The soon-to-be-graduate of Medina High shot a 5-under 66 to win a Northern Ohio Junior PGA qualifier at Astorhurst Country Club in Walton Hills on Saturday.
View full sizeNine questions with Mark Maynard, a soon-to-be-graduate of Medina High who shot a 5-under 66 to win a Northern Ohio Junior PGA qualifier at Astorhurst Country Club in Walton Hills on Saturday. His round, which included nine birdies and seven pars, could have been significantly lower had it not been for double bogeys on the par-4 15th (430 yards) and the par-4 17th (359 yards). He was at 7 under after 14 holes, and that included two three-putt greens. He also lipped out from 12 feet for eagle on the final hole. His round clinched a spot in the Junior PGA Sectional qualifier at Sweetbriar on June 29-30, with a chance to advance to the 35th annual Junior PGA Championship in Ft. Wayne, Ind., Aug. 2-5. He will attend the Atlanta branch of the Savannah College of Art and Design on a combined golf and academic scholarship.
Age: 18. Residence: Medina.
1. Great round. Ever have a competitive round like that before?
"The best round I had before that was a 68 at Big Met during a Kenny Novak event. I've been in the 60s before, but never shot 66."
2. A lot has to go right in order to shoot 66. But anything work extraordinarily well?
"My driver and 3-wood off the tee were probably the strongest they've ever been. I think I drove three of the par-4s and had eagle putts. I could have putted a little better."
3. If you could have one shot back from that round, which one would it be?
"My tee ball on 15. I hooked it OB [out of bounds]."
4. When you got to 7 under (possible 64), what were you thinking?
"I was thinking I had a chance at the course record [62] because my playing partners were telling me I could do it. Briefly, I thought about getting into the 50s, but that was before the 15th."
5. We hear of athletes getting into a "zone" during achievements such as yours. Were you in that "zone"?
"Actually, I didn't feel like I was in any kind of a zone. I just felt good and knew I was playing well. I was talking and joking around with my playing partners the whole time, which is what I normally do. We were just out there having fun."
6. Where did you learn to play?
"My dad taught me the basics when I was about 8 years old. The rest I learned by myself. I've never had a real lesson. When I was 12 or 13, I would tape Tiger Woods' swing off television and then play it back in slow-motion and watch it over and over. Then I taped my swing and played it back in slow-motion. I would compare the two. I think I learned a lot from doing that, and I think I saved my parents a lot of money."
7. After making another double bogey on 17, you came back with a birdie on 18 and almost made eagle.
"Somebody told me that if I took the ball down the first fairway, I could cut some yards off the hole [the out-of-bounds markers are not in effect for junior tournaments]. So that's what I did. I went down the first fairway and had about 155 yards to the hole. I hit a pitching wedge to about 12 feet and lipped out. It was a good birdie."
8. What is your schedule for the rest of the year?
"I want to qualify for the Optimist International at PGA National again. I made it last year. I'll probably do a few more Kenny Novak/PGA events and the Junior PGA Sectional. I am planning on playing in the U.S. Amateur qualifier in July. And I would love to play in the Hudson Junior."
9. Art and golf is a nice mix. What kind of art do you like to do?
"I had this [art] teacher when I was a freshman, and she almost flunked me because I didn't do things exactly like she wanted us to do them. She wanted everyone in the class to do things the same way. That took all the creativity out of it for me, so I quit. I didn't take any more classes until my senior year and just did stuff on my own. I really like drawing portraits and sketching with pencil and pen. I'm not that good at painting, but I can do it. I really don't have a specific style."
-- Tim Rogers