Top-seeded Will Hacker needed every one of the nine holes to hold off Bronx Esterline in the Junior 10-12 quarterfinal round on Wednesday afternoon.
The four matchups saw three low seeds clinch spots in the semifinals, with one high seed continuing to shake things up. Will Hacker, Jaxn Hacker and Graham Odland took care of business, while 12th-seeded Ellie Sticha knocked off another top-five seed.
Here’s how the Junior 10-12 quarterfinals played out.
Will Hacker def. Esterline, 1-up
Leading by one, Hacker walked up to the 18th tee box needing to go low to secure a spot in the semifinal round. Eighth-seeded Bronx Esterline parred the long par-4, putting pressure on Hacker.
Hacker buried a par putt to stave off the upset scare and win the match 1-up. It was one of six pars Hacker made on the day.
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Esterline took an early lead with pars on Nos. 10 and 12 to go 1-up. Hacker parred No. 13 to square the match before taking the lead on No. 14.
That lead doubled on No. 16 before Esterline’s fourth par of the round on No. 17 cut the lead in half. Both golfers totaled a score of 40.
Sticha def. Buttweiler, 4-3
Ellie Sticha followed up her opening round upset over fifth-seeded Lewis Kuhn with another one on Wednesday.
Sticha, the 12th-seed, was dominant in her quarterfinal-round win over fourth-seeded Henry Buttweiler. Back-to-back pars to start the round put her up two. Both golfers had a rough 12th hole, but a double bogey from Sticha increased the lead to three. Another par on No. 12 put Buttweiler’s championship hopes in dire straits.
Buttweiler’s only par of the day cut into Sticha’s lead in the final hour, but trailing by three, his double bogey on No. 15 ended his run. Sticha’s hands will be full again on Friday morning when she takes on top-seeded Will Hacker.
Jaxn Hacker def. Harris, 5-3
Jaxn Hacker, the second seed, didn’t leave any doubt on Wednesday in his 5-3 win over 10th-seeded Jack Harris.
After sinking a long par putt on the 10th green to go up by one, he dominated the next three holes to take a four-hole advantage. A bogey on No. 14 and a par on No. 15 ended the match three holes early, sending Jaxn Hacker to the semifinal round. His dad, Chad Hacker, has been his caddy through three rounds. Chad is playing in the consolation bracket in the Men’s Championship Division on Thursday morning.
Odland def. Cullen, 4-2
After a triple bogey on the first hole, Graham Odland found a rhythm on his way to a 4-2 victory over Tyler Cullen.
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Sixth-seeded Odland won four straight holes to go up three before ending the match with a par on No. 16. The win halted 14th-seeded Cullen’s upset run after a first-round win. Odland made three pars in total on Wednesday afternoon. Cullen made par on No. 15.
