Rogers, Cooke Top Flite Jr. Tour winners
By DAVE POE, dpoe@newsandsentinel.comPARKERSBURG -There's something about the Parkersburg Country Club layout that brings out the best in Jeremy Rogers.
For the second straight year, the Buckhannon-Upshur High School junior shot the low round of the day as approximately 120 youth golfers from West Virginia and Ohio competed in the Top-Flite Jr. Tour stop at PCC on Monday.
Last year, Rogers shot the low round at the PCC stop with a 3-over par 76. This year, he did even better, carding a 1-over par round of 37-37-74, good for a two-shot victory in the 15-16 age group category.
"I was playing well until I made a double bogey on one of the final holes,'' said Rogers, who qualified for the West Virginia State High School Tournament last year, placing in the top 20.
While Rogers earned low score honors for the day, the most impressive round was a 75 turned in by Christian Casingal of Charleston, who was competing in the 12-and-under division, which he won by an 11-stroke margin.
The only local age group winner was Alan Cooke of Vienna, whose 76 was good enough to win the 13-14 division. Golf is a tradition in the Cooke family and Alan already is carrying on that tradition with his solid play.
He will be a freshman at Parkersburg High School this fall and hopes to make the golf team as a ninth grader.
Cooke loves the competition he faces on the Top-Flite Jr. Tour.
"It's a lot of fun,'' he said. "It keeps you sharp during the summer.''
Cooke led a local contingent to a near sweep of the top three spots in the 13-14 competition as Jared Hammons of Marietta was second with a 78 while Austin Root of Parkersburg was one of three golfers to shoot 79. In the playoff for third place, Will Kimberling of Charleston emerged as the winner.
Capturing the championship in the 17-18 division was Zachary Yochum of Wheeling with a 75.
The Tour, which was started 25 years ago by former PCC professional Larry Martin, is making a two-day appearance in the Mid-Ohio Valley. Today, golfers will compete at the Marietta Country Club, the final regular season event on the tour.
Once today's event has concluded, the top golfers in each of the tournament's four age group categories will receive invitations to the season championship at the prestigious Greenbrier, set for July 31.
The 25th year of the Top-Flite Junior Tour is the most successful one thus far, as a record 265 youth golfers have participated in tournaments throughout West Virginia.
Brad Ullman, who serves as the tournament chairman, says this is the first year the Top Flite Jr. Tour has been affiliated with the West Virginia Golf Association. That has helped significantly when it comes to promoting the tour, whose goal is to provide junior golfers with an affordable golf experience.
Ullman said he recently conducted a five-year study of the Top Flite Jr. Tour and concluded that the Parkersburg area ranks No. 1 in the state for participation.
He praised the local community for its long sponsorship of the tour, singling out long-time supporters Richard Adams and Jim Hayhurst at United Bank, and Hap Esbenshade of Tri-State Roofing and Sheet Metal.
In the Player of the Year standings, the leaders heading into today's event at Marietta are Thadd Obecny leads the 12-and-under group, Cooke is on top of the 13-14 division, Marshall Hone is the 15-16 leader and Carson Shambach heads the 17-18 category.
For updates on the tour, visit its Web site at www.topflitejrtour.com
