Gilroy – Jonathan Higgins knew he had the match in the bag by the fifth hole.
With four holes left in the 23rd Annual Beatty Memorial golf tournament held at the Gilroy Golf Course, Higgins heard that the other players were having a bad day. He finally let the nerves go to rest knowing that he was going to coast the rest of the way to the winners circle.
“On the first hole I had some butterflies,” said the 15-year-old. “That happens when you’re trying to defend your first half lead.”
Higgins shot 82, the best in the tournament. Not only did he come in first in the 14-17 age group but he was also awarded the Champion’s trophy, meaning he was the best player in the tournament.
“I’m relieved,” Higgins said after the tournament. “It feels real good.”
In his second Beatty tournament, Higgins said that on the first day, which was Tuesday, all he wanted to do was post a good score. After that was done all he needed to do was just hit the fairway and greens, he said.
This year’s tournament was Robbie Filice’s first. But he said he wasn’t even trying to win it.
“I didn’t really care if I came in first place,” said the winner of the 10-13 age division. “This is my first tournament. I just wanted to have fun.”
But it wasn’t all easy, Filice said. On the seventh hole the sun was beating down at an angle that made it hard to focus. However, it wasn’t the 99 degree heat that bothered him, it was the braces on his teeth that were put on a couple days earlier that gave him the most trouble.
One player that didn’t seem to have any trouble was 8-year-old Ryan Slater who played in the 9 and under group.
Slater said he started playing with plastic golf clubs when he was 18-months-old and started participating in tournaments when he was 5. This was Slater’s fourth time in the Beatty Memorial golf tournament. He is so good that he was told to play along with the 10-13 age group.
“It might have pushed me a little because I wanted to beat them,” he said. The 9 and under kids only played 12 holes total, compared to 18 by the older players, but Slater’s score of 61 had him on par to beat out many of the older kids had he kept going.
After the tournament he was awarded a trophy for his first place finish in his division. When asked about what the win meant to him he shrugged his shoulders and said, “Just another victory.”
One of the other players in the 9 and under division was Jake Moen. After Moen’s mother, Shawn, noticed that Slater beat the two 9-year-olds by about 60 shots each, she said, “I’m glad I didn’t have to play with him.”
Throughout the day many of the players’ faces went from huge smiles to scowls depending on the shot they hit. But all-in-all they each said the tournament was a blast.
