ALEXANDRIA — Garrison Johnson of Alexandria certainly does not seem to be flustered the deeper he gets into the Junior 10-12 Division at the Resorters this year.
Here’s a look at Johnson’s week so far. An even-par 36 during qualifying to earn the top seed. That included birdies at holes 11 and 16.
From there, it was on to match play on Monday where he made short work of his opener in a 5-4 final before beating ninth-seeded Ryker Thompson in a 3-1 match on Wednesday.
Johnson was steady as ever in the semifinals on Friday morning. He beat 12th-seeded Nathan Bright in a 5-4 final. That sets him up for a chance to finish this week off with his first Resorters championship. To do so, he will need one more win against third-seeded Henry Buttweiler.
Here is a look at how both players reached the finals.
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Johnson def. Bright, 5-4
Golfers in the Junior 10-12 Division play just nine holes in their matches, so Johnson’s two perfect 5-4 wins this week stand out.
He simply makes an opponent beat him. Johnson won all five holes against Nathan Bright on Friday by parring all five. Bright had a good run this week as the 12th seed, winning two close matches in a 2-1 final over fifth-seeded Bennett Paulsen in the opener and then a 1-up battle with fourth-seeded Jaxn Hacker.
Buttweiler def. Esterline, 1-up
The matchup between the second and third seed in this division was a battle all morning on Friday.
Bronx Esterline, the second seed, struck first when he parred No. 10 right off the bat. He played even with Buttweiler for three straight holes after that until Buttweiler got his first birdie of the day at the par-five 14th to pull even.
Both players parred holes 15 and 16. The difference in the match was Buttweiler’s two birdies. His second one at the par-three 17th proved to be the winner.
Esterline needed to take 18 to force a playoff, but both players parred, setting up a showdown between Buttweiler and Johnson for the championship on Saturday morning.
JUNIOR 10-12 CHAMPIONSHIP PAIRING -- SATURDAY FROM THE 10TH TEE
8 a.m. - Garrison Johnson vs. Henry Buttweiler
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