MANSFIELD — For Lexi Uplinger, Brock Dettmer and Jonah Aumend, the final round of the Richland County Junior Golf Tournament amounted to little more than a soggy victory lap.
For Kira Moore and Tyler Jackson, every rain-soaked stroke mattered.
Moore sank a birdie putt on the final hole for a one-shot victory in the girls 15-16 division, while Jackson claimed the boys 13-14 title by virtue of a scorecard playoff Tuesday at The Woods at Possum Run.
A rising sophomore at Ashland, Moore capped an unlikely five-stroke comeback with a 20-foot birdie on the par-5 ninth hole. The ball lingered briefly on the lip before finally dropping, sending Moore to her fourth straight junior title.
“I’ve never played in a playoff, so I was really nervous,” said Moore, who a member of Ashland’s state-qualifying girls team last fall. “I thought the ball was going to stop and I was like, ‘Oh no!’ ”
Moore trailed the dynamic Shelby duo of Amanda Ruminski and Nicole Jones by two strokes after Monday’s opening-round 78 at Twin Lakes. She tripled-bogeyed her first hole Tuesday morning, the par-3 10th, while Ruminski and Jones both parred in the rain.
After the slow start, Moore had six birdies and closed with a 1-over 75 and a two-day total of 153.
“I love playing in the rain. I don’t know, it’s soothing,” Moore said. “It was raining until the last three or four holes.”
Ruminski finished with a 3-over 78 and a two-day 154. Jones, the younger sister of former Shelby state champ Alexis Jones, carded an 84 on Tuesday and finished with a 160.
In the boys 13-14 division, Jackson followed Monday’s 94 with a 95 and a two-day 189. Jared Scott shot an 89 Monday and a 100 Tuesday.
“We gave them the choice of going out for a playoff or going to the scorecards,” tournament director Dick Henry said.
Neither Uplinger, the winner of the girls 17-18 division, nor boys 17-18 champ Dettmer was seriously challenged Tuesday. Uplinger followed her opening-round 82 with a second-day 83 for a 165 and a 22-stroke victory over Jaya Das (94-93—187).
“I’m extremely happy,” Uplinger said. “I’m still not hitting my irons very well and I’m scoring in the low-80s.”
Dettmer shot an 84 on Tuesday after opening with a 76 on Monday. His two-day 160 was 26 shots better than runner-up Jarrett Finley (93-93—186).
“My game is starting to come around,” Dettmer said. “I’ve been hitting it pretty decent.”
Jonah Aumend, who had a four-stroke lead after an opening-round 79, shot an 83 on Tuesday for a two-day total of 162. Tanner Harless (88-85—173) was second.
“I’m playing with a lot of confidence right now,” said Aumend, who was the No. 2 man at Madison last year. “I’m trusting in my swing right now.”
