Ava Bunker
It’s going to be one of the longest uphill battles in Ava Bunker’s golfing career if she wants to take home the trophy today in the AJGA Circle K Junior Championship Hosted by Otter Creek.
Bunker carded a 4-over par 76 Wednesday and is tied for eighth place at 7-over, which is 10 shots back of leader Xinyun Chu of Champaign, Illinois, in the girls tournament.
Starting on No. 10, Bunker finished with a 5-over 41 on the first nine, but bounced back nicely, finishing with 1-under 35 on the front nine.
The Edinburgh resident hit off the tee well, but it was the short game that made the bigger difference.
“I had five three-putts, so that was definitely a little bit of a struggle. On the back nine, I ended up getting it close to the pin and making all my putts,” Bunker said. “I was definitely hitting it a little too hard, and for some reason, I couldn’t make the 3-footers I had left. That was sad, but I came back and was able to make most of the putts.”
Willy Davis
Meanwhile, recent Columbus North graduate Willy Davis carded a 10-over par 82 Wednesday and is in 48th at 17-over for the boys tournament. Davis Gochenouer of Dayton, Ohio, leads the tournament at 6-under.
Davis finished with a 7-over 43 on the front nine and had a 3-over 39 on the back.
“I got to a little bit of a rough start, but battled back midway through the first nine holes,” Davis said. “I played a little bit better on the back nine. It wasn’t that a terrible of a day, but it just wasn’t quite what I wanted.”
For the final round, Bunker will tee off on No. 1 at 7:30 a.m. today, and Davis will tee off on No. 10 at 9:20 a.m.
