This past weekend Hogan Blais (Matt DeJohn Golf Academy) won the Palm Beach Junior Open at the Westchester Golf Club. Blais won the competitive boys 16-18 age group this past weekend shooting -1 and placing first out of 23 golfers. We asked the Canadian native some questions, at the end of the weekend, about the tournament and how it felt to win. We took the time to ask Hogan what this win meant to him.
What did it mean to win this weekend on the Hurricane Tour?
Hogan– It meant a lot to win this for me seeing what I’ve been working hard on in practice and mentally finally coming together.
What was the secret to your success?
Hogan– I’d say I played the course aggressively the first day hitting driver on pretty much all the holes. I gave myself shots that I was comfortable hitting being around the greens and inside 80 yards… I also was proud of how I grinded it out after making back-to-back doubles on 9 and 10 I was able to come back with a couple birdies and an eagle in the final stretch.
What advice do you have for other junior golfers out there?
Hogan– I would say work on shots inside 80 yard 70% of your practice time because really for the most part when you count out all the shots you play in a round, a lot of them come from inside that yardage and being able to make up and down from 80 yards and in is what wins these kinds of tournaments. I would also recommend everybody to go read Bob Rottellas book Golf is Not a Game of Perfect. It is probably the best book I’ve ever read and has really helped me control my emotions in golf and life, especially when it comes to grinding it out and not giving up when it gets hard.
Hogan’s next tournament will be the SOLD OUT 54 Hole Orlando Junior Open presented by Advent Health.
