Gerard shoots a 2-under 69 in the final round at Kahkwa Club in Erie, Pa. Also, Corey Weckerling of Oakwood ties for second at the AccuSport Championships in Clemmons, N.C.
The high school golf season starts today for St. Ignatius junior Matt Gerard when the Wildcats play in a tournament at Seven Hills Country Club in Hartville.However, he will begin his season as a national champion.
Gerard put the finishing touches on three days of under-par golf when he shot a 2-under 69 on Thursday to win the Erie Junior Golf Classic, a national event conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, at the Kahkwa Club in Erie, Pa.
Gerard, of Rocky River, finished the 54-holes at 7-under 206 to win by three shots over Ryan Cole, of Mount Airy, Md., and Meechai Padungsiriseth, of Bradenton, Fla. Nick Palladino, a recent Mayfield graduate who will attend the University of Rochester, finished in a tie for sixth place at 213.
Gerard, who sat out the start of the St. Ignatius season in order to play in this event, had five birdies and three bogeys. The turning point came on the 214-yard 15th hole. Tied with two others on the tee, he struck a 4-iron shot that stopped two feet from the hole for a birdie. The other players both made bogey.
"I really wanted to play in this event, but now I am ready to start the high school season. This gives me a little adrenaline," Gerard said.
Weckerling ties for second: Corey Weckerling of Oakwood, Ohio, tied for second at 2-over 208 at the AccuSport Championship in Clemmons, N.C. Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the 53-hole stroke play event featured 70 boys and 20 girls, ages 12-18, from 16 states, South Africa and Italy. Weckerling carded rounds of 70, 70, 68.