Choctaw's Jowers repeats as DeBolt overall boys winner (PHOTO GALLERY)

FORT WALTON BEACH — From the very beginning, the 31st Annual Marvin DeBolt Daily News Junior Golf Classic looked to be Brandon Jowers’ tournament for the taking.

Coming off of last year’s win, Jowers, a rising senior at Choctawhatchee, had entered the latest installment of the two-day event cool, calm and quietly confident he could make it back-to-back titles.

Following a Day 2 round of 3-under 69 he later dubbed as “kinda average,” Jowers made good on his attempt at a repeat, capturing the boys 16-18 crown for his third-ever Classic win with a two-day tally of 8-under 136.

Click here to view a photo gallery of Day 2 of the tournament.

“I didn’t hit anything phenomenal,” Jowers said. “I had a couple of good shots and made my putts. I’ve played this tournament my whole life, so to win it two years in a row is a huge accomplishment for me.

“It feels amazing.”

Pensacola Catholic product Justin Stills, who has signed a golf scholarship with Jackson State University in Jackson, Miss., finished second, matching Jowers with his own Day 2 round of 69 to card a 1-under 143 for the tournament, while Washington’s Joe Stepnes won a tie-breaker for third with a 146.

Jowers, Stills and Gulf Breeze’s Daniel Chevillet each fired a 69 on Thursday, a quirk Stills attributed at least in part to the trio sharing a well-cooked meal courtesy of Laong Jowers, Brandon’s mom.

“We all stayed at the Jowers’ house,” Stills said. “It had to be Ms. Jowers’ cooking.”

Brandon wasted little time in building on his Day 1 lead, eagling the first hole.

“That got me fired up right at the get-go,” Jowers said.

From there, the only real intrigue resided in who would finish behind Jowers. One day after turning in a second-place score of 70, Gulf Breeze’s Jack Sargent struggled to maintain that type of pace on Thursday. A 5-over on the first nine holes thrust Sargent into a hole he would spend the rest of the day trying in vain to dig himself out of. Stepnes, meanwhile, followed up Wednesday’s 71 with a 75 to finish third.

It was Stills, however, who made the biggest move on Day 2.

Tied for seventh following a round of 74, Stills’ Day 2 score of 69 not only coupled him with Jowers as the only two boys to finish under par for the day, but also helped catapult him into second place. Coming off of a second-place finish at the Florida State Golf Association Junior Championship in Orlando, Stills arrived at the clubhouse pleased with his effort.

“I just had a bad round yesterday,” Stills said. “You just have to let it go and go out there and have fun. Anything under par is good.”

Despite an early spurt that allowed an already sizeable lead to swell even larger, Jowers said there was no point in which he allowed his mind to drift toward a possible second straight Classic title.
Said Jowers: “It’s not over until the last putt sinks on the 18th hole."