by Stan Olenik, Editor-Publisher, The Golf Club

After a so-so first round 1-under par 70, Erik Erlenkeuser didn’t go home, he went to the range.

“Something I was doing just wasn’t right and I wanted to fix it,” he said.

After a practice session on the range and then another nine holes to lock it in, whatever was wrong with Erlenkeuser on Saturday didn’t come back to Boscobel with him on Sunday.

The TL Hanna High School Junior shot a 5-under par 66 to win the Harvey Brock Orange Jacket championship.

“When I got it figured out, I knew I had it when I was warming up. I’m not sure what it was, but it was working for me, especially on the back nine,” he added.

Erlenkeuser started his final round 2-shots off the lead. He had to climb over 8 golfers who posted better first round scores than his and was tied with 5 others at 1-under par.

After a 1-under par front nine, he bogeyed his 10th hole, but then birdied five of his last seven holes to card a 31 on the back nine and finish at 6-under par 136.

His birdie putt on 17 added to his lead and another birdie on his final hole provided the margin of victory at 2-shots over Hunter Hilton (138) from Hilton Head Island.

Jamen Sanders from Goose Creek finished third (139) . Easley’s Dylan Park’s final round 67 boosted him up into a fourth place tie with Greer golfers Alex Franklin and Lane Wilson

Erlenkeuser is a big part of two straight South Carolina AAAAA championship teams at Hanna. He was joined in this year’s Orange Jacket by teammate Bennett Scaletta, who won the tournament two years ago.

“This means a lot to me, one of my teammates (Scaletta) won it, I’m glad to join him. He is the best competition for me,” said the Orange Jacket winner.

The strong finish gives the high school junior’s game and ranking a boost as he begins consideration of college golf opportunities.

“I think it shows even if I’m not playing really good I’m capable of putting a strong finish together,” he concluded.

The girls champion was a repeat winner as Mia Carles from Clinton finished her 36 holes at 7-over par and 7 shots in front of runner-up Olivia Jones from Woodruff.

Spartanburg’s Poppy Dawson and Emerson Devers from Pawleys Island finished in a tie for third place.

In the younger golfer divisions, Emma Bulman from Spartanburg won the girls 12 and under championship while Wilson Brasington from Greenville won the boys 12 and under title.

When the Orange Jacket winner is said to fit the Orange Jacket perfectly it is a reference to the winning effort in one of the South Carolina Junior Golf Association Major championships and not if the actual jacket fits.

The Orange Jacket stays under glass and is displayed at Boscobel with the names of the winners of the championship.

The tournament played for the last ten years, in honor of the late long time junior instructor at Boscobel, Harvey Brock, originally was called the “Back to School Classic,” but after a couple of years using that name about a half dozen other tournaments started calling themselves a “Back to School Classic” so the name was changed.

Orange Jacket was an easy choice with the tournament being not only at the start of the school year, but the start of football season and with Boscobel’s proximity to Clemson, turning the Back to School Classic into the Orange Jacket was pretty easy.

Boscobel co-owner and host for the SCJGA tournament, Jon Guenether, once again told the gathering that among all the events held and golf played at the course in Pendleton, this was his favorite week.

He also dug up a fact that makes the events claim to be one of the major junior events in the state more a statement of fact than a ceremonial pat on the back,

“At the John Deere Classic, this year, five former Orange Jacket champions were in the field for the PGA Tour event,” he noted. “Jacob Bridgeman, Matt NeSmith, Trace Crowe, Andrew Novak and Carson Young all are on Tour and just a few years ago they were Orange Jacket winners,” noted Guenether.

There is no guarantee this year’s winner will someday join that group, but the five champions prove you can get to the PGA Tour from Boscobel and the Orange Jacket.

Scores from the 17th Harvey Brock Orange Jacket Classic https://scjga.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/scjga24/event/scjga2424/contest/25/leaderboard.htm