Santa Lucia River Junior Open

On a course framed by water and pressure, it came down to one more hole. At Santa Lucia River Club, John Curran delivered when it mattered most. Curran and Switzerland’s Maximilian Mieschke finished tied at +6 (150) after two rounds, forcing a playoff at the Santa Lucia River Junior Open. Both players mirrored each other across the weekend — steady opening rounds in the mid-70s, followed by composed Sunday finishes. But in sudden death, Curran closed it. The Port St. Lucie native backed up his opening 76 with a 74 on Sunday, while Mieschke surged late with a 73 to draw even. The tension built as the final groups came through the closing stretch, where Santa Lucia’s water-lined holes leave little room for error. In the playoff, Curran executed. One hole. One moment. One champion. Jason Johnson of Barbados finished third at +10 (154), followed by a trio of Connecticut players — Griffin Lawlor, Nicholas Riccelli, and Will Spencer — tied at +11. The leaderboard quickly reflected how demanding Santa Lucia can be. Double-digit over par became common as the weekend progressed. The layout doesn’t overpower with length. It pressures with positioning. Water shapes decision-making on multiple holes. Greens require precise distance control. Approach shots that miss on the wrong side leave delicate recovery options. Over two days, the field — representing Switzerland, Barbados, Germany, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, India, the Dominican Republic, and across the United States — experienced that challenge fully. Momentum shifts were constant. Several players posted strong Sunday rounds — 73s and 76s — but none matched Curran’s ability to combine patience with late-round execution. In a 39-player field with international depth and playoff drama, composure decided it. At Santa Lucia River Club, that’s how it usually ends. This time, it ended with Curran.

At Santa Lucia River Club, steady golf rises to the top. Blake Waidlich proved it. The Keene, New Hampshire native posted rounds of 77-76 to finish at +9 (153), separating himself across two disciplined days at the Santa Lucia River Junior Open. There was no dramatic surge. Just control. Santa Lucia’s layout forces commitment off the tee, with water shaping several key landing areas. Approach shots demand precision, particularly on holes where the green complexes fall off sharply around the edges. Waidlich avoided the big number and improved by a shot on Sunday — often the clearest indicator of adjustment and composure. Xeve Perez of Port St. Lucie finished second at +16 (160), delivering matching rounds of 80-80. Neil Sullivan secured third at +19 (163) after a strong Sunday 78, the low closing round among the top contenders. From there, the scoring gap widened. Broden Spink and Charles Ballard rounded out the top five, but the course continued to expose inconsistency. Water penalties and missed approach angles created separation as the weekend progressed. The story wasn’t low scoring. It was management. In a division where momentum can shift quickly, Waidlich maintained position, trusted conservative targets, and let others chase. At Santa Lucia, that formula works. This weekend, it delivered a championship.

At Santa Lucia River Club, the Boys 12–13 division came down to extra holes. Hunter Williams made them count. Williams and Palmer Buchanan finished tied at +11 (155), each navigating two very different paths to the top of the leaderboard. Buchanan opened with an 80 before firing a closing 75 — the low round of the final pairing — to set the clubhouse mark. Williams took the opposite route. He opened with the division’s lowest round of the tournament, a 73, before battling through an 82 on Sunday to hold his position. The contrast in scorecards created the drama — one player surging late, the other protecting an early advantage. That forced a playoff. In sudden death, Williams executed. On a course defined by water-lined holes and demanding approach angles, one mistake can end it. Williams avoided it, securing the title. Brooks Rodin finished just two shots back at +13 (157) after matching Buchanan’s Sunday 75, keeping the leaderboard tight into the final stretch. From there, separation widened as Santa Lucia continued to penalize missed targets and aggressive lines. The story wasn’t dominance. It was resilience. At 12–13 years old, learning how to manage a lead, respond to pressure, and step into a playoff matters. Williams did all three. At Santa Lucia River Club, composure decided it. Williams walked away with the trophy.

Some wins are tight. This one wasn’t. At Santa Lucia River Club, Payton Haugen didn’t just win the Santa Lucia River Junior Open — she controlled it. The Brookfield, Wisconsin native posted rounds of 73-69 to finish at -2 (142), the only player in the division under par for the championship — and the only one to break 70. Her closing 69 was the statement. Santa Lucia River Club demands precision off the tee and discipline into its water-guarded greens. Haugen didn’t just manage it — she attacked selectively and converted. While others battled double bogeys and momentum swings, she created separation. By the final stretch Sunday, the leaderboard told the story. Arabella Lopez finished second at +11 (155), thirteen shots back. Cristina Alvarez claimed third at +14 (158), while Nina Lang and Sophie Svobodova tied for fourth at +16. The field featured representation from Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Hong Kong, Germany, and across the United States — but none found the combination of control and confidence Haugen displayed over 36 holes. Water hazards shaped decision-making on multiple holes. Approach shots had to land in precise sections of the greens. Miss short-sided and scrambling became survival. Haugen rarely scrambled. Two rounds. Ten birdies across the weekend. No unraveling stretch. At Santa Lucia River Club, that’s dominance. And this weekend, it belonged to Haugen.