Resorters golf: Henry Buttweiler edges out Garrison Johnson in Junior 10-12 finals

ALEXANDRIA — Alexandria’s Henry Buttweiler outlasted the rest of the Junior 10-12 Division field at the 101st Resorters to walk off of Alexandria Golf Club on Aug. 6 with a title.

In the finals, Buttweiler, the No. 3 seed in the bracket, defeated the No. 1 seed, Garrison Johnson, also from Alexandria, 2-1.

Buttweiler had the jump on Johnson after the first of nine holes as he won the par 4 10th hole for the third time in the four matches played.

Johnson tied the match on the par 4 13th with a par, but Buttweiler retook the lead with a par on the par 5 14th hole.

Once more, Johnson won a hole to tie it, this one being the par 4 15th hole, which he won with a par. However, Buttweiler won the par 4 16th with a par and won the 17th hole to win 2-1.

In the four matches, Buttweiler won the 14th hole three times and in the three times in match play that he had to play the 16th hole, he won it twice. Buttweiler also birdied the 16th hole in the qualifying round, along with the 13th hole.

Sam Stuve / Alexandria Echo Pres

Johnson cruised through his first three matches to get to the finals. He defeated No. 16 Brody Stout, 5-4, in the first match play round, then the No. 9 seed Ryker Thompson, 3-1. In the semifinals, he defeated No. 12 seed Nathan Bright, who had just knocked out two top five seeds in the previous rounds, 5-4.

Johnson earned the top seed in the bracket by shooting even par (36) in the qualifying round.

To get to the finals, Buttweiler had to make some clutch shots to win close matches against some of his opponents.

1/2: Henry Buttweiler smashes a drive on the par 4 11th tee at the Alexandria Golf Club on Aug. 6, 2022. Buttweiler won the 2022 Resorters Junior 10-12 Division title.

2/2: Garrison Johnson hits an approach shot toward the par 4 11th green on Aug. 6, 2022. Johnson finished as the runner-up in the Resorters Junior 10-12 Divison.

In his opening-round matchup against No. 14 seed Austin Gugisberg, Buttweiler trailed by a hole heading to the 15th hole but turned things in his favor by winning it and the 16th to win 1-up.

Buttweiler had his biggest win by margin of victory come in the quarterfinals against the No. 11 seed Tyler Cullen, who he defeated 5-3.

In the semifinals against the No. 2 seed Bronx Esterline, who he tied with at 1-over par (37) in the qualifying round, Buttweiler was down one hole after Esterline birdied the 10th hole. Buttweiler won holes 14 and 17 with birdies to win the match 1-up.