Kou, Chen enjoy first victories

NWA Democrat-Gazette/DAVID GOTTSCHALK Kuangyu Chen, of Shenzhen, China, lines up a putt Thursday, June 21, 2018, during the final round of play of the KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior All-Star Invitational at the Blessings Golf Club in Johnson.
NWA Democrat-Gazette/DAVID GOTTSCHALK Kuangyu Chen, of Shenzhen, China, lines up a putt Thursday, June 21, 2018, during the final round of play of the KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior All-Star Invitational at the Blessings Golf Club in Johnson.

JOHNSON -- Xin "Cindy" Kou had no explanation for the tears she felt shortly after she stepped off the 18th green Thursday afternoon.

"I don't know why I was crying," the 14-year-old from Windermere, Fla., said after she won the KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior All-Star Invitational at Blessings Golf Club. "I just felt like crying, and I felt like all my hard work paid off."

Kou finished with a three-day total of 7-under 209 and won by two strokes over runner-up Lynn Lim of Gallatin, Tenn., but it all came down to the final hole. Kou had enjoyed a two-stroke lead with four holes to play, but Lim forced a tie with birdies on Nos. 16 and 17.

Lim, however, wound up with a three-putt on the 18th and finished with a bogey, giving Kou the opportunity for her first victory in an invitational tournament. Kou hit her second shot past the hole and left herself with a 24-foot downhill putt for birdie, which she sank for her first American Junior Golf Association victory.

"I wasn't really sure what she had done on the last hole," Kou said of Lim. "I told myself that all I needed to do was hit my putts.

"I really didn't expect to hit that putt. I normally don't hit 24-foot putts. I didn't realize it was going in until the last moment because it was a double-breaker."

Kou and Lim were the only two girls golfers to finish with below-par scores for the 54-hole tournament, now in its fourth year, and Kou's score tied for the lowest three-day total. Yoon Min Han of Bradenton, Fla., finished third at 218, two strokes ahead of Jiarui (Joyce) Jin of Encinitas, Calif., and Taylor Kehoe of Strathroy, Ontario.

In the boys division, first-day leader Kaungyu Chen of Shenzhen, China, shot a 1-under 71 Thursday and won the tournament by four strokes over second-place finisher Narayan Mohan of Charlotte, N.C. Chen had a three-day total of a 1-under 215 and was the only golf to finish the tournament below par.

"I've been waiting for this moment for so long," Chen said after he clinched his first AJGA victory. "It feels really good right now. There were a few mistakes out there that I still need to improve, but it was a really solid week."

At A Glance

KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior All-Star Invitational

Thursday at Blessings Golf Club, Johnson

Final results

BOYS

Kuangyu Chen^69-75-71 — 215

Narayan Mohan^70-76-73 — 219

Garrett Engle^73-70-77 — 220

Evan Woosley-Reed^74-79-71 — 224

Eric Doyle^79-72-74 — 225

Ray Xiong^80-68-77 — 225

Marshall Meisel^73-81-74 — 228

Jay Nimmo^80-74-74 — 228

Aidan Goldstein^76-75-79 — 230

Junyi Tang^81-75-74 — 230

Girls

Xin (Cindy) Kou^69-69-71 — 209

Lynn Lim^70-71-70 — 211

Yoon Min Han^72-72-74 — 218

Jiarui (Joyce) Jin^69-76-75 — 220

Taylor Kehoe^71-77-72 — 220

Kaleiya Romero^76-73-72 — 221

Ashely Shim^71-80-71 — 222

Jana Ni^73-75-78 — 226

Yu Wen Lu^75-73-78 — 226

Makenzie Niblett^73-76-78 — 227

Bohyun Park^72-81-74 — 227

Chen trailed Garrett Engle of Harrisburg, Pa., by one stroke before the final round started, but that quickly disappeared. Chen hit four birdies over his first eight holes and finished 3-under over the front nine, while Engle suffered back-to-back double bogeys on Nos. 2 and 3 and shot a 4-over 40 through nine holes.

Chen led Mohan by four strokes with nine holes to play, but that cushion was cut in half when Chen had a double bogey on No. 14. Mohan, however, had back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 16 and 17 and allowed Chen to regain his four-stroke cushion.

photo

NWA Democrat-Gazette/DAVID GOTTSCHALK Xin Kou, of Windermere, Fla., smiles to the galley after sinking a putt on the 18 green Thursday, June 21, 2018, during the final round of play of the KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior All-Star Invitational at the Blessings Golf Club in Johnson.

"I was pretty calm this time," Chen said. "I knew all I had to do was play my game and I should be fine.

"I was more confident with my shots over the front nine, but I got a little nervous on the back nine until I saw the scoreboard on the 18th green. I was pretty calm after that."

Engle shot a 77 Thursday and finished third with a three-day total of 220. Evan Woosley-Reed of Shelbyville, Tenn., shot 224 and finished fourth, one stroke better than Eric Doyle of San Diego.

Preps Basketball on 06/22/2018

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