Garard leads team to win in Junior-Am

Olivia Garard played in her first AJGA junior-am Monday, and she assured herself of leaving Cape Girardeau with some hardware this year.

Garard, from Denver, teamed with Elliot Levin of St. Louis and Dalhousie Golf Club members Deanna Estes, Tom Matheny and Beverly Matheny to win the junior-am for the American Junior Golf Association's second annual Dalhousie Junior Championship. They posted a 17-under-par 55 to win the shamble event, where juniors played their own balls and the other players played in from the best tee shot.

"We just had a really great team," Garard said. "Whenever someone wasn't playing well on one hole, someone else stepped up. It worked out real well. We had a lot of fun."

The winning entry didn't have much margin for error. They finished strong with a birdie on No. 14 to seal the title.

"On our last hole, Elliot almost drove the green," said Estes, who also is chairing the hospitality committee for this week's event. "It was just a little chip shot from there."

Garard said her goal for Monday was to have fun and get reacquainted with the course. She finished sixth in last year's tournament with an 18-over-par 234, six strokes off the winning total.

"I loved the course so much I had to come back and play again," said the senior-to-be who finished fourth last weekend at an AJGA event in New Mexico. "It's a little bit of a haul, but it's worth it.

"Today, I was just paying attention to having fun and learning the course — when to go for it and when to hold back."

Said Estes: "One time, she even put it in the sand trap just so she could hit it out."

Garard impressed her teammates with more than her golf. "She was just delightful to be with," Estes said. "We just had a really good time."

Cape Girardeau Mayor Jay Knudtson, a tournament co-chair and junior-am participant, echoed that sentiment. He and his son, Gunnar, played with AJGA player Jack Schultz.

"It's enjoyable for me to have my son out here at 14 to be able to rub shoulders with these young men and really see how the game is supposed to be played and how you're supposed to act," he said. "I'm continually impressed with the level of character that exists out here.

"This is really the first event I've attached my name and the mayor's position to because I felt this golf course deserved to be showcased and for this to be a community event, and I couldn't be happier with the partnership we have. The culture that is out here this week is one I would hope every citizen of Cape Girardeau can get a little taste of this because they should be proud."

The tournament was part of the fund-raising effort for the tournament, which will exceed last year's figures. The proceeds benefit the AJGA's grants program to assist qualifying players with costs to play tour events and the high school and youth golf programs in Southeast Missouri. Last year, the event raised more than $25,000 for its charity efforts.

"That was one of the top five of 60 events," said AJGA tournament director Andrew Greenfield. "This year, we're going to be able to exceed that. That's just incredible."