Young buck
Connellsville’s Rockwell earns Junior Open championship
The C. Harper Fayette Open is normally reserved for older and more experienced golfers, but the youngest golfer in the field had a strong three days in earning the Junior Open championship following Sunday’s play at South Union Township Municipal Golf Course.
Connellsville’s Braydon Rockwell, a 14-year-old who will be a freshman this year, topped three seniors in Albert Gallatin’s Tyler Felio, Laurel Highlands’ Ryan Revak and Uniontown’s Elim Martin to win the Junior Open title and receive a $200 scholarship.
Rockwell turned heads in the first round on Friday at Pleasant Valley Golf Club after shooting a 76 to finish in a tie for 13th place in the overall competition. Rockwell’s round of 18 at what will be his home course in high school provided him with an eight-stroke lead over Revak after Day 1. Rockwell carded an 85 in Day 2 at Duck Hollow Golf Club before closing his third round at 83 for a three-day total of 244.
“I knew I had a pretty good advantage in this final round, and I just tried to keep it calm and not go for as many flags and take the safer route,” Rockwell said. “It’s funny how the first day went because Pleasant Valley is my home course, but I really couldn’t get off a tee box that day. The only thing that really saved me was my short game. I was hitting wedges to a few feet of the cup and making double-digit foot putts.
“I didn’t have a good day in the second round, but I was able to stretch through today (Sunday), even with the downpours. I have played in some downpours, but not as bad as they were today. I made sure to keep my grips and gloves dry, and hit my putts a little harder.”
Revak shot 88 on Saturday at Duck Hollow prior to firing a 94 in the third round for a gross total of 266.
Martin shot 89 and 101 the first two rounds, but came back with an 82 on Day 3, which was the low-round among the high school players in the event. Martin had a three-day total of 272.
Felio had 93s on Days 1 and 3, and carded a 102 in the second round for 288.
It was a good weekend for the Laurel Highlands golf team, as coach Mike Revak placed third in the main event behind nine-time champion Jeremy Enslen and runner-up Logan Voytish, and seniors Kayden Smith and Ryan Revak were participants in the Fayette Open. Smith opted out of the Junior Open and was eighth overall with a three-round total of 227. He shot 73 at Pleasant Valley before closing rounds two and three with 77s.
Mike Revak had the Mustangs’ four remaining seniors in Ryan Revak, Dan O’Neal, Aiden Milsom and Ethan Perkins play a round of nine to determine the spot in the Fayette Open, and Ryan Revak had the low round.
“Ryan qualified to get in, it had nothing to do with me,” Mike Revak pointed out. “He had the low score among the other four seniors, so I was proud of him for that. I told him to use this experience for the season coming up, which starts in just two weeks.”
With Ryan finishing second in the Junior Open and Smith eighth in the main event, Mike Revak is eager to see what his team can do this season.
“I have another son, Damon, who is a sophomore who is a good player, too, but he didn’t get a chance because he’s not a senior,” Revak said. “I’m proud of both of them.”
The first play date for high school golf is Aug. 13.