10-year-old Kevin Choe breaks par at DeBolt Classic (PHOTO GALLERY)
FORT WALTON BEACH — Outside the usual stunning play of overall boys’ champion Brandon Jowers, the talk of the 31st Annual Marvin DeBolt Daily News Junior Golf Classic was a 10-year-old from Pensacola.
Despite being half a decade away from a driver’s license, Kevin Choe was one of just five golfers in any age group to finish the tournament under par, posting a 1-under 71 over two days on his way to a win in the 10-11 age group. Gulf Breeze’s Nolan Remig (75) and Pensacola’s A.J. Panyko (77) finished second and third, respectively.
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Although his age group played just 18 holes in the tournament instead of 36 and played from closer tees, the accomplishment was widely discussed.
“That is very rare,” said Jowers, who finished the tournament eight strokes under par. “I wasn’t doing that when I was 10. I didn’t shoot under par until I was 12. He’s got a future.”
Choe made four birdies over the two-day span, including three on Thursday. On Wednesday, he birdied the first hole and played par golf over the final eight. On Thursday, a bogey and wayward double-bogey on 16 derailed his attempts to push his score further into the red numbers.
Starting from the 10th hole on Thursday after opening with the front nine on Wednesday, Choe posted back-to-back birdies on 12 and 13, highlighted by a 15-foot birdie putt on 13. However, he followed with a bogey on 15 and a double bogey on 16 to get back to even.
“I felt a little more pressure,” Choe said. “My putting was the best today.”
Choe said he planned on celebrating the win with a dinner out at a restaurant, although he hadn’t decided which one. The celebratory meal was well deserved after his performance this week. That performance also let some of his older peers know who to look out for in the future.
“I didn’t even start playing golf until I was 11,” said Ashleigh Ryals who finished second in the girls’ 15-18 group. “That’s incredible. If he keeps that up, he’ll be awesome.”
