Early this summer Dawson Szabo finished in a tie for tenth at the Future Masters championship, because the tournament only had one trophy for the spot, the three golfers went into a sudden death coin flip for the 10th place trophy.

Szabo lost both coin flips.

Since then he has been winning a lot more than losing.

Szabo trailed first round leader Donald Donato by five shots after the first round of the Harvey Brock Orange Jacket Classic at Boscobel.

The Mount Pleasant golfer carded a 5-under par 66 in the opening round for the lead, but there were also five other golfers with better scores than the Blue Ridge High School freshman and four more tied with him at 71;

The 14 year old won his second South Carolina Junior Golf Association Major championship when he came from five-shots off the pace to win .

A dozen golfers were close enough to think they had a chance to catch Donato, but Szabo was convinced after his first round he would.

“.I knew I could make up some ground. The first day I hit the ball well, but didn’t make any putts,” said Szabo. “I knew if I hit the ball as good and made some putts I could win,” he said,

He did both in the final round.

Szabo began play on Sunday in a tie for seventh place , He started his final round with a birdie and his first nine holes included three other birdies and an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole to go with two bogeys.

At the turn Szabo, playing two groups in front of the tournament leader, had caught Donato and started the back nine at 4-uder par.

The front played easier than the always difficult back nine at Boscobel. Szabo was only able to shave one shot off par on the back nine with a birdie on the par 3 14th hole to take the lead.

For a time it looked as if Charleston’s Matthew Teagarden could figure in the chase. His eagle on 18 moved him up to third place, but still two shots back of Szabo.

Nursing a one-shot lead on most of the final nine, Szabo carded 8 pars to go with his one birdie for his final round 5-under par 66 and 137 total for the tournament.

Donato was able to stay close to the lead, but even with a birdie on the final hole his second straight bogey on the 17th hole left Szabo with a one shot victory.

“Last year I was leading the Seawell (Jackie Seawell Memorial Tournament at Cobb’s Glen) and blew it. It was a learning experience. I think I got over the final round jitters when I won The Blade, Somebody else can have the jitters, I’m done with them,” he said after his win.

In the last two years at the Orange Jacket the winners have been two of the youngest players in the field, Szabo, perhaps by days or months, might even be younger than last year’s winner Bennett Scaletta, who is credited as being the youngest.

While some may be surprised by the number of really young winners, Szabo isn’t.

“I’m not surprised. I think the work that i have put in is starting to show up in tournaments. I can show people what kind of player I am and still getting better,” he said.

As a member of the graduating class of 2027 Szabo hopes to take home one or two more of the giant trophies the tournament has always given the winners.

“I’m already looking forward to coming back next year to defend,” he told the gathering after receiving his winners trophy.

Teagarden’s 67 tied him with Beech Islands Andrew Baxley for third place,

Xinyan Li of Waxhaw, NC finished the tournament with an overall score of two-over par 144 to claim the girls 13-18 title.

Li shot a final round two-over par 73 to go with her opening round even par 71.

Mia Carles of Clinton, the defending champion, finished the tournament at eight-over par 150 to be the runner-up in this division.

In the boys 12 and under division, AK Milner of Spartanburg, got his first win in an SCJGA event. Milner finished the tournament with an overall score of two-under par 69 to claim the victory by a shot..

Moses Zikusooka of Duncan, Pete Revis of Greenville and Kingston Linder of Spartanburg, each carded overall scores of one-under par 70 to tie for second place in the division.

Gracyn Cox from Aynor took home first place in the girls 12 and under age group to finish in front of Anna Blair Ladd of Pendleton for the division championship,

Scores from the Harvey Brock Orange Jacket Classic https://scjga.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/scjga23/event/scjga2325/contest/5/leaderboard.htm?newcontest=5