Morrison Advances in Boys Junior; So Does Ohe, But Birdwell Loses in Round of 64

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- If you follow Minnesota high school golf, there were some things this spring that had to leave you shaking your head in amazement. The results in the boys Section 6AAA tournament were on that list, specifically the 36-hole scores of 131 and 132 that Edina's Torger Ohe and Jimmy Abdo put up, as the Hornets closed in on their 200th Minnesota state high school team championship. That's not a misprint -- 200 state team championships.

And then there was the shot heard round the world, or at least around the state. It was Jake Birdwell's 390-yard drive to within 18 feet of the pin on the final hole of the Class AAA portion of the state tournament, a monster drive that secured first place in the individual competition for Birdwell, by two shots (136 to 138) over Joe Honsa. Ohe shot the low round on Day 2 of the tournament, a 68, and he fiinished third individually at 140.

This week, Birdwell and Ohe are in Charleston, playing in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, and they are the two players from Minnesota who are still alive. Or at least, they were as of this morning.

The tournament medalist was Tommy Morrison, a 6-foot-10-inch 18-year-old Texan who thinks of 310- and 320-yard drivable par 4s as 3-wood shots. He made 10 birdies and an eagle while putting together a 36-hole score of 135 (66-69) in stroke-play qualifying and, as the No. 1 seed, won his first match 2&1 on Wednesday over the No. 64 seed, Johnnie Clark. Morrison birdied the first hole at the Daniel Island Club's Ralston Course, then went bogey-bogey-double on the next three holes. He settled down after that, and went 4 under on the next 11 holes.

Andrew Gregory was the No. 2 seed (he shot 66-70--136 in qualifying), but he's gone after going 3 over for 16 holes in his Round of 64 match against the No. 63 seed, David Liechty Liechty was even par and won 3&2.

Five of the top eight seeds advanced, including No. 7 Billy Davis, who defeated Birdwell, the No. 58 seed, 2&1. Davis, whose sister Anna was the No. 2 seed in the U.S. Girls Junior last week, but lost in the Round of 16, bogeyed the first three holes against Birdwell, but he was only 1 down at that point, and he played his last 14 holes in even par. Birdwell was 1 down after losing the 410-yard, par-4 14th hole with a bogey. He won the par-3 15th with a par, to pull even with Davis, but he lost the 16th and 17th holes to Davis' pars, and that was his undoing.

Earlier in the day, Birdwell, who shot 145 (77-68) in qualifying and ended stroke play in a tie for 58th, had survived a 14-for-7 playoff just to get into the match-play part of the tournament. He was one of the seven players who made pars on the first extra hole (No. 9, 150 yards, par 3) and advanced. The other seven guys in the playoff all made bogeys.

As for Ohe, who shot 144 (74-70) and is the No. 48 seed, he was 1 down to No. 17 seed Simon Hovdal after Hovland birdied the 540-yard, par-5 sixth. Ohe came back with a birdie at the 448-yard, par-4 seventh. He and Hovdal halved the 301-yard, par-4 eighth with birdies and the lengthened, 243-yard, par-3 ninth with pars. But Ohe won the 477-yard, par-4 10th with a par and the 569-yard, par-5 11th with a birdie. He went 3 up when he made a par at the 475-yard, par 4 13th, and his birdie at the par-3 17th was the clincher.

There will be two rounds of matches played on Thursday, weather permitting



U.S. Junior Amateur

At Daniel Island Club

Ralston Creek Course (par 72, 7,351 yards)

& Beresford Creek Course (par 71, 7,029 yards

Charleston, S.C.

Match play

(All matches war being played this week at Ralston Creek Course)

Round of 64

No. 1 Tommy Morrison def. No. 64 Johnnie Clark 2&1

No. 63 David Liechty def. No. 2 Andrew Gregory 3&2

No. 3 Tyler Sanford def. No. 62 Ratchanon Tk Changananuwat 6&4

No. 61 Henry Guan def. No. 4 Ethan Fang 1 up

No. 5 Kelvin Hernandez def. No. 60 James Mcnair 3&1

No. 6 Joshua Bai def. No. 59 Brooks Simmons 5&4

No. 7 Billy Davis def. No. 58 Jake Birdwell 2&1

No. 8 Will Hartman def. No. 57 Stanley Lin 5&4

No. 48 Torger Ohe def. No. 17 Simon Hovdal 4&3


Stroke play

(All matches will be played at Ralston Creek Course)

1. Tommy Morrison 66B-69R--135

2. Andrew Gregory 66R-70B--136

3. Tyler Sanford 70B-67R--137

T4. Joshua Bai 66R-72B--138

T4. Kelvin Hernandez 70R-68B--138

T4. Will Hartman 66B-72R--138

T4. Billy Davis 69R-69B--138

T4. Ethan Fang 67B-71R--138

T44. Torger Ohe 74R-70B--144

T58. Jake Birdwell 77R-68B--145 (made par on first exta hole and advanced from 14-for-7 playoff)

Missed cut (145)

Andrew Ramos 79R-74B--153

Andrew Ballou 78B-81R--159