Delaware Junior Championships: Day Two

Jeff Homer, Reagan Garnsey take #DelawareJunior hardware

DOVER, Del. – All Jeff Homer could do was wait, ponder and think about what could be.

| Scoring | Junior Boys’ History | Junior Girls’ History | Day One Recap |

During an 85-minute weather delay, Homer possessed a two-shot lead with his eye on the prize. But he couldn’t help looking ahead and thinking about what it would mean for him to win the Delaware Junior Boys’ Championship in his last attempt in his home state.

“I was trying to relax during the delay,” Homer said. “I was just chatting with my friends that were here and kept a good vibe. I was thinking about the first shot I would have when we started again. It’s tough having a lead in a delay because it is all you think about. I felt good coming back out.”

That feeling didn’t translate. He came out of the delay and bogeyed Nos. 16 (par 3, 149 yards) and 17 (par 4, 342 yards). GAP Youth on Course’s Zac Antao finished at 4 over for the event after a final-round 70. Homer had a one-shot lead with one hole to play.

“I hit every shot flush after the restart,” Homer said. “That’s all I can do. Coming down No. 18, I thought I was tied. I am glad I looked at the leaderboard and saw I had a one-shot lead. It made it easier for me to play the hole.”

He stepped up and hit a sand wedge from 118 yards to 15 feet on the last (par 5, 579 yards) and two-putted for par to win.

Homer, the 2021 Christman Cup and Harry Hammond Award winner, stuck to the task and remained patient to claim the 72nd Delaware Junior Boys’ Championship Friday at Maple Dale Country Club (par 72, 6,407 yards) with a final-round 73.

“It means a lot to get this done,” Homer, 18, of Wilmington, Del., said. “It’s my home state and my seventh attempt. I haven’t played my best in the event. It feels good to pull it off.”

Homer went wire-to-wire to claim his first #DelawareJunior title. He was the Round One leader after a round of 74.

His highlight in the final round was an eagle on No. 12 (par 5, 457 yards). He pierced a 6-iron from 195 yards to 35 feet and canned the bomb to extend his lead prior to the delay.

If you look at a tournament tee sheet in Delaware and Philadelphia, you’ll see Homer on it. His brothers Matt and Jack also will be there. They travel a lot to compete and learn. It’s truly a family affair.

“All of the golf has helped me get into a better state of mind,” Homer, a past Wilmington Country Club Junior Club Champion (2018) and Men’s Club Champion (2021), said. “These tournaments are a lot of golf and a lot of holes. One mistake won’t kill you. There’s so much time to make it up. I just wanted to stay present and focus on the task at hand, which is the next shot.”

All of this effort has led to a dream opportunity for Jeff this fall at the University of Delaware playing Division I golf.

“The University of Delaware was the perfect place for me to play in college,” Homer said. “The school is amazing. The facilities are amazing and I am close to home. The guys on the team are great. It is fulfilling a dream for me. I am excited to start there in the fall.”

Next week, he will attempt to become only the second player to win two Christman Cup titles. He goes off at 7:50 a.m. at Gulph Mills Golf Club on July 13.

“I’ve been struggling a little bit,” Homer said. “The game has been there. It just hasn’t clicked yet. To win a tournament gives me a ton of confidence. To win my home state’s Junior Championship in my last try means a lot.”

Girls’ Division

Friday represented a couple of firsts for Wild Quail Golf & Country Club’s Reagan Garnsey.

She drove to the golf course for the first time alone and she carded her lowest tournament round of her young life. Not bad for just a day’s work.

Garnsey, aided by her newfound approach and steadfast consistency, claimed the 40th Delaware Junior Girls’ Championship at Maple Dale (par 72, 5,422 yards).

She carded a final-round 70, to finish at 2 over for the tournament. It is her second title. She triumphed for the first time in 2021 at Mulligan’s Pointe.

“I’m really excited to win this for a second time,” Garnsey, 16, of Camden, Del., said. “This tournament was the first big event that I won. It was also the first time I broke 80 in a tournament round. There’s a lot of sentimental value for me in the Delaware Junior. That’s why I keep coming back to play. The growth in my game and my personal growth has been great.”

She carded her best tournament round prior to Friday in May as a member of Caesar Rodney High School’s golf team. She shot 71 at Maple Dale to win the Henlopen Conference Championship. She finished sixth in the DIAA State Championship a week later at Baywood Greens. She will be a rising junior at Caesar Rodney in the fall.

But it always hasn’t been this easy for her. Changes in her mental attitude have brought huge changes. Less pressure. More focus. 

“My mental game has improved so much,” Garnsey said. “That part of golf is what I used to struggle with. I put so much pressure on myself. All of the pressure was unnecessary and irrational. I started working with a sports psychologist, which has been helpful. That’s what I want to do when I get older. I find it all so interesting.

“Changing my attitude has made me be more intentional with golf. I view success more on my daily improvement as opposed to score. I want to view golf as an enjoyable experience. It helps so much. I like practicing because when you get to a pressure point in a round, being able to hit the shot you want and execute it is amazing. There’s no better feeling.”

She played the first seven holes of the final round in 2 over but then her patience was rewarded. She would play her final 11 holes in 4 under.

Her red-hot stretch began with a birdie on No. 8 (par 3, 140 yards). She hit a pitching wedge to five feet.

She went flag hunting with a 7-iron from 170 yards on No. 12 (par 5, 418 yards). She rolled in the ensuing four-footer for eagle.

The last birdie on the card came after driving it to the fringe on No. 15 (par 4, 260 yards) and getting down in two putts. No stress, just red numbers.

“I am looking forward to the rest of the summer,” Garnsey said. “ There’s going to be a lot of golf and playing in tournaments, but I’ll make sure to get some time at the pool and the beach. It’s been fun.”

GAP
Celebrating Amateur Golf since 1897, GAP, also known as the Golf Association of Philadelphia, is the oldest regional or state golf association in the United States. It serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. The organization’s 340 Member Clubs and 100,000 individual members are spread across Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland. The GAP’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.