23/event/scjga2318/contest/5/leaderboard.htm