Michael Simms made the most of what will be his final Royal LePage provincial junior golf championship with a commanding win this week at Glendenning Golf in St. John’s.
The 18-year-old out of the Clovelly club in the capital city recorded a final round four-under par 67 on Wednesday to finish the three-day event with an even-par 213 total.
That put Simms 24 strokes ahead of runner-up Ethan Efford of Bally Haly in St. John’s, who wound up with a 267 total after a 79 on Wednesday.
Simms’ individual-day scores — a 68 on Monday, 78 on Tuesday and Wednesday’s 67 — were the three best rounds among all the male golfers in the event. It gave him his first title in the junior boys division; his best previous finish in the division was as runner-up last year.
This is the last season in the junior ranks for Simms, who turns 19 later this year, but it doesn’t mark the end of his competition in the division. He, Efford and third-place finisher of Clovelly Alex Dolomount (82 Wednesday, 249 total) have earned the right to represent Newfoundland and Labrador at the Future Links Atlantic Championships at Covered Bridge Golf and Country Club in Hartland, N.B., next week and at the national junior boys championships, also set for the Hartland course in August.
Taylor Cormier of Blomidon Golf Club won her second provincial junior girls title, recording a 77 Wednesday to finish with a 244 total, third best of any golfer — male or female — in the Glendenning competition.
Cormier and runner-up Sanjana Gullipalli are eligible to represent the province at the Future Links Atlantics next week in New Brunswick.
Ethan Efford is also age-eligible in the juvenile division (15-16) and claimed his second straight provincial championship in that section. His 237 put him 21 strokes ahead of second-place Nathan Young of Torbay and Clovelly (258 total) and third-place Evan Mitchell of Bally Haly (259).
All the division winners this week did so in wire-to-wire fashion, including Karsen Best of Holyrood and Bally Haly in bantam boys (13-14). Best carded an 85 Wednesday for a three-day total of 267, six strokes ahead Jack Pelley-MacHardy of Grand Falls Golf Club. Evan Snow of Gander was third.
For all the scores from the competition, go online here
