Rachel O’Rourke won the girls title while Mitchell Archer repeated as the boys champion at the fourth annual Apogee Investment Management Junior Championships on July 11-12. The first round of the 36-hole event for male and female junior players ages 12-18 was held at Sunset Ridge Golf Course and concluded at Oswego Country Club.
“Winning the Junior AIM feels good,” O’Rourke said. “The hard work I have put in since the off season along with the support from my coaches and family has paid off.”
“It feels amazing especially after winning by such a huge margin,” Archer said.
The presenting sponsors for the Junior AIM Championship are Apogee Investment Management and DeFrancisco & Falgiatano, LLP.
Archer, of Syracuse, collected his second straight boys title with rounds of 66 and 68, leading from start to finish. He finished at 9-under-par 134, nine strokes ahead of runner-up Sean Roddy, of Schenectady.
“After winning it last year, I knew this year’s competition was going to be better and I am proud of how I handled that for both rounds,” Archer said.
Archer held a one-shot lead over Roddy after the first round at Sunset Ridge. Archer extended his lead with five birdies against two bogeys at Oswego CC. Roddy shot rounds of 66 and 76 for an even-par 143 total.
Archer, a first team All-CNY selection who graduated from Jamesville-DeWitt High School in June, said the key to victory was to take the rounds one shot at a time.
“Being patient is so important and after hitting bad shots putting them in the past and moving on,” said Archer, who is headed to Adelphi University in the fall. “I felt my mental game was what put me over the top for this tournament.”
Michael Stilwell, of Whitesboro, finished third (144).
GIRLS DIVISION
Rachel O’Rourke, of Rome, held off Kamryn Yerman, of Frankfort, to capture the girls crown by two strokes.
O’Rourke finished at 11-over 154 while Yerman placed second for the second straight year at 13-over 156. Both golfers were named to the All-CNY Girls Golf Team.
“While playing, I work on staying in my game and focus on one shot at a time,” said O’Rourke, a rising sophomore at Rome Free Academy.
O’Rourke helped the Black Knights to a Section III team title last May and competed at the state championships.
To get ready for the Junior AIM, O’Rourke focused her energy on getting familiar with the tournament courses.
“It is challenging playing 2 different courses in 2 days,” O’Rourke said. “Preparation is important. I review the course layouts ahead of time and try to take in the information that my coaches tell me.”
