Bowers Memorial draws top local juniors Spending a year at a golf academy in Hilton Head, S.C., did wonders for the game of Mary Barbero. The proof came this week at Springfield Country Club in the 37th Bobby Bowers Memorial.
With her 4-and-3 victory in the girls division over Courtney Wynne of Glen Allen, Va., Barbero captured the biggest title of her career.
“I’ve been working my butt off,” said Barbero, a 17-year-old from Fairfax Station. “It’s nice to see some results after a lot of hard work, for sure.”
The only other time Barbero entered the Bowers, a tournament that draws the top junior players from the Washington area and beyond, she failed to qualify for match play. On Monday, however, Barbero made it with 10 strokes to spare.
Then she went about the business of conquering four opponents in match play. Barbero demonstrated her newfound confidence in the quarterfinals and semifinals in matches that went 20 and 18 holes respectively.
By comparison, the finals were a breeze. When Barbero drained a 20-foot birdie putt at No. 6, a 140-yard par 3, she had the lead 3-up. Wynne won the seventh hole, but it would be Barbero’s only wobble of the afternoon.
She regained her 3-up edge at No. 10, a 411-yard par 5, where her tap-in par took the hole. After that, it was fairways, greens and a routine march to the title. When she tapped-in for a par at the 15th hole to win, she hugged her caddy, kicked up her heels and flashed a huge smile.
“It’s huge. I’m excited,” said Barbero. “Today was the most exciting [match], to know I can handle the pressure of being in the finals and playing well.”
When Barbero returns to the South County High golf team this fall, it will be as a vastly improved senior, thanks to the rigorous regimen at the PGA Tour Academy. Each day after school at Hilton Head Prep, players hit the course for closely monitored sessions. Two days a week, players also hit the gym.
“Sometimes you get home at night and you’ve got an essay to do, so it was tough,” Barbero said. “But it really got me more serious about my golf. Now I really want to play in college.”
Barbero was the only Washington-area winner on Thursday. In the 16-17 division, Ryan Mondy of Blacksburg defeated Adam Ochs of Ashburn, 3 and 2. In the morning, Mondy ended the bid of John Brundred of Potomac to become the first medalist to win the 16-17 title as he rolled to a 6-and-4 victory, playing the front nine in 32 strokes.
In the 14-15 division, Mark Lawrence of Richmond dominated Conor Flach of Ellicott City, 6 and 5. In the 13-and-under division, Bennett Buch of Sykesville rolled to a fourth straight victory in match play, 6 and 5, over medalist Logan Yates of Ruckersville, Va. None of the matches for the 5-foot-11 Buch lasted more than 16 holes.
