VanArragon and Cronkhite Advance to Boys' Junior PGA Championship in Missouri

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By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org


  CHASKA, Minn. – Carding a 1-under par 71 during the final round of the 2017 Minnesota Boys’ Junior PGA Championship Friday, Caleb VanArragon earned medalist honors by one stroke as well as an invitation to the national championship beginning later this month.

VanArragon entered Friday’s final round four shots off the lead but was helped by three birdies on his back nine to finish ahead of the field by one shot. He will be joined by Gavin Cronkhite who advanced in playoff after finishing at 1-over par 145.

“I thought I was going to have to shoot 67, so I didn’t have any expectations—I didn’t think anything was going to happen,” a surprised VanArragon said once he found out he had earned medalist honors and a place in the national championship. “I went out pretty relaxed and tried to make some birdies.

“Coming in I was trying to make the best score possible on the last two holes. I walked off the course and didn’t think anything was going to happen. It feels really great. I can’t believe I’m going to the national tournament. I didn’t even know where it was because I didn’t think I was going to be able to get to it.”

VanArragon started with a bogey at the third before rolling in a 10-footer for birdie at the par-3 fourth to get back to 1-over for the championship. Giving back a stroke with bogey at the sixth, VanArragon went to 2-over, but bounced back with a tap-in birdie at the par-5 seventh.

He would turn at 2-over for the championship following his third bogey on the front nine at the ninth. Finding the fairway bunker at the 10th, VanArragon stuck his approach inside of 10 feet and converted birdie before rolling in back-to-back birdies at the 14th and 15th.

VanArragon’s biggest highlight of the final round came at the 15th where he would sink a 30-foot birdie putt to get to 1-under for the championship, but still figured he needed to birdie the final three holes to earn a qualifying spot. A bogey at the 16th put him at even par for the championship and he would roll in two short par putts to finish at 144.

“I played pretty well—I’ve been working at my driver. The last tournament I played at, my driver had been pretty inconsistent and worked on shortening my backswing,” VanArragon said Friday. “I wasn’t over-swinging or trying to kill it but I saw results.

“The entire first nine today I felt like my irons were going a club shorter so I was getting confused, but at the turn, winning or making it didn’t cross my mind. I just wanted to put together a good back nine.”

VanArragon said he played in the U.S. Kids World Championship for a number of years when he was younger, but the Boys’ Junior PGA Championship will be his first real test on the big stage.

“The past few years I haven’t gone to anything so this is my first really big national event,” he said. “This does a lot for my confidence to know that I could make it to a tournament like this. I haven’t really won anything big in the past few years, so I’m really happy and really looking forward to this tournament.”

The soon-to-be junior at Blaine High School felt like his game really turned a corner when he fired a 63 at TPC Twin Cities in early spring to begin the high school season.

He would notch a top-10 finish at the Class AAA championship in mid-June before carding his second round of 63 at an American Junior Golf Association event a couple weeks later.

“It’s been a big year. My consistency hasn’t been where I want it, but coming into this year I didn’t know that I could shoot 63 and didn’t know that I could win a tournament like this.”

Cronkhite, from Lakeville, Minn., began the final round Friday one shot off the lead after carding a 2-under par 70 to begin the championship Thursday. A quiet front nine with a bogey at the fourth put Cronkhite at 1-under with nine holes to play but he would take back-to-back bogeys at the 10th and 11th holes to fall 1-over for the tournament.

Cronkhite battled back by sinking back-to-back birdies at the 15th and 16th holes, but would finish with bogey on each of the last two holes to fall into a tie for second place with Connor Glynn at 1-over par 145.

On the first playoff hole, Cronkhite converted his birdie look from 15 feet to claim the final qualifying spot.



2017 MINNESOTA BOYS’ JUNIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
CHASKA TOWN COURSE
CHASKA, MINN.
6,687 YARDS, PAR 72


FINAL RESULTS
1. Caleb VanArragon, Blaine, Minn., 73-71—144
T2. Gavin Cronkhite, Lakeville, Minn., 70-75—145 (won playoff)
T2. Connor Glynn, Waconia, Minn., 73-72—145
T4. Colin O’Hern, Dennison, Minn., 75-72—147
T4. Muzzy Donohue, Mendota Heights, Minn., 74-73—147
T4. Parker Reddig, Minneapolis, Minn., 74-73—147
T4. Tyler Westra, Sioux Falls, S.D., 69-78—147
T4. Jack Johnson, Chaska, Minn., 70-77-147
T9. Alexander Pries, Chaska, Minn., 77-71—148
T9. Jacob Pedersen, Shorewood, Minn., 75-73—148
T9. Joshua Yang, Cottage Grove, Minn., 73-75—148
T9. Benjamin Warian, Stillwater, Minn., 72-76—148
T9. Joe Abdo, Edina, Minn., 72-76—148


For complete tournament results go to:
https://mnpgajr.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/mnpgajr17/event/mnpgajr1729/contest/17/leaderboard.htm