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By Chris Lang
RADFORD — Richmond’s Connor Johnson Jr. made his final junior tournament a memorable one.
Playing on what will soon become his college home course, Johnson tapped home a short par putt on No. 18, gave a little fist pump and clinched the title in the 66th Virginia State Golf Association Junior Stroke Play Championship at Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech.
Johnson, a Country Club of Virginia member who will begin his Virginia Tech career next month, returned a 3-under-par 69 on Thursday for a three-day aggregate 12-under 204, the lowest winning score in the event since Jake Mondy shot 202 at Roanoke Country Club in 2010.
Winning the F.J.D. Mackay Trophy was the culmination of a stellar summer for Johnson, who won the prestigious Scott Robertson Memorial in May and was the stroke-play qualifying medalist at the VSGA Junior Match Play Championship.
“I feel like it’s been building for four or five years, since I started playing junior golf and got serious about it,” Johnson said. “It feels good to have all that hard work finally pay off, so I can perform like I know I can.”
Johnson opened the day with a two-stroke lead but had to hold off a hard charge from 15-year-old Matthew Monastero, who followed his second-round 66 with a 5-under 67 on Thursday that included nine birdies. But after opening with a 1-over 73, Monastero’s margin for error was small, and he ran into trouble on the par-5 3rd hole in Thursday’s final round.
“They have those pot bunkers on the left, and I hit it on the upslope of one,” said Monastero, a rising sophomore at Loudoun County High School. “I tried to lay up, and it went a little bit left. The wind just got it. It hit the cartpath and went in the weeds. I had to take an unplayable.”
Monastero made double bogey, but that seemed to only serve to fire him up. He birdied five of the next six holes and kept consistent pressure on Johnson the rest of the way.
Abingdon’s Connor Creasy (Glenrochie CC), was two back of Johnson to begin the day but struggled from the get-go. He was 5 over for his round after six holes, essentially turning the tournament into a two-player race between Johnson and Monastero.
Monastero chipped Johnson’s lead to two by getting up and down for par on 14, a hole on which Johnson made bogey. Each player made par at 15, birdie at 16 and bogey on 17.
On the difficult par-4 18th, which featured a treacherous back hole location, both players ended up on the front of the green. Monastero nearly made his long, bending birdie putt, but it just missed.
“He almost made the putt, which kind of scared me,” Johnson said. “After he missed, I knew if I just lagged it up there, I would come out on top.”
Huddleston’s Isaac Simmons, a member at London Downs Golf Course who will play at Liberty University starting next month, shot a 5-under 67 Thursday and finished in third at 207. Three players finished tied for fourth at 212: Chesapeake’s Everett Whiten Jr. (Cahoon Plantation), Alexandria’s Jimmy Taylor (Belle Haven CC) and Creasy. Another soon-to-be Hokie, Chesterfield’s Drew Brockwell (GC at the Highlands), shot 71 Thursday and finished seventh.
Johnson won the championship in huge part to his strong play on River Course’s par 5s. He played the four par 5s at 11 under par, making nine birdies and an eagle. Monastero made 19 birdies on the week, and is one of many young players who will likely return to this championship and contend next year.
“I think Virginia junior golf is in a great place these next couple of years,” Johnson said. “You’ve got all of these young kids coming up. Beating a great field like this just gives me a lot of confidence going into my college career.”