United States-based Zimbabwean junior golf sensation Sean Crocker won the stroke play section of the US Junior Amateur Championship yesterday, sharing the title with England’s Sam Horsfield in Texas on Tuesday.
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Crocker, who is the son of former Zimbabwe Test cricketer Gary Crocker, fired a six-under-par 66 on the final day at the Nicklaus Course at Carlton Woods to finish with a two-day total of seven-under par 137.
That score was matched only by Horsfield, who shot rounds of 68 and 69.
The 17-year-old Crocker opened his round with a birdie at the 10th. After trading a bogey at the 12th with a birdie at the 13th, he followed three straight birdies from the 15th with an eagle at the 18th to make the turn at seven-under par.
Crocker equaled the championship nine-hole scoring record by shooting a six-under-par 30 on his front nine (the back nine on the course).
He continued his good run on the back nine, managing five birdies and an eagle at the par-five 18th to make up for the lone bogey on the par-three 12th hole and finish at seven-under par.
The tournament was expected to enter the match play stage, starting with the round of 64 late last night.
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The 36-hole championship match will be played on Saturday after the field has been whittled down to the final two competitors. Crocker won his first matches at this event a year ago before losing in the second round.
“For me, [making] match play was step one,”Crocker told Golfweek, “and now I’m here and just have to go beat some people.”
Crocker, who was seeded first after his solid display in the two rounds of strokeplay, was expected to square off against American Dylan McCabe in his first match.
The match play portion of the championship starts on Wednesday and runs through the 36-hole final on Saturday.
