Windy Hudson Junior final round yields two steady champions
HUDSON — After two scorching rounds to open the Hudson Junior Invitational, things calmed down temperature-wise Thursday at The Country Club of Hudson.
However, golfers were hit with a new adversary for the final round: High wind gusts.
It helps to be unflappable and chill in such pressurized situations — and Bradley Chill is just who won the title.
Columbia Station's Chill won the boys title by five strokes, finishing with a four-under-par score of 212 (71-68-73). A junior at Cleveland St. Ignatius, Chill was the only player, male or female, to finish under par.
The girls' title race turned into a battle between two Arizona natives. Raina Ports of Oro Valley edged Tucson's Mackenzie McRee by a stroke, winning with a six-over-par score of 222 (72-75-75).
Chill lived up to his name, showing no signs of pressure as he took a two-stroke lead into the final round.
"I just had to stay mentally tough out there today," Chill said. "I just tried to play my game and not make any mistakes."
Chill's approach should be no surprise. He is coached by another golfer known for steady play, former British Open champion Ben Curtis.
On a day when only three golfers broke par, Chill's approach worked perfectly. He held a five-stroke lead for most of the final round and capped it with a birdie on the par-5 18th hole.
"I think on the tee, I was able to make shots and not put myself in bad positions," Chill said. "The course played tough today for everyone. The greens were fast."
Tying for second in the boys field were two very different golfers.
Recent Dublin Jerome graduate Brett Podobinski birdied his final two holes to finish with a round of 74 and one-over-par score of 217 (74-69-74).
"I wasn't hitting any of my iron shots all week," Podobinski said. "I played in this tournament last year, which helped me know the places where you don't want to hit the ball."
Tying for second at 217 was the first Australian to finish in the top three at the Hudson Junior.
Aarav Shah of Melbourne played three steady rounds (72-72-73) to tie for second.
"This is one of three events we came here to play," Shah said. "With the history of this tournament, with Phil Mickleson, John Daly and Rickie Fowler, it seemed a good tournament to play and it was."
Columbus' Brady Catalano took third with a score of 218 (70-74-74).
The top local finisher in the boys field was Archbishop Hoban junior Jack Vojtko, but he was disgusted with his play down the stretch after he finished tied for seventh with a score of 220 (71-72-77).
Vojtko was in second place after the front nine, but a double bogey at the 12th hole foreshadowed a lousy back nine.
"I just kind of hit some errant tee shots on the back nine," he said. "I put myself in some tough positions. It's frustrating because I just lost my stroke a bit on the final nine."
Arizona shootout for the girls title
After two days of temperatures in the 90s, perhaps it was not surprising that two Arizona natives led the girls field.
"It's a different kind of heat, though," Ports said. "Maybe we were used to it."
Recent North Canton Hoover graduate Avery Wright said Ports' skill was evident.
"I played the first two days with Raina and she is as good as they come," Wright said. "She was putting everything in. And she's a lot of fun to play with."
Heading into the final round, It was McRee who was having fun, as a round of 68 Wednesday gave her a four-stroke lead heading into the final round.
Ports said she and McRee are familiar foes, given that they live about 45 minutes from each other.
By the end of a wind-swept front nine, however, McRee's lead had evaporated. She endured 10 bogeys Thursday, finishing with a round of 80 and seven-over-par 223 for the tournament.
Ports didn't have her best round, as the wind played havoc with all players.
"It felt like it changed every 10 seconds," Ports said, "It made club selection really difficult. I just want to concentrate on myself and stay steady."
Despite a bogey on the 18th hole, Ports held on for the one-stroke win.
Perrysburg's Sydney Deal finished third for the second year in a row, finishing with an eight-over-par 224.
Only three girls managed to break even par Thursday, One was Highland junior Isabella Goyette, who finished tied for fourth at 225 (79-74-72).
Wright finished just behind, taking sixth with a score of 226 (73-76-77).
"My iron play was just not there all week," she said. "My short putts really saved me a lot this week."
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Jack Vojtko, Isabella Goyette, Avery Wright play well at Hudson Junior
