Persistence paid off for Geneva junior Ayden Richmond during Tuesday’s North Coast Junior Golf Tour event at Madison Country Club.
Richmond, a first-team All-Chagrin Valley Conference performer last fall, struggled a bit to find his groove on the front nine but played even on the back to finish tied for first place with a 74.
“I was hitting a majority of the fairways but my iron play is really what kept me in the tournament, along with some great putts,” Richmond said. “It was very exciting to find out that my score of 74 tied the event for first place.”
Richmond’s round started with a birdie on the 363-yard first hole but he double-bogeyed the second and fourth holes.
“Golf is a game that is full of ups and downs but you have to keep your head in the right state of mind,” Richmond said.
His tee shot on the 359-yard fifth-hole missed the mark, leaving him nestled in among the trees lining the left side of the fairway with about 115 yards to the hole.
What happened next provided him with the momentum and confidence to finish the round on a positive note.
“I punched a 4-iron very low just trying to get it to roll up to the hole and it hit the flagstick and rolled out to 10 feet for a putt at birdie,” Richmond said. “I proceeded to make the putt and it was a key turning point for me, especially since I double-bogeyed the previous hole.”
Richmond closed out the next 13 holes with six pars, three birdies and three bogeys.
The tournament at Madison Country Club was the third for Richmond on the Junior Tour this summer.
He’s hoping his success during the off-season carries over into his junior season with the Eagles.
“I didn’t play as well as I would have liked to, but it was nice to shoot a good round at Madison,” Richmond said. “The summer tour has showed me that all the work on my game is paying off and that I can continue to improve and shoot even lower scores.”
