[jwplayer kWYQE367-9JtFt04J]
Junior-golf opportunities are scarce in the middle of the winter, but the Dustin Johnson World Junior has annually become an early-spring gathering place for some of the best young players in the country. Floridians Tyler Wilkes and Taylor Roberts came north to TPC Myrtle Beach to win this year’s event and faced a tough battle to get it done.
Wilkes, a Florida signee from Tampa, Florida, took a one-shot lead into the final round but by the time he stepped onto the 14th tee, trailed Caleb Surratt by two shots.
Wilkes, No. 16 in Golfweek’s Junior rankings, made birdie on the 502-yard par-5 while just ahead of him, Surratt made double bogey on the par-4 15th. Wilkes regained the lead and he never relinquished it.
Dustin Johnson World Junior: Boys | Girls
He parred the final four holes to close out the narrow win, his first since a 2019 AJGA event near his home. He won the Florida Junior Amateur in 2018.
“I love this event and to finally get the victory is something else,” said Wilkes, who finished third here a year ago. “It was a little nerve-wracking coming down the stretch.”
Narayan Mohan and Maxwell Ford finished tied for third at 3 over. Ford, at No. 6 in Golfweek’s rankings, was the highest-ranked player in the field.
Cohen Trolio, a semifinalist at the U.S. Amateur and sixth at last month’s Jones Cup, finished sixth again in Myrtle Beach.
In the girls’ division, Roberts, a Florida State signee, started the final round two shots behind Katherine Schuster and bogeyed three of the first five holes, but she gained ground as Schuster made double on Nos. 2 and 3. Spurred on by a birdie at the par-3 seventh hole, Roberts, of Parkland, Florida, settled down and played well the rest of the way, closing with a 1-over 73.
She finished the tournament at 4 over, good for a three-shot cushion over runner-up Yoko Tai.
“I knew if I just slowed down and kept the same rhythm I’ve had all week and not get ahead of myself, there would be birdie chances,” Roberts said of overcoming the slow start. “I’ve been hitting the ball well all week … To make birdie on seven was huge.”
Schuster, who logged big wins over the holidays at the Dixie Women’s Amateur and Joanne Winter Silver Belle, tied for third with Nicole Adam, a North Carolina signee.
[lawrence-related id=778028153,778027240,778026073,778025100]