Lake Tansi Junior Open

The Lake Tansi Junior Open brought a gritty, hard-fought weekend of golf to Tennessee, where cold air, tight fairways, and demanding greens forced every player in the field to earn every stroke. From the opening tee shots on Saturday to the last putts falling on Sunday, Lake Tansi Village Country Club played as tough as it has all season, and the champions who emerged did so by handling pressure, avoiding big numbers, and staying mentally sharp in conditions that punished even slight mistakes. At the top of the leaderboard in the Boys 16–18 division, Ryder Rose of Edina, MN delivered the steadiness the moment required. His matching rounds of 75–75, finishing at +6, weren’t flashy—but they were controlled, disciplined, and exactly what the course demanded. As the rest of the field absorbed double bogeys and momentum swings, Rose never wavered, maintaining a rhythm that separated him from those chasing. Hayden Bowman fought hard to finish six shots back at +12, while Cillian Carmack closed at +13, each player showing flashes of charge but unable to track down Rose’s consistency. Down the leaderboard, the fight was just as fierce. Minjun Choi at +15, followed by the duo of Parker Brandon and Josh Franks at +18, all battled through the same swirling winds and firm greens that defined the weekend. But Rose’s composure proved the difference, marking a standout performance as the 2025 season winds down. The Boys 14–15 division produced the weekend’s most dramatic Sunday surge. Mark Mercer of Elizabethtown, KY erased a slow start with a brilliant final-round 74, the best score in his division by a wide margin. That run of precision and poise carried him to the top at +16, well ahead of Henry Rackley, who finished at +25, and Austin Manchir, who held third at +42. Mercer’s back nine on Sunday—calm tee shots, confident approaches, and unshakable putting—became the signature stretch of the day across all divisions. In Boys 12–13, Jack Dorr of Nashville embraced the grind better than anyone. His 90–95 weekend, finishing at +41, reflected two days of steady recovery and damage control. With Lake Tansi punishing any lapse in accuracy, Dorr’s resilience and ability to reset after tough holes pushed him clear of Walker Smith, who took second at +61 but showed excellent touch around the greens all weekend. The youngest boys division featured one of the most commanding wins of the event. Hayden Cofield of Chattanooga posted 94–90 to finish at +40, comfortably securing the Boys 10–11 title. His ball-striking improved significantly on Sunday, allowing him to pull away early and never look back. In the Girls 14–18 field, Kamryn Renner of Greeneville, TN emerged as the standout, closing with a strong 80 to capture the title at +20. Renner navigated the course with maturity, turning away pressure with smart club selections and decisive putting when the greens became increasingly tricky. Behind her, a tie at +43 between Bayley Dunn and Reese Hukka showcased two players who stayed tough even as conditions grew more demanding. Caroline Au followed at +47, while Kalyn Watkins completed the top five at +48. In every division, Lake Tansi delivered the same message: this was a weekend where patience beat power, where course management overshadowed risk-taking, and where every champion proved they could adapt when the course tilted against them. The HJGT once again hosted an event that pushed junior golfers to compete, grow, and elevate their games at one of Tennessee’s most challenging venues—and those who battled through Lake Tansi’s test will carry the confidence of this grind into the rest of the season.