Mt. Airy’s Ryan Cole had the best American Junior Golf Association finish in his career, as he was runner-up, by three shots, in the Erie (Pa.) Junior Golf Classic, Tuesday-Thursday at Kahkwa Club. Cole, a sophomore at Linganore, shot 69-71-69 – 209, behind only Matt Gerard of Rocky River, Ohio (68-69-69 – 206) in the 74-player field.
Cole whittled Gerard’s lead to a single stroke as he birdied two of the first six holes in Thursday’s final round, but a double bogey at No. 7 was costly. On the back nine, Gerard expanded his lead, playing the first eight holes in 3-under, to win his first AJGA event.
“It feels really good to put it all together and play a complete tournament and not leave any shots out there,” Cole told the AJGA. “I’m just really pleased to play with some of the best golfers in the area and I’ve proved to myself that I can be one of those golfers.”
