Tag: Maridoe Junior Invitational

Michael Brennan wins Maridoe Junior Invitational in final junior golf start

Michael Brennan will go out of junior golf on top. The Leesburg, Virginia, native won the Maridoe Junior Invitational on Thursday.

Michael Brennan will go out of junior golf on top. The Leesburg, Virginia, native won the Maridoe Junior Invitational on Thursday in his last outing at this level. By the time he comes back to Maridoe next month for the Southern Amateur, he’ll be on the way to the next rung of competitive golf.

Brennan, a Wake Forest signee and the No. 15-ranked player in the Golfweek Junior Rankings, brought a three-shot cushion to the final hole at Maridoe, a tough layout near Dallas that demands precision. He plugged his approach in a greenside bunker at No. 18 and ended up with double bogey. A closing round of 69 still left him at even par and with a one-shot win.

Scores: Maridoe Junior Invitational

Last month, Brennan was one of eight juniors in a 82-man Maridoe Samaritan Fund Invitational 2.0 that predominantly featured professionals and college players. He was 3 over for those 54 holes and finished T-31.

“I think a lot of it is because I love the golf course,” he said of his good play in his past two tournaments at Maridoe. “I think it’s super fun, it’s difficult and it’s very demanding on your iron play into the green. You have to be pretty accurate into the green. That’s typically my strong suit.”

Brennan birdied three of his first five holes on Thursday and four of his first nine. He calls the stretch from Nos. 10-15 the hardest on the golf course – you’re hitting mid-irons into the green, he said, as opposed to wedges – but played those holes in even par thanks to two birdies and two bogeys.

“I thought I played really well today. I hit the ball solid for most of the round and I got off to a good start, which was really important,” he said.

Luke Clanton, the first-round leader, gave Brennan reason to sweat on the back nine when he birdied four of his first five holes after the turn. It wasn’t quite enough after going 4 over on the front,

Clanton, a high school sophomore from Miami Lakes, Florida, ultimately finished third at 2 over. Texas native Zach Heffernan also had a final-round 69 to finish second.

Luke Potter, the best-ranked player in the field at No. 3 in the Golfweek Junior Rankings, finished eighth at 8 over. Jacob Sosa, the low junior from the Maridoe Samaritan Fund Invitational 2.0, tied for ninth with Frankie Harris a shot back.

Ideally, Brennan could have ended his junior career at the U.S. Junior, but that was canceled because of the coronavirus. As Brennan said, “it is what it is.”

“It was a good way to finish it,” he said of his junior finale.

Maridoe will also host the Southern Amateur in July, and Brennan will be in the field for that. It will be the start of a planned three-week stretch of golf that will include the Sunnehanna Amateur and the Western Amateur, events that all typically draw elite fields.

The top three players in the Maridoe Junior not already into the Southern Amateur earned an exemption on Thursday. That included Heffernan, Clanton and Clay Merchant, who finished fourth.

Brennan hopes his win at the Maridoe Junior Invite helps bump his position in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. That can only help his hope to secure an invite to the U.S. Amateur in August. The USGA nixed qualifying for the event in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Otherwise, it’s full steam ahead to Wake Forest, where Brennan will start in the fall.

“Just trying to prepare and get ready for Wake Forest,” he said of his summer goals. “Super excited to play with the team.”

One to watch: Jacob Sosa will tee it up at Maridoe Junior Invite with a proven game plan

Jacob Sosa likes a challenge, and he’s found it recently at Maridoe Golf Club.

Jacob Sosa likes a challenge, and he’s found it recently at Maridoe Golf Club. He’ll find it again there next week for the Dallas club’s inaugural Junior Invitational. The cast will just be a little different this time.

Maridoe has done much to support competitive golf these past few months as the game ground to halt because of the coronavirus pandemic. Owner Albert Huddleston felt it could be a good opportunity to demonstrate that golf can be played with social-distancing measures in place. The club organized two charity events over the past two months that brought together professionals and amateurs for golf and goodwill.

Among the 82-man field at the latter of those events were eight junior players – two each from the next four high school graduating classes. Sosa, an Austin resident, proudly represented the class of 2022.

In fact, he repped it with a view. Sosa climbed all the way to a tie for 16th on the final leaderboard – the best finish of any junior – with rounds of 75-72-69. That left him tied with four-time PGA Tour winner Ryan Palmer, among other players.

“My dad and I came up with a strategy during the practice round and just followed it,” he said. “We just executed the plan and it was a good outcome.”

The work went in long in advance. Sosa has sage advice for a high school sophomore: If you put in the work ahead of time, it’s easy to let go and relax when the real thing starts. For Sosa and his dad John, also his instructor, that meant working together on the TrackMan to get a handle on yardages, spin rate, etc.

“It’s definitely a placement golf course, especially going into the greens,” Jacob Sosa said of Maridoe. “Ultimately for me, I tend to spin the ball a whole bunch. If I can minimize my spin, get it a little more consistent, my distance control, my trajectory is going to be on point so I can ultimately place the ball where I need to be.”

Sosa got to play with PGA Tour player Talor Gooch at Maridoe as well as future University of Texas teammate Travis Vick. Sosa has committed to join the Texas roster in the fall of 2022, and he’ll be a fourth-generation Longhorn. His dad played golf for Texas in the early 90s and his grandfather and great-grandfather went to school there too, though they weren’t athletes.

“It’s kind of like in our blood, I guess,” Sosa said. Even though he grew up wearing burnt orange, college was his decision, and Texas always felt right.

[jwplayer 7NBaZ2A0-vgFm21H3]

Junior and high school golf is intense in Texas, and Sosa should know. As a freshman at Westlake High School last year, he was a member of the Chaps’ third consecutive 6A state title team. Westlake won by 20 shots and it was the team’s third state title in a row. High school golf may feel a little more laid-back than, say, American Junior Golf Association events, but oftentimes the caliber of the field is similar.

“You’re hanging around with all your friends and it’s your team,” he said. “And so getting to see both sides of it is pretty crazy. Also fun.”

Junior golf is starting to come back now and Sosa will be headed back to Maridoe for the June 9-11 event. Considering his performance last month, he’ll be an early favorite. The course seems to suit his eye.

“I love the versatility they have tee to green,” Sosa said.

Before the pandemic set in, Sosa started 2020 by finishing 14th at the AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods and 30th at the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley.

Sosa lumps Inverness Golf Club in Toledo, Ohio, in with Maridoe. Inverness hosted the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2019. Sosa made his debut in that event last summer, knocking off Jackson Van Paris (the 2020 Sage Valley Junior Invitational champ) in the first round and No. 1 seed William Moll in the second round.

“I love courses that give me a challenge,” Sosa said. “Visually, I like intimidating golf courses as well as approach shots into the green. Inverness, you have to be a good long iron player to perform there and you need to hit fairways and you need to be almost a wizard out of the rough.”

In match play, every round has momentum swings and as Sosa says, the goal is to make as many of those go your way as you can. You also have to make the key putts.

Interestingly, that’s what he remembers from the stroke-play titles he has won, too. His biggest goal is to keep winning.

“I don’t want to be one of those players that wins and then they’re all up in their head and they think they’re better,” he said rationally. “I want to be the best and I want to challenge my game. It’s a gift I have, and I want to make it the best I can possibly make it.”

Playing with Gooch at Maridoe last month, Sosa was keenly aware that the Tour player never altered his game plan or swung out of his shoes. He never got emotional or irrational or tried to force anything. That stuck with Sosa.

“It looked like the most boring round,” he marveled. “He was even par and (two) days before he was 3 under. His whole game plan was unwavering.”

Considering that mindset, here’s looking ahead to a “boring” summer for Sosa.

[lawrence-related id=778045407,778044022,778043833]

Junior golf: What does the summer tournament schedule look like after coronavirus?

Many junior golf tours and events have had to adjust both their schedules and operating procedures in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

The summer golf schedule certainly looks different than it did at the start of the 2020 season. Many tours have had to adjust both their schedules and their operating procedures in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Many other events have fallen off the schedule completely, such as the U.S. Junior and U.S. Girls’ Junior.

As school lets out this month, juniors would normally be doubling down on their summer competition. Using a list of previously ranked events in our Golfweek Junior Rankings database, we compiled updates for the summer junior golf calendar. News and information for this list can be emailed to Julie Williams at jwilliams@golfweek.com.

One-off events

Scott Robertson Memorial
May 15-17, Roanoke (Virginia) Country Club
Canceled.

Dye Junior Invitational
May 25-27, Crooked Stick Golf Club, Carmel, Indiana
No change.

Byron Nelson Junior
June 2-4, Lakewood Country Club, Dallas
No change.

Maridoe Junior Invitational
June 9-11, Maridoe Golf Club, Carrollton, Texas
New event on the schedule. (Invitation only)

Western Junior
June 15-18, Onwentsia Club, Lake Forest, Illinois
Canceled.

Women’s Western Junior
June 15-19, The Grove Country Club, Long Grove, Illinois
Canceled.

Pepsi Little People’s Golf Championship
June 18-24, Virtual
The long-running tournament in Quincy, Illinois, was originally scheduled for June 22-24 but has moved to a virtual platform this year.

Barbasol Junior Championship
June 29-July 2, Keene Trace Golf Club, Nicholasville, Kentucky
Canceled.

North & South Junior & Girls’ Junior
July 4-8, Pinehurst (North Carolina) Nos. 2, 6, 8
No change.

Bubba Conlee
July 7-9, Mirimichi Golf Course, Millington, Tennessee
Canceled.

Optimist International Junior
July 11-26 (various age groups), Trump National Doral Miami (Florida)
Canceled.

Hudson Junior
July 13-16, Country Club of Hudson (Ohio)
Moved from June to new July dates listed above.

Junior PGA Championship
July 13-16, PGA Golf Club, Port St. Lucie, Florida
Canceled.

U.S. Girls’ Junior
July 13-18, U.S. Air Force Academy’s Eisenhower Golf Club, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Canceled.

U.S. Junior Amateur
July 20-25, Hazeltine National Golf Club, Chaska, Minnesota
Canceled.

Girls Junior America’s Cup
July 21-23, Banbury GC, Boise, Idado
Canceled.

Boys Junior America’s Cup
July 26-30, Genoa Lakes Club, Reno, Nevada
Canceled.

Northern Junior Championship
July 27-29, Great River Golf Club, Milford, Connecticut
No changes.

Girls’ Junior PGA Championship
July 28-31, PGA Golf Club, Port St. Lucie, Florida
Canceled.

Nike Junior Invitational
Aug. 8-9, University of Georgia Golf Course, Athens, Georgia
Postponed until further notice.

Southern Junior
Aug. 12-14, Blessings Golf Club, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Postponed from June 17-19 to new August dates listed above.

Notah Begay Junior Invitational
Nov. 15-17, Koasati Pines at Coushatta, Kinder, Louisiana
Qualifying for the inaugural event has been reformatted because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Local qualifying has been canceled so the 140-player field (50 boys, ages 14-18; 20 boys 13 and under; 50 girls ages 14-18 and 20 girls 13 and under) will be filled entirely by regional qualifying in July and August.

Junior Tours

American Junior Golf Association: A schedule update will be made Wednesday, May 20, but the next tournament on the schedule is the AJGA Invitational at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, to be played June 8-12. Events scheduled for June 22 and beyond also remain on the AJGA’s schedule.

Canadian Junior Golf Association: Tour plans to provide an update in the near future regarding remainder of 2020 season.

Florida Junior Tour: Canceled through May 31.

Future Champions Tour: An event in Escondido, California, on May 9-10 marked the tour’s restart. The Tour will operate on an updated schedule for the remainder of the season.

Golfweek Junior Invitationals: The Golfweek West Coast Junior Open in Maricopa, Arizona, is still on the schedule for May 23-24.

Golfweek Junior Tour: The Tour restarted in Springboro, Ohio, on May 9 and will continue playing through May and June (with some new events and some events on new dates).

Hurricane Junior Tour: Returned to competition as of May 2-3.

IMG Junior Tour: The remainder of the Tour’s spring schedule was canceled, which included the Tour Championship which had initially been postponed to May 23-24.

International Junior Golf Tour: All spring tournaments canceled.

Peggy Kirk Bell Girls Golf Tour: Six postponed events still need new dates, but the next tournament on the calendar is the PKBGT Open Champion in Salisbury, North Carolina, starting May 23.

Rocky Mountain Junior Golf Tour: Scheduled to return to competition starting Memorial Day weekend (May 23-25).

Southeastern Junior Golf Tour: Working to reschedule events that were canceled in March and April. Tour restarted May 9-10 with the Chattachoochee Junior Classic in Gainseville, Georgia.

Texas Legends Junior Tour: The Byron Nelson Junior Championship remains on the schedule for June 2-4 with registration open for the next four events through June and July.

Texas Junior Tour: The Tour has an extensive safety plan for competitions from May forward.

Toyota Tour Cup Series: All events canceled through June 21 with plans to resume play on June 22.

Maridoe Junior Invitational fills a void in summer schedule for junior golfers

The Maridoe Junior Invitational will feature 45 of the best junior golfers in the country competing for Southern Amateur exemptions.

Lately, more tournaments have been coming off the competition schedule than going on it, especially for junior golfers. Many of the top-ranked players haven’t teed it up since the Sage Valley Junior Invitational in March, a 54-hole event that concluded March 14 with the grounds closed to all spectators but family and essential personnel.

Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton, Texas, is opening its facility for juniors just as it has done already for pros and top amateurs. The club hosted the Maridoe Samaritan Fund Invitational at the end of last month and has version 2.0 of the event planned for May 19-21. On Monday, Maridoe also announced that it would host the Maridoe Junior Invitational June 9-11.

The 54-hole event will feature a field of 45 elite junior boys. There will be no cut, and the field will be filled by invitation according to a player’s position in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking, Golfweek Junior Rankings and Junior Golf Scoreboard.

The Maridoe Junior Invitational will be ranked by the WAGR, but there’s an even bigger carrot than that. Maridoe is already slated to host the Southern Amateur, one of the summer’s major amateur events, July 15-18. The top three finishesr in the Maridoe Junior Invitational earn an exemption into a field that’s otherwise already finalized. In other words, the Maridoe event offers a last shot at qualifying for the Southern Amateur.

Amateurs figured prominently into the Maridoe Samaritan Fund Invitational last month, and the same will be true for version 2.0. Many of the top collegians in the country helped fill the field and for MSFI2.0, but space also was reserved for two of the top juniors from each of the next four graduating classes.

Many of the top juniors events have dropped off the calendar in recent weeks, with perhaps the biggest domino falling April 24 when the USGA canceled the U.S. Junior and U.S. Girls’ Junior.

[jwplayer QvXRtu4e-vgFm21H3]

[lawrence-related id=778043833,778042298,778041732,778041501]