Jackson headlines U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifier at Carlisle

June 18, 2018

CARLISLE, Pa. — A walk-off eagle ushered Palmer Jackson onto the medalist platform Monday.

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The Hannastown Golf Club member carded a 2-under-par 69 to head a U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifier administered by the Golf Association of Philadelphia at a steamy Carlisle Country Club (par 71, 6,400 yards). He holed a wedge from 20 yards greenside left on the 18th hole (par 5, 541 yards) to earn the top honor outright.

  Jolo Timothy Magcalayo of the Philippines and Matthew Monastero of Leesburg, Va. also advanced. The U.S. Junior Amateur will take place July 16-21 at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J.

  “Last year, I played very poorly here [in a U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifier] so my expectations were low. My game was good coming in,” Jackson, 17, of Murrysville, Pa., said. “I played pretty well all around on the front and hit the ball pretty well on the back. I got really sweaty halfway through the round and had trouble controlling that. Slam dunking it on No. 18 [for eagle] is crazy luck. I’m thrilled.”

  On the aforementioned 18th hole, Jackson, an incoming senior at Franklin Regional High School, pulled a 6-iron from 225 yards left — some 10 yards from the greenside bunker. Next came the eagle hole-out.

  “I hit it on a good line. I hit a good shot,” Jackson said. “It would have went off the green, but it landed in the hole. It was unbelievable. I feel very fortunate.”

  Jackson made the turn in 1 under to separate among the 73 hopefuls. On the tempting No. 2 (par 4, 251 yards), he adhered to a 9-iron-wedge formula, completed by a 15-footer for birdie. Jackson also birdied No. 9 (par 5, 501 yards) thanks to spectacular greenside touch. He pulled a 7-iron from 180 yards left, lifted a chip to 14 feet and executed the ensuing putt.

  Jackson, the reigning Pennsylvania Golf Association Junior Champion, played Carlisle’s par 5s in 4 under thanks to a birdie on the 15th hole (489 yards). He ran a 9-iron from 180 yards to the green’s front and cozied the eagle try to four feet. Oppressive June heat — temperatures peaked at 97 degrees Monday — magnified Carlisle’s difficulty and created grip concerns for the field. No exception to the circumstances at hand, Jackson, who represented the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association in the Williamson Cup last year, slightly lost grip on the 16th tee (par 4, 411 yards), sending a long iron onto the adjacent 15th fairway. He caught the left greenside bunker with his approach and failed to complete a sand save.

  An eagle on the 18th transformed any miscues into afterthoughts.

  “This is huge for me. It’s so tough to qualify for these things because if one or two guys have a great day, then the cut’s going to be 66,” Jackson, runner-up in the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association Junior Championship a year ago, said. “Battling it out throughout the whole round and having fun is really important.”

  Magcalayo and Monastero carded an even-par 71s at Carlisle. The former is on a North America golf tour this summer. He recently competed in the AJGA David Toms Foundation Junior All-Star in Shreveport, La.

  “I guess I played decent and put up a decent score. I missed a lot of birdie putts,” Magcalayo, 15, said. “My game’s been kind of great [so far this season].”

  A clutch chip-in for par on No. 5 (par 4, 340 yards) kept Magcalayo in the moment. He skulled his third shot to the back of the green and proceeded to swipe a wedge into the jar.

  “I guess that’s a lucky one,” Magcalayo said.

  Monastero, an incoming sophomore at Loudoun County High School, made the near two-hour drive to Carlisle for two reasons.

  “Last year I played [in a U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifier] at the Naval Academy (Golf Course), and it was hard. My friend (Kyle Potter) played at Carlisle and said it was a scoreable course, so I came out here,” Monastero, 15, said. “My brother (Ryan) caddied for him, so he told me about the course as well.”

  Monastero inked red on all three of Carlisle’s par 5s. On No. 15 (489 yards), Monastero launched a 4-iron from 190 yards to greenside left, wedged on and buried a 10-footer for birdie. On No. 18 (481 yards), he powered a hybrid 250 yards to the green’s front and logged two putts from 50 feet. Monastero closed with a critical birdie on No. 9 (501 yards), again hammering a hybrid 230 yards to greenside right. He followed a flop shot with a testy downhill 11-footer.

  “I was feeling a little pressure. [My position on the leaderboard] came in the back of my mind,” Monastero said. “My game’s been really good. I’m trending upward. This was one of my better performances of the year.”

Golf Association of Philadelphia
Founded in 1897, the Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) 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 Association’s 260 Full Member Clubs and 75,000 individual members are spread across Eastern Pennsylvania and parts of New Jersey and Delaware. As Philadelphia’s Most Trusted Source of Golf Information, the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.