First American Junior Golf crown: Puyat rallies, takes 1-shot win

MANILA, Philippines - Marcel Puyat fired a two-under par 70 as he battled back from five strokes down to turn back David Lee then pounced on Will Zalatoris’ late bogeys to capture the American Junior Golf Association-Under Armour/Hunter Mahan Championship boys’ crown at the TPC Craig Ranch course in McKinney, Texas Sunday.

Puyat, 17, rammed in three birdies in the final round to negate his lone bogey mishap on No. 11 for a 70 and a 54-hole total of 216 as the top ICTSI-backed shotmaker played steady all day to annex his first win on the American Junior Golf Association tour, which gives young men and women a chance to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf.

Entering the final in joint fourth with four others, including Zalatoris from Texas, five shots behind Lee, Puyat, who reach the last 16 stage of both the US Junior Amateur and US Amateur last year, stayed focused and used a strategy to score his breakthrough win.

“My game plan was to make pars on the tough holes and be aggressive on the easy holes,” said Puyat, who is being eyed by coaches of UCLA, Duke Univ. and Stanford University. “I knew all I had to do was stick to that plan to win.”

In contrast, Lee, also from Texas, lost his touch and skied to a five-over 77, dropping to third with a 218 in a tie with Lee McCoy (68) of Florida and Al McInerney (74) of Nevada.

Zalatoris made two birdies against two bogeys to make the turn at 36, dropping just one shot back off Puyat, who birdied No. 7. He drew level as the Filipino bet dropped a shot on No. 11, only to reel back again with back-to-back bogeys from No. 13.

Puyat, one of the US-based golfing scholars of ICTSI, birdied No. 16 to surge ahead by three and held on to a one-stroke win as Zalatoris came charging home with two birdies in the last three holes for a 71 and a 217 for second.

It was indeed an inspiring win for Puyat, who opened with a 72 for joint sixth then moved up to a share of fourth despite fumbling with a two-over 74.