After 51st-place finish in IMG Academy Junior Worlds, Coloradan Hunter Swanson gears up for U.S. Junior Amateur
By Gary Baines – 7/16/2021
On Friday near San Diego, Hunter Swanson of Denver concluded his four-day run at the IMG Academy Junior World Championships, one of the game’s most prestigious tournaments for junior golfers.
And now it’s on to perhaps the grandaddy of them all for male junior golfers, the U.S. Junior Amateur. Swanson, along with fellow Coloradans who competed in the Junior Worlds (Matthew Wilkinson of Centennial and Wes Erling of Colorado Springs) will go from the West Coast this week to the East Coast next week, when they’ll tee it up in the Village of Pinehurst in North Carolina beginning on Monday. They’ll be joined at the U.S. Junior Am by Jeff Nelson of Commerce City and Jonathan Trigg of Cherry Hills Village. All qualified in Colorado except for Swanson, who was the medalist in an Omaha qualifier on July 1, when he shot a 69.
Swanson was the lone Coloradan to make the boys 15-18 54-hole cut to the low 50 players and ties for the Junior Worlds. The 2020 Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado Boys Player of the Year didn’t finish how he’d like, but still placed in the top quarter of the field at Torrey Pines South, the site of last month’s U.S. Open.
After going 70-74 the first two rounds, Swanson went 77-82 on Thursday and Friday to place 51st out of the 207-player field. The future University of Colorado golfer played well through nine holes on Friday — as he stood at 2-over 37 on the front — but struggled to a 45 on his final nine.
For more about the Coloradans who concluded the Junior Worlds on Thursday, CLICK HERE.
Here are the scores for all the Coloradans who competed at the Junior Worlds:
IMG Academy Junior World Championships
(In San Diego Area)
Boys 15-18 (Tuesday-Friday)
51. Hunter Swanson, Denver 70-74-77-82–303
(Missed 54-Hole Cut)
53. Matthew Wilkinson, Centennial 79-75-72–226
61. Wes Erling, Colorado Springs 73-79-75—227
68. Jake Chesler, Firestone 75-78-75–228
Boys 13-14 (Tuesday-Thursday)
12. Tyler Long, Evergreen 71-76-73–220
106. Roland Thornton, Aurora 81-78-78–237
132. Kaden Devenport, Fort Collins 83-83-80—246
145. Jake Dost, Parker 82-85-83–250
Boys 11-12 (Tuesday-Thursday)
86. Ash Edwards, Boulder 79-86-83–248
Boys 9-10 (Tuesday-Thursday)
29. Brady Shaw, Pueblo 79-78-75–232
44. Braylon Ball, Windsor 83-83-73–239
59. Max Music, Broomfield 84-80-87–251
70. Doro Wilcox, Denver 92-87-83–262
Boys 7-8 (Tuesday-Thursday)
27. Eli Dawson, Loveland 83-75-85–243
50. Jameson Ross, Castle Rock 89-86-86—261
Girls 15-18 (Tuesday-Friday)
(Missed 54-Hole Cut)
Sofia Choi, Littleton 79-76-79–234
Emily Cheng, Colorado Springs 85-79-77–241
Abigail Aeschleman, Highlands Ranch 84-83-83–250
Girls 13-14 (Tuesday-Thursday)
15. Hadley Ashton, Erie 74-74-76–224
71. Caitlyn Chin, Greenwood Village 79-78-85–242
71. Alena Kasanicky, Longmont 80-85-77–242
92. Hope Torres, Broomfield 94-82-83—259
Girls 9-10 (Tuesday-Thursday)
44. Scout Fitzgerald, Parker 82-84-83–249
62. Claire Atzbach, Lone Tree 98-91-98–287
Girls 6 & Under (field of 10) (Tuesday-Thursday)
9. Madelyn Dickerson, Aurora 81-76-72–229 (34 over par)
For all the scores from the Junior Worlds, CLICK HERE.