A Leisure-ly round of golf

Western Albemarle junior and Birdwood member Patrick Leisure used a brilliant start on the front nine to win this year’s Reines Jewelers Charlottesville Junior Golf Championship on Thursday at Meadowcreek Golf Course, where 39 of the area’s up-and-coming players showed off their skills and talent.

Leisure — who lost in a playoff last year to Wes Eklund in the 14-15 year-old division — shot a four-under-par 66 to win the 16-17 age division, and clinched the tournament’s overall low round.

Leisure wasted no time, posting birdies on the first two holes. After parring the third and fourth holes, he walked away with two more birdies on the fifth and sixth.

“It was nice to get off to such a good start,” Leisure admitted. “I had a little bit of a problem in the middle, but it was nice to bring it in for the win.”

Leisure took a four-stroke lead after nine holes, and despite bogeying the 9th and 11th, sank back-to-back birdie putts on the 15th and 16th.

“Last year was a bummer, missing out on [winning the championship]” said Leisure, “but it’s wonderful to come back this year and get it.”

The 16-year-old Leisure is hopeful that he will be able to defend his title next summer. Chris Leibl finished second with a 73, and Alex Mahone was third with a score of 75. Glenmore’s Cory Smith came within a foot of scoring a double eagle on the opening hole, and ultimately finished fifth with a score of 80.

In the 14-to-15-year-old age group, Brett Engle held off Tony Liu with a 73 to take the trophy. Engle, 14, who plays out of Old Trail, was tied with Liu at the turn before picking up a stroke on the 10th and again at the 13th. Liu double-bogeyed at the 15th to open the door for Engle.

Leesburg’s Ryan Douglass challenged Evan Childress from Keswick Country Club for the 12-13 year-old group title, as the two were knotted at 60 through 16 holes. Playing from the front tees, Childress scored a three on four straight holes on the front nine and was 2-under at the turn.

Douglass battled back, sinking a 25-foot putt on the 16th to tie, but bogeyed the par-4 17th to give Childress back a one-shot lead. That set the scene for Childress’ tee shot on the 101-yard, par-3 18th, which rolled within a few inches of the hole. Childress tapped in for birdie to post a 66, and Douglass wound up with a par to finish second with a 68.

“I had some good competition. Ryan Douglass played great,” Childress said. “I know this course pretty well, so I was confident, but I still had to win the golf tournament.”

In the 11-and-under group, Banks Northington shot a 39 to win the nine-hole division trophy. Jake Thompson finished second with a 45.