Going out on top

Published 9:25 pm Thursday, July 28, 2011

Jake Mondy watches his iron shot, which came to rest two feet from the hole, on No. 12 during the last round of the Virginia State Golf Association Junior Stroke Play Championship at Cedar Point Country Club Thursday. Mondy, from Blacksburg, defended his 2010 championship by shooting a six-under par 66 to win by four strokes. Mondy will play golf at Auburn University starting this fall.

Jake Mondy made his last round in his last golf tournament as a junior count on Thursday at Cedar Point Country Club.

Mondy, the defending champion in the Virginia State Golf Association Junior Stroke Play Championship, carded no more than a four on any hole for a six-under par 66 and an overall total of seven-under 209.

Mondy, from Blacksburg and the state Group AA champion from the 2010 high school season, and Kellam’s Alex Lloyd, the reigning Group AAA state champion, were the only two golfers out of the 90-player field to finish better than par.

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Lloyd, the leader through two rounds, shot 72 in the third round to finish four shots behind Mondy. Adam Ball and Christopher Kapsak, both from Richmond, finished at even-par 216 overall.

Mondy’s 66 was the low round of the tournament. His victory was so complete the last group of the tournament, Lloyd, Ball and Jason Schumacher, while in the last fairway as Mondy finished with a par on the 18th green, joined in the round of applause for Mondy.

“I wasn’t really thinking about that. I was just playing my game,” Mondy said about when, or if, he knew at any point about having a comfortable lead.

Mondy, who’s attending Auburn on a golf scholarship, mastered Cedar Point’s four par fives, with birdie fours on each of them Thursday, to earn the decisive repeat title.

After birdies on the two par fives on the front side, Nos. 3 and 6, Mondy added another birdie on the short par-four No. 8 and made the turn in 33.

“I only missed one green today. There really wasn’t a lot of stress. This is about the best I’ve played all summer. I hit fairways and hit the greens,” Mondy said.

He nearly aced the par-three No. 12, hitting his iron to two feet from the pin and tapping in for a birdie.

“That’s always a tough tee shot, with the wind and the water. I hit a knock-down eight iron,” Mondy said.

A bogey four on No. 16, with a five-foot par putt that lipped out, was Mondy’s only hiccup among seven birdies. He bounced back on No. 17, the last par five on the course.

“The birdie on 17 was nice. I wasn’t really thinking about (having the lead) until then, but then I did,” Mondy said.

Suffolk’s John David Sanderson had one of the tournament’s best rounds with a four-under 68 on Thursday, coming from the middle of the field to finish in a tie for 14th at 222.

Richmond’s Mark Lawrence finished four-over par total, 220, to win the 14-15-year old division title.

Mondy’s back-to-back championships puts him in the same company as Curtis Strange, Lanny Wadkins and Brinson Paolini.

“This is eight days in a row of tournament golf for me, so I’m going to go home and sleep,” Mondy said. “For my last junior tournament ever though, this was a really good way to finish.”

59th Virginia State Golf Association Junior Stroke Play Championship At Cedar Point Country Club

Final results

1. Jake Mondy – Blacksburg 72-71-6, 6209 (-7)

2. Alex Lloyd – Virginia Beach 71-70-72, 213

3. Adam Ball – Richmond 72-70-74, 216

3. Christopher Kapsak – Richmond 69-77-70, 216

5. Jason Schumacher – Glen Allen 71-71-76, 218

5. Kevin Clarke – Midlothian 70-75-73, 218

7. Trey Smith – Virginia Beach 72-74-73, 219

7. Korey Watts – Buchanan 73-74-72, 219

9. Maclain Huge – Lovettsville 73-74-73, 220

9. Mark Lawrence – Richmond 73-70-77, 220

9. Brantley Kushner – Leesburg 75-73-72, 220

12. Chris O’Neill – Glen Allen 71-78-72, 221

12. Connor Walters – Salem 74-74-73, 221

14. John David Sanderson – Suffolk 76-78-68, 222