James Lepp Wins Second Straight Canadian Junior Championship

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:42:03

"Saskatoon, SK - It came down to the last putt on the final hole of the tournament, but defending champ James Lepp of Abbotsford, BC held on to capture his second straight Canadian Junior Championship, conducted by the Royal Canadian Golf Association and hosted by the Saskatoon Golf & Country Club.

Lepp, playing in his final tournament as a junior, enjoyed a five-stroke cushion heading into the final round. But it didn't last long. A bogey on hole No. 8, coupled with some impressive golf by Richard Scott of Kingsville, ON - he made three early birdies and holed a 125-yard wedge from the fairway to make eagle on a par-4 - reduced Lepp's lead to a single stroke after eight holes.

Lepp wasn't down for long, however; he came back in fine form, making birdies on three of the next four holes. By hole No. 12 he had settled back into a comfortable three-stroke lead.

Scott birdied the next hole; Lepp made par. A short tee shot, followed by an approach shot that didn't make the green, and two putts, gave Lepp a bogey on the 14th hole. He carded another when he missed a five-foot putt on the next hole. After 15 holes Lepp and Scott were even.

"I knew I had to play really well to stand a chance at beating James [Lepp]. When we were even after 15, I knew if I kept it up, I stood a chance at the title. But things also depended on how [Lepp] played," said Scott.

Lepp made pars on the next two holes. So did Scott. Both were tied at 12-under heading into the final hole of the 72-hole tournament.

Lepp hit a good tee shot down the middle of the fairway. Scott landed in the trees to the right off the tee. Lepp was on the green in two, just feet away from the flagstick. Scott punched out of the trees and his ball came to rest on the fairway, still 70 yards from the hole. Scott nearly holed his next shot but it rolled past the pin and left him with a 12-foot putt. Lepp missed his six-foot putt for birdie. Scott had to land his putt to force a playoff. He missed.

"I thought the putt was going in for sure. It rolled right where I wanted it to, but then lipped out at the last minute; I couldn't believe it," said Scott, who finished the tournament one stroke back of Lepp.

Lepp tapped in his final putt, and secured his second Canadian Junior Championship. Thrilled with his win, Lepp admits it was a struggle.

"I was worried there for a while; Richard [Scott] was playing great. But I played what I had and in the end it was enough to come out on top. I'm excited - excited and tired," said Lepp of his win.

This is Lepp's third major victory of the summer; he won both the BC Amateur Championship, as well as the BC Junior Championship. He'll try for his biggest win yet next week at the Canadian Amateur Championship in Edmundston, NB.

"I can play better than I have here," said Lepp, "but I couldn't have asked for a better way to end my career as a junior golfer. It'll be tough next week in Edmundston, but I'm out to find my 'A' game and play like I know I can."

Lepp was defeated last year during the second day of match play by Gareth Paddison of Wellington, New Zealand, who went on to win the Canadian Amateur.

It's the first time in nearly ten years that a player has walked away with multiple victories. The last time was when Rob McMillan of Winnipeg, MB won three consecutive championships from 1992-4.

In the juvenile division, Seann Harlingten, who hails from Rancho Mirage, CA finished the tournament at even par 284, to take home the title in the juvenile division. Keven Fortin-Simard of Roberval, QC and Stephen Pointon of Mill Bay, BC share second place four strokes behind Harlingten.

Final Round Results are as follows:
1James Lepp, Abbotsford, BC70-64-68-70--272
2Richard Scott, Kingsville, ON66-72-69-66--273
3Kyle Mackenzie, Listowel, ON71-68-69-73--281
4Ryan Lecuyer, Edmonton, AB73-68-70-71--282
5Michael Keast, Winnipeg, MB67-72-74-70--283
*6Seann Harlingten, Rancho Mirage, CA74-71-69-70--284
T7Brodie Flanders, Fawcett Hill, NB71-75-72-67--285
7Michel Landry, Tracadie, NB66-69-75-75--285
9Dustin Pewarchuk, Victoria, BC71-71-70-74--286
10Jordan Irwin, Calgary, AB69-71-73-74--287
* T11Stephen Pointon, Mill Bay, BC75-76-69-68--288
*11Keven Fortin-Simard, Roberval, QC71-73-71-73--288
T11Kyler Murphy, Thunder Bay, ON73-70-76-69--288
* T14Colin Norris, Calgary, AB72-73-72-72--289
T14Ryan Swelin, Sundre, AB74-73-72-70--289
T14Paul Statchuk, Gormley, ON76-72-70-71--289
14Louis-Pierre Godin, Champlain, QC71-71-71-76--289
T18Steve Foisy, Repentigny, QC77-70-68-75--290
T18Colby Lindsay, Abbotsford, BC71-73-70-76--290
18Craig Revell, Kingston, ON68-76-70-76--290
T21Robin Vallis, Aberdeen, SK74-72-76-69--291
T21Mark Vanderbeek, Kitchener, ON71-73-77-70--291
* T21David Stewart, Prince Albert, SK71-72-75-73--291
T21Joshua Dean, Richmond Hill, ON70-72-76-73--291
* T27Andrew Milloy, Lasalle, ON76-73-71-72--292
* T27Dale Vallely, Lethbridge, AB72-73-73-74--292
T21Matthew Johnston, Winnipeg, MB74-71-71-75--291
21Vincent Dumouchel, Candiac, QC73-70-71-77--291
T27Mark Sommerfeld, Waterloo, ON70-80-72-70--292
T27Nicholas Wheeler, Ingersoll, ON75-74-71-72--292
T27Nathan Ward, Summerland, BC71-74-74-73--292
27Greg Machtaler, Summerland, BC69-74-73-76--292
T33Zac Hildenbrand, Summerland, BC74-70-79-70--293
T33Ryan Yip, Calgary, AB73-71-78-71--293
T33David Williamson, Halifax, NS71-74-77-71--293
T33Jade Dennill, Nakusp, BC74-71-76-72--293
T33Jason Roach, St. John, NB75-74-72-72--293
T33David Markle, Shelburne, ON74-71-75-73--293
33Renaud Langevin, Scott, QC72-74-72-75--293
40Anton Raubenheimer, Smoky Lake, AB73-72-74-75--294
* T40Marc Bourgeois, Dieppe, NB73-75-73-73--294
*42Rafael Lee, Burnaby, BC73-75-71-76-295
* T42James Roxburgh, Vancouver, BC74-76-71-74--295
T42Rob Heynen, Calgary, AB75-70-78-72--295
* T48Dane Thorogood, Calgary, AB72-75-77-73--297
T42Don Bryson, Brantford, ON74-70-77-74--295
*T42Jordan Mason, Delta, BC73-75-75-72--295
*T42Ricky Allen, North Bay, ON78-70-75-72--295
T48Craig Alvaro, St.Thomas, ON71-73-76-77--297
48Patrik Ericson, Langley, BC70-76-73-78--297
T51Marc-Andrï¿½ Giroux, Rouyn-Noranda, QC72-77-75-74--298
T51James Allenby, Langley, BC77-75-71-75--298
51Victor Ciesielski, Cambridge, ON76-71-75-76--298
T54Andrew McCarthy II, Gilford, ON74-73-76-76--299
T54Wes Pantling, Perkinsfield, ON75-77-71-76--299
T54Adam Choy, Port Coquitlam, BC71-72-79-77--299
T54Kevin Dore, Dundas, ON78-72-72-77--299
54Yves Lariviï¿½re, St-Eustache, QC71-72-78-78--299
T59Christopher Long, Edmonton, AB80-72-72-76--300
T59Nicholas Laflï¿½che, Gatineau, QC76-75-73-76--300
T59Jordan Alford, Red Deer, AB78-71-74-77--300
59Josh Taylor, Abbotsford, BC72-78-69-81--300
T63Cory Thistlethwaite, Dundas, ON73-75-75-78--301
63Tim McMillan, Furdale, SK72-76-71-82--301
* T63Jason Wellings, West Flamborough, ON76-75-73-77--301
T66Ryan MacKinnon, Fredericton, NB74-75-75-78--302
T66Bryan Simpson, Peterborough, ON76-74-74-78--302
66Dustin Wetherup, Oshawa, ON72-73-76-81--302
* T66Michael Knight, Calgary, AB76-72-76-78--302
*T66Scott Loewen, Winnipeg, MB78-71-75-78--302
*T71Joshua Fleming, Calgary, AB75-77-71-80--303
*71Matthew Besaw, Oromocto, NB74-73-74-82--303
T71Jonathan Millard, Chatham, ON76-75-73-79--303
*denotes juveniles
"