Golf: Cook wins second W.Va. Junior AM title

Huntington – The last two years, Westside rising senior Kerri-Anne Cook has been in the middle of a nail-biting finish at the West Virginia Junior Amateur Golf Tournament.

Tuesday afternoon, the walk up the final fairway was not quite a stressful.

After winning the championship two years ago in a sudden death playoff, Cook captured the 2023 W.Va. Junior Amateur title in grand fashion with a four-shot victory over Taylor Sargent.

“It feels good to see everything come together that I have been working on over the last few months,” Cook said. “I felt like if I had everything working I had a legit chance to win.”

Entering the final round Tuesday, Cook was two shots back of Sargent, but felt confident after her play Monday morning.

“I definitely had a few putts that could have dropped but didn’t go in on Monday,” Cook said. “I felt pretty good about my round because I was hitting good shots. I just had a couple mistakes here or there.”

Starting her final round on hole No. 10, and paired with Sargent and defending champion Savannah Hawkins, Cook’s steady play proved to be the difference maker.

Three straight pars coupled with a bogey and a double-bogey from Sargent over her first two holes turned a two-shot deficit into a one-shot lead for the future Westside senior.

Even though Cook had a lead that she would never relinquish, she admitted not being a scoreboard watcher and instead remained focused on her own game and the task at hand.

“I had a feel for where I was, but never really knew where I stood,” Cook said. “I felt like I had a little bit of a lead, but with Taylor and Savannah, it just takes a couple of swings and we are right back neck-and-neck with each other.”

The lead went to three strokes after a two-shot swing at hole No. 13 where Cook rolled in her first birdie of the tournament and Sargent recorded her second bogey in the first four holes.

However, the former Cabell Midland standout bounced back quickly with a birdie at hole 14 and moved within a shot of the lead when Cook made her first bogey of the day at No. 15.

The brief glimmer of hope for Sargent faded as quick as it developed when she made bogey on 16 and Cook dropped in her second birdie of the round on hole 17, putting the lead back to three shots.

Four straight bogeys from Sargent to open the final nine holes all but sealed the deal and pushed Cook’s lead out to five shots with five holes to play.

The only hiccup for Cook over those final five holes was a bogey on her 17th hole of the round.

“I hit a good drive down the fairway and I had about 230 (yards) in (to the the par-5 hole). I decided to go for it, but I should have laid back,” Cook said. “I wasn’t hitting the club that I went for it with very good on the (driving) range this morning. I just thought, why not. It was a good number, but I paid the price for it. I hit it straight right into a penalty area.”

Still not exactly sure where she stood, Cook refocused to make a good score on the final hole of the tournament.

“My main thought was to make a par or a birdie and get it in the house,” Cook said. “I did know I had a pretty good round going and I wanted to finish that out.”

A solid drive down the fairway left her a short iron into the hole and a good run at birdie.

“I hit a good drive and had about 85 yards in. I knocked it about six or seven feet from the hole and made the putt,” Cook said.

The birdie gave her a final round score of 73 which was the lowest round of the tournament for the ladies.

Hawkins came home third place, six shots back of Sargent, while a pair of Bridgeport natives, Marra Johnson and Audrey Kerr finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

***********************************************
Jack Michael from Huntington used his local knowledge to capture the boys title.

After shooting even par Monday, Michael rolled in five birdies Tuesday en route to a three-under par round of 68 to best Carson Higginbotham from Clarksburg by five shots. Higginbotham rebounded from a 75 Monday with a 69 to vault himself into second place.

Jackson Woodburn from Scott Depot and Adam Gill from Wheeling both shot 74 in round two and tied for third place. Charles Town’s Tommy Evans ended at even par Tuesday to move into fifth place.

Future Marshall University golfer and former Shady Spring standout Tanner Vest led the local charge. After a tough opening round Monday, Vest rebounded nicely with an even par round Tuesday to finish tied for ninth with Grant Roush from Mason.

Woodrow Wilson rising senior Jonah Wilson had a nice tournament and finished tied for 13th, while former Nicholas County star Ben Marsh was also in the top-20 with a 19th place finish.

Girls Championship Results

Boys Championship Results