Sun Country’s youngest guns take their turn
Some of the best young golfers from New Mexico and El Paso had a chance to showcase their games on Tuesday and Wednesday, as New Mexico Tech Golf Course played host to the Sun Country 12-and-Under PGA Championship.
The two-round tournament consisted of 18 total holes, nine on Tuesday and nine on Wednesday.
Aidan Thomas of Bernalillo, winner of the Boys 11-12 Flight, ignored the hot and humid conditions en route to shooting an overall 83, edging out El Paso’s Alex Delgadillo by three strokes.
Delgadillo shot a 48 on Tuesday, but roared back during Wednesday’s second round with a tourney-best score of 38 to sneak in to second place.
Los Lunas resident Dylan Gonzales took third place with a two-round 88, just two strokes behind Delgadillo’s 86.
For Thomas, who described Tech’s course as challenging and fun, the win not only helps spiff up his young PGA resume, but the week serves as a lesson for a budding golfer trying to gain some experience and find his game.
“I think the experience is helping him to keep his nerves together when he starts off bad,” Thomas’ father Marshall said.
“He’s really improving a lot. That’s the part that’s really helping him, is that if he hits a bad hole, he comes back stronger. He calms down and he makes his shots when he needs to.”
In the Girls 11-12 Flight, Albuquerque’s Ashlee Garrett took first place with an overall score of 91. Aubry Anaya of Socorro finished in second place, seven strokes behind and El Paso’s Teresa Holley took third, shooting an even 100.
It came down to just one stroke in the Girls 9-10 Flight, as Socorro’s Autumn Bjorklund was edged out of first place by Carisa Padilla of Santa Fe. Bjorklund shot an overall 105, while Padilla shot a 104. Bjorklund notched the best score of the championship in her division as she shot a 49 during Tuesday’s first round.
Los Alamos resident Jessica Osden finished in third place with a score of 113, while Erica Williams of Deming won the Girls 7-8 Flight as the lone competitor.
The Boys 9-10 Flight offered plenty of nail-biting moments itself, as Jackson Norwich of El Paso just squeaked by Ruidoso’s Brooks Eggleston with an overall 90. Eggleston finished one stroke back with a 91, and both Las Cruces’ Zachary Logan and Tres Arreola of Lovington finished only two strokes back at 92 overall.
Jackson had two double-bogeys on the day, but Eggleston’s par on hole nine left him just out of a tie.
Socorro’s Dallas McPhaul finished in fifth place.
Anthony Lara of Anthony, N.M., took first place in the Boys 7-8 Flight, while Roswell’s Peyton Jones and El Paso’s Javier Delgadillo II, took second and third, respectively.
Sun Country PGA 12 and under Championship final results
Boys 11-12 Flight – Second Round
Aidan Thomas 40-43 — 83
Alex Delgadillo 48-38 — 86
Dylan Gonzales 43-45 — 88
Conner Allen 48-45 — 93
Chesten Browning 46-47 — 93
Kyle Dow 45-48 — 93
Joshua Fambro 51-43 — 94
Bowen Davis 50-44 — 94
Sean Rau 45-49 — 94
Mitchell Abbott 51-44 — 95
Matthew Ellis 49-47 — 96
Michael Ghim 48-48 — 96
Jahmar Hylton 50-50 — 100
Antonio Quevedo 52-49 — 101
Lorne Fishburn 56-55 — 111
Tyler Garrett 55-56 — 111
Matthew Holguin 66-55 — 121
Aaron Ramsey 65-57 — 122
Girls 11-12 Flight – Second Round
Ashlee Garrett 45-46 — 91
Aubry Anaya 46-52 — 98
Teresa Holley 50-50 — 100
Isabella Washka 50-53 — 103
Amanda Portillo 57-54 — 111
Boys 9-10 Flight – Second Round
Jackson Norwich 42-48 — 90
Brooks Eggleston 49-42 — 91
Zachary Logan 46-46 — 92
Tres Arreola 45-47 — 92
Dallas McPhaul 58-56 — 114
Girls 9-10 Flight – Second Round
Carisa Padilla 51-53 — 104
Autumn Bjorklund 49-56 — 105
Jessica Osden 58-55 — 113
Julianna Washka 67-57 — 124
Hope Misquez 67-72 — 139
Boys 7-8 Flight – Second Round
Anthony Lara 39-40 — 79
Peyton Jones 44-43 — 87
Javier Delgadillo 44-46 — 90
Jackson Hicks 48-43 — 91
Alexander Moores 50-43 — 93
Eddie Sandoval 57-60 — 117
Ethan Pirtle 68-51 — 119
Charlie Wisneski 76-WD — WD
Girls 7-8 Flight – Second Round
Erica Williams 73-67 — 140