Vogel wins dramatic playoff in rain-interrupted final round

~ The Florida teen with connections to Perryville chips in to win the elite event.

For an elite tournament that attracted players from around the world and featured only two players from Missouri among its 78 boys participants, the AJGA's Rolex Tournament of Champions concluded in dramatic fashion with about as much local flavor as the tournament could hope to conjure.

T.J. Vogel of Cooper City, Fla., ended the four-day tournament and a three-way tie with a chip in for eagle on the second playoff hole to win his first AJGA event.

Vogel's father Joe was among the gallery that saw him skip in a shot on the 18th hole that ended the tournament hopes of pesky 14-year-old Gavin Hall and 17-year-old Byeong-hun An.

Joe Vogel is the women's golf coach at Florida International University in Miami, and a 1977 graduate of Perryville High School.

Gavin Hall reacts after seeing his birdie putt to win the tournament lip out on the final hole of regulation.

Joe's sister Mary Sauer, and her husband Dave, live in Perryville. T.J. Vogel said his family makes the 20-hour drive north to Perryville almost every Christmas, and the Vogels were staying with the Sauers during the tournament. T.J.'s sisters Whitney and Emily also were touring the course with their father during the tournament.

"I love coming up here," 18-year-old T.J. Vogel said. "It's different from where I'm from -- more country, of course. I enjoy it. I know a lot of my dad's friends from a long time ago came out to watch me, and that meant a lot. It was neat to get a victory in front of them."

Vogel has not enjoyed all his trips to Dalhousie. Two years ago he struggled at the Dalhousie Junior Cup, which was the first AJGA event at the course.

"That was probably the worst tournament I've ever played in my life," Vogel said.

Vogel, who will attend USC this fall on a golf scholarship, was a little more confident entering his second tournament at Dalhousie.

Boys winner T.J. Vogel takes a drop after hitting the ball into native grass on the final hole of regulation.

"I'm a heck of a lot better player than I was two years ago, so I figured [I[']d do better]," Vogel said. "I really liked this course when I played it, I just didn't putt good the first time. And I'm much better now."

Vogel shot 1-over-par 73 in the final round, while Hall and An closed with 71 and 70, respectively.

Vogel stayed close to the lead through the first two rounds, trailing then-leader Talor Gooch of Midwest City, Okla., by four shots at the midway point. After two rounds, Vogel was in third and Hall was two shots ahead in second.

When Gooch struggled in Friday's third round, Vogel climbed to the top of the leaderboard with a 3-under 69 and was 7 under overall.

Vogel entered Saturday's final round with a two-shot lead over Hall and Johnathan Schnitzer, a Houston resident who will play golf at the University of Texas, and a three-stroke advantage over a threesome that included An of Bradenton, Fla., and Jeffrey Kang of Fullerton, Calif, who was last year's runner-up in the Tournament of Champions.

T.J. Vogel intently watches his chip shot during Saturday's final round of the AJGA's Rolex Tournament of Champions at Dalhousie Golf Club. (Elizabeth Dodd)

Hall, who just finished eighth grade in Pittsford, N.Y., made his intentions known to his college-bound playing partners on the first hole Saturday when he rolled in a 15-foot putt for birdie to move to 6 under for the tournament and a stroke behind Vogel.

At 5 foot 10 and 130 pounds, the left-handed swinging Hall resembled a pesky little brother who wouldn't go away for the remainder of the day.

When Vogel chipped in for birdie on No. 3 to restore his two-shot lead at 8 under, Hall coaxed in a 20-foot birdie on No. 6 to close the gap to one.

With the players on the green on the par-5 No. 7, play was halted due to an approaching storm.

After a delay that lasted nearly two hours, Vogel returned and opened a three-shot cushion in a matter of seconds, rolling in his 5-foot birdie putt to go to 9 under as Hall missed a 6-foot par putt.

T.J. Vogel is congratulated by Byeong-hun An after chipping in a shot on the second playoff hole Saturday to win the AJGA's Rolex Tournament of Champions at Dalhousie Golf Club. (Elizabeth Dodd)

But Hall came back with a birdie on the par-3 No. 8, and after bogeys by Vogel on Nos. 9 and No. 11, the players were tied at 7 under.

"You know what, I played with him yesterday, and I didn't know what to expect," Vogel said. "But once I saw him play, the kid can play. He doesn't make mistakes. I knew he was going to shoot a little under par today. The kid flat out does not get rattled."

Hall moved into the lead for the first time at 8 under with a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-3 No. 13, but Vogel again nudged ahead when he picked up two strokes on Hall despite missing a 5-foot eagle putt on No. 15. Vogel birdied, while Hall bogeyed.

Vogel maintained his one-shot lead as both players narrowly missed birdie putts on No. 16, while both missed the green on No. 17 and made bogey.

In a group ahead, An left an eagle putt on No. 18 just inches short, but birdied to finish at 6 under. With the 538-yard par-5 No. 18 playing as the easiest hole all week, there looked to be little hope for An, who hung around the green to watch Vogel (-7) and Hall (-6).

Byeong-hun An hits out of the deep rough on hole No. 18 during the second playoff hole Saturday.

"I was waiting for third place or something," An said. "I actually got lucky to get in the playoff."

An's good luck was misfortune for Vogel and Hall.

The long-hitting Vogel pushed his tee shot on No. 18 into the tall native grass and had to take an unplayable lie and a stroke for the drop, and ultimately reached the green in three shots. But Vogel had left himself a daunting putt down the cliff-like incline to the hole, which sat next to the bottom. Vogel's putt ran 12 feet past the pin and he missed the putt coming back for bogey to fall to 6 under.

Hall was then in position to win with a birdie. His second shot settled right of the green in the rough on a downhill lie, but he pitched to within 6 feet. His birdie attempt hit the left edge of the cup, made a 90 degree turn and ended inches right of the hole.

"I pushed it a little bit, but I thought I gave it enough speed to hold up," Hall said. "I had an opportunity and it just didn't fall. There will be more chances."

The scoreboard at Dalhousie Golf Club told the story during a nearly two-hour break in play Saturday.

With Vogel bogeying his final two holes, An was back in the picture and in the playoff. Both of An's playoff partners were dealing with the disappointment of having missed good opportunities to win, but Vogel said he was not beat.

"I went into the playoff with a good mindset that I was going to win still," Vogel said. "I was trying to get myself to relax and have fun. Because when you get tense, it starts going everywhere. And that's kind of what happened."

He also was confident that his bogey on No. 18 was a fluke.

"It was an easy par 5," Vogel said. "I'm not going to do what I did in regulation again. No way."

All three players birdied No. 18 on the first hole of the playoff.

With rain starting to fall again, the players returned to No. 18.

Vogel launched a long drive down the middle of the fairway and put his second shot in short grass next to a greenside sand bunker. With Hall staring at makeable birdie putts, Vogel used his same 63-degree wedge he had chipped in with earlier in the round to finish off his opponents.

"He had the opportunity to do it, and he did it," Hall said. "You got to think he's always going to make the shot. I planned to make mine, but he just happened to make eagle."

He added, "It's a good experience. It's been great. I'll definitely have more chances, but this one definitely hurts."