Repeat Winners at the AJGA at Warwick Hills as Do and Campbell Prevail.
The Randy Wise AJGA junior golf tournament is well represented with golfers from around the US and has an international contingent. Talia Campbell of Dallas, Texas leads the field with a four shot lead with a score of two over par at the 6,495 yard course at Warwick Hills. Elizabeth Bernabe of Anaheim Hills, California led after round one with a 71 but slipped to a 77 and now chases Campbell along with Muni Lily He of Rancho Santa Fe, California who has the same score. Local golfer Rosalie Shyu of Rochester Hills is a distant ten shots off the torrid pace and her game left her as she fell back in the pack with an 84 and was twenty-four shots off the pace by the day’s end. It took her three strokes to get out of a cluster of bunkers on the par three 8th but did make a tough put to save double bogey. Campbell was clutch making birdie when needed and was smooth in her final round 70 which is two under par. Elisabeth Bernabe of Anaheim Hills, California travels the AJGA tour going into her junior year of high school in hopes of attracting both college scouts and to sharpen her skills against top flite competition. Bernabe her front nine closed who rolls in a birdie and is now within three strokes after beginning it four behind. He had a tough front nine and now sits eight strokes behind the front running Campbell. Local golfers finished well back in the pack. While Shyu fell back in the pack Chloe Lawrrie of Swartz Creek shot her best round finishing with a 76 and was tied for 8th, 17 strokes behind the winner. Usually there is drama down the stretch as Elisabeth Bernabe closed to within three strokes after eight holes but the wheels came off the wagon and she was five down by the finishing holes down the back nine. U of M bound Lauren Grogan is from Columbus, Ohio but it is go Blue and put together rounds of 78-78-76 and finished 6th with three steady rounds. Campbell has won this event twice, the first before her sophomore year. This future Fighting Irish golfer loves coming to Warwick Hills. “This is my second year playing at Warwick Hills and I think it is just a fantastic course and it really suits my game extremely close,” said Campbell. Her family repeatedly mentioned that the heat is extreme in Dallas and they love playing in the cooler weather. In the meantime, Campbell must feel ‘really cool’ with her third AJGA victory. 
The Randy Wise AJGA Junior Open at Warwick Hills has many of the top players from around the Midwest and United States and two days of golf produced two different leaders. If you like the Pure Michigan ad campaign you have a Chamber of Commerce final day as eleven of the twelve final pairings have Michigan golfers competing for the Crystal trophy. Aaron Knutson of Notre Dame Prep was the Division Three State Champion in Michigan and entered this closing round of the tournaments six over and six shots off the lead. He tried to make a charge but his 78 was strong but was his highest over 54 holes and went backward after posting back to back 75’s. While some golfers fell of the pace, Reed Hrynewich of Muskegon was six shots off the lead entering the final day but was simply outstanding and shot a three under par 69 playing on the same pin placements the PGA pros played on Sunday’s when they were a PGA Tour stop. Michael Nagy of Manistique started his round two behind the leader Bailey Truesdell of Grand Blanc and was sharpening his irons holding his own but faded down the backstretch with bogeys in two of the last three holes and after knocking it close to the pin after a deft iron shot, missed both birdie and par putts to open the door for Henry Do. Max Kollin of Farmington Hills, made his own bid hitting his tee shot into the trees on this par three and made a clutch putt giving his a fist pump to be proud of a sand save on the front nine. Kollin shot an even par on the round and finished fourth but had a double bogey on 17 and was three shots out of the medalist honors. A huge surprise is Francesco Ruffino of Bloomfield Hills. He was only two off the lead entering the third round but was seven over through eight holes but did stop his bogey barrage. He grinded out a much better back nine but was not playing his A or even B game. Second round leader Bailey Truesdell of Grand Blanc looked good on the front side and had the field chasing him with nine holes to go but felt the pressure and faded down the stretch. His 77 put him in a tie for 5th with Joo-Young Lee of Hilliard Ohio who had the low round of the tournament putting together a four under 68 Unlike the PGA Tour, there are no electronic scoreboards and only the final groups have the traditional Roman Standards. Michael Nagy had no way of knowing that his birdie putt could be lagged for par and you do not want to do this with Henry Do of Ypsilanti in the group behind you. Do also felt the pressure of the round and bogeyed the 17th and Nagy had no way of knowing this. Do appeared to see his repeat slip away but then came the magic. His split the fairway with his drive and with a mid iron, knocked it just a few feet from the pin. His dart thrilled the gallery and then he made the near tap-in birdie and the match was now tied. Nagy and Do then replayed 18 and Do split the fairway again while Nagy was behind a cluster of trees. Do then knocked it within inches of his first dart and before Nagy could knock it back on the fairway, quite a few busted necks couldn’t believe what they just saw. Nagy finished out his 18th hole and Do finished off off Nagy for his second AJGA win. Both have come at Warwick Hills. His improbable shot came from the inspiration of an unlikely source. “My playing partners. Francesco (Ruffino) and Blaze (Hogan) told me to hang in there, “ said Do. “Make a birdie. That kind of helped me and boosted my confidence. That helped me on 18.” While Do has heard drive for show and putt for dough countless times, in his case his Do(ugh) is in his irons and the gallery at Warwick Hills can attest to that. 
The Randy Wise AJGA Junior Open at Warwick Hills has many of the top players from around the Midwest and United States and two days of golf produced two different leaders. If you like the Pure Michigan ad campaign you have a Chamber of Commerce final day as eleven of the twelve final pairings have Michigan golfers competing for the Crystal trophy. Aaron Knutson of Notre Dame Prep was the Division Three State Champion in Michigan and entered this closing round of the tournaments six over and six shots off the lead. He tried to make a charge but his 78 was strong but was his highest over 54 holes and went backward after posting back to back 75’s. While some golfers fell of the pace, Reed Hrynewich of Muskegon was six shots off the lead entering the final day but was simply outstanding and shot a three under par 69 playing on the same pin placements the PGA pros played on Sunday’s when they were a PGA Tour stop. Michael Nagy of Manistique started his round two behind the leader Bailey Truesdell of Grand Blanc and was sharpening his irons holding his own but faded down the backstretch with bogeys in two of the last three holes and after knocking it close to the pin after a deft iron shot, missed both birdie and par putts to open the door for Henry Do. Max Kollin of Farmington Hills, made his own bid hitting his tee shot into the trees on this par three and made a clutch putt giving his a fist pump to be proud of a sand save on the front nine. Kollin shot an even par on the round and finished fourth but had a double bogey on 17 and was three shots out of the medalist honors. A huge surprise is Francesco Ruffino of Bloomfield Hills. He was only two off the lead entering the third round but was seven over through eight holes but did stop his bogey barrage. He grinded out a much better back nine but was not playing his A or even B game. Second round leader Bailey Truesdell of Grand Blanc looked good on the front side and had the field chasing him with nine holes to go but felt the pressure and faded down the stretch. His 77 put him in a tie for 5th with Joo-Young Lee of Hilliard Ohio who had the low round of the tournament putting together a four under 68 Unlike the PGA Tour, there are no electronic scoreboards and only the final groups have the traditional Roman Standards. Michael Nagy had no way of knowing that his birdie putt could be lagged for par and you do not want to do this with Henry Do of Ypsilanti in the group behind you. Do also felt the pressure of the round and bogeyed the 17th and Nagy had no way of knowing this. Do appeared to see his repeat slip away but then came the magic. His split the fairway with his drive and with a mid iron, knocked it just a few feet from the pin. His dart thrilled the gallery and then he made the near tap-in birdie and the match was now tied. Nagy and Do then replayed 18 and Do split the fairway again while Nagy was behind a cluster of trees. Do then knocked it within inches of his first dart and before Nagy could knock it back on the fairway, quite a few busted necks couldn’t believe what they just saw. Nagy finished out his 18th hole and Do finished off off Nagy for his second AJGA win. Both have come at Warwick Hills. His improbable shot came from the inspiration of an unlikely source. “My playing partners. Francesco (Ruffino) and Blaze (Hogan) told me to hang in there, “ said Do. “Make a birdie. That kind of helped me and boosted my confidence. That helped me on 18.” While Do has heard drive for show and putt for dough countless times, in his case his Do(ugh) is in his irons and the gallery at Warwick Hills can attest to that. 
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