MORGANTOWN - The Pines Country Club set up perfectly for Austin Root and the 18-year-old golfer from Williamstown took advantage after turning in the low score for the opening round of Thursday's West Virginia Junior Amateur Championship.
Root hit all but two fairways and finished with a 2-under par 69.
"This course sets up for a draw off the tee for right-handers, and I hit a big draw so that helps," said Root, who posted a 76 at the same course the previous day during a Top Flite Junior Tour event. "The course is narrow, but I learned that if you hit the fairway, you have a wedge into every hole.
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Williamstown golfer Austin Root shot a 2-under 69 during the opening round at the West Virginia Junior Amateur Championship at The Pines Country Club in Morgantown.
"Today was one of those days where everything clicked."
Root, who leads the 17-18 age division by two strokes over Morgantown's Hunter Woods, started on the back nine and was sitting at 1-over until he made birdie at No. 1.
"I hit a driver to within 15 yards of the green then almost chipped in for eagle," Root said.
Fact Box
W.Va. Junior Amateur
At The Pines Country Club (Par 71)
Boys
10-12
Colin Bowles, Oceana36-37-73
Josef Dransfeld, Huntington35-41-76
Michael Spitak, Wellsburg36-41-77
Isaiah Zaccheo, Beckley39-42-81
Mason Williams, Bridgeport41-41-82
Isaac Prine, Rockport41-43-84
Sam White, Hurricane39-52-91
Caleb Cook, Oceana45-47-92
Caleb Jenkins, Bruceton Mills52-61-113
13-14
Marco Oliverio, Bridgeport39-39-78
Kyle Wensel, Wheeling40-39-79
Alex Hamrick, Red House42-38-80
Christian Mckisic, Buckhannon40-41-81
Logan Lojszczyk, Follansbee37-44-81
Zachary Musgrove, Grafton40-41-81
Owen Elliott, Hedgesville42-42-84
Rainel Lansang, Charleston43-42-85
Taylor Giles, Charleston43-43-86
Howie Peterson, Weirton40-48-88
Logan Collins, Belington45-43-88
Nicholas Casingal, Charleston40-48-88
Chase Voithofer, Morgantown45-44-89
Hunter Bryan, Wheeling45-49-94
Gregory Tretheway, Morgan.50-54-104
William Roncaglione, Charle.55-56-111
15-16
Eric Wirth, Morgantown36-36-72
Brent Rhoades, Bridgeport38-35-73
Cale Wheeler, Morgantown37-36-73
Cole Hand, Wheeling35-40-75
Craig Buchanan, Oak Hill36-40-76
Drew Call, Charleston39-37-76
Aaron Persily, Charleston39-39-78
Cory Hoshor, Buffalo39-40-79
Austin Williams, Bridgeport39-41-80
Christian Casingal, Charleston38-42-80
Thomas Frazier, Huntington40-40-80
Tyler Collet, Cross Lanes41-39-80
Jared Porter, Princeton38-43-81
Austin Davis, Vienna41-42-83
Lucas Prine, Rockport43-40-83
Ryan Anderson, Vienna45-38-83
Tyler Hillyer, Princeton42-42-84
Dylan Wojcik, Wheeling40-45-85
Sam Roncaglione, Charleston42-43-85
Dylan Mumaw, Charles Town41-45-86
Alex Schreckengost, Mineral Wells42-45-87
Garrett Dailey, Parkersburg41-46-87
Stephen Gretchen, Mcmechen43-46-89
David Coram, Wheeling41-49-90
Oliver Wiegand, Morgantown47-45-92
Mac McCormick, Williamstown46-47-93
Luke Freeman, Philippi48-50-98
Benjamin Buzzo, Morgan48-53-101
Kienan Battin, Morgantown56-57-113
Sterling G Fitzwater, FairmontWD
17-18
Austin Root, Williamstown32-37-69
Hunter Woods, Morgantown37-34-71
Chris Williams, Scott Depot36-37-73
Alex Roach, Williamstown34-40-74
Caleb Lee, Worthington36-38-74
Jay Schwartzmiller, Clarksburg36-39-75
Evan Smith, Bluefield36-40-76
John Matheny, Morgantown37-39-76
Ryan Powell, Mannington36-40-76
Alan Cooke, Vienna38-39-77
Davey Jude, Kermit37-40-77
Will Evans, Charleston35-42-77
Grant Humphrey, Poca40-38-78
Trent McCutcheon, Washington37-41-78
Tyler Cardenas, Vienna36-42-78
Cameron Ford, Bridgeport37-42-79
Eli Lambie, Moundsville40-39-79
Jacob Carpenter, Wheeling40-39-79
Mark Pinti, Bridgeport42-37-79
Ryan Mumaw, Charles Town40-39-79
George Hamrick, Red House38-42-80
Jim Ferrell, Vienna41-39-80
Jj McPherson, Princeton36-44-80
Josh Bumgarner, Scott Depot38-43-81
Karson Terry, Peterstown39-43-82
Logan Williams, Hurricane40-42-82
Thomas O'Neil, Charleston41-41-82
Alex Hambel, Hurricane41-42-83
Drew Bragg, Oceana41-42-83
Jonathon Lester, Chapmanville40-43-83
Kris Webster, Charleston41-42-83
Michael Rogers, Follansbee43-41-84
Nicholas Sinclair, Fairmont43-41-84
Erik Allbright, Point Pleasant40-45-85
Joshua Metz, Cairo42-43-85
Louis Roncaglione, Charleston40-45-85
Ryan Carpenter, Harrisville42-43-85
Garrett Emch, New Martinsville39-47-86
Scott Hand, Wheeling39-47-86
Tyler Rittenhouse, Hurricane40-47-87
Brandon Tinder, Flemington40-48-88
Tony Allowatt, Davisville41-47-88
Eric Burnette, Whitman46-45-91
Matt Walters, Berkeley Springs42-54-96
Alexi Levock, Scott Depot49-49-98
Brian Cappellini, MorgantownDQ
Chase Toppins, HuntingtonDQ
Girls
10-14
Adeena Shears, Elizabeth39-36-75
Elizabeth Douglas, Wheeling44-47-91
Allie Persily, Charleston42-51-93
Bailey Frederick, Fairmont45-55-100
15-18
Lauryn Davidson, Vienna42-47-89
Tara Hanson, Morgantown44-50-94
Kelsey Allbright, Point Pleasant48-53-101
Root, who hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation, added a second birdie at No. 7 after leaving his approach shot to within 10 feet of the pin. He converted the putt then followed with his third and final birdie on the eighth hole after making a putt from 6 feet.
"This is definitely the best I have ever done at the Junior Am," Root said. "I don't think I have ever finished in the top 10."
For today's final round, Root will be paired with Woods, Morgantown's Eric Wirth (72) and Scott Depot's Chris Williams (73) in the featured group set to tee off at 9:40 a.m.
"My approach is to just go out and do the same thing," Root said.
The leaderboard for the girls division also contains local flavor as Vienna's Lauryn Davidson leads the 15-18 age division after shooting an 89, while Elizabeth's Adeena Shears tops the charts for the 10-14 division with a 75.
Additional age group leaders in the boys field include Oceana's Colin Bowles (73) in the 10-12 division; Bridgeport's Marco Oliverio (78) in the 13-14; and Wirth in the 15-16.
