MH resident bests second- place finisher by four strokes
With a strong final four holes, Oakwood High School incoming sophomore and Morgan Hill resident Amay Poria pulled away from the rest of the field and won the Junior Golf Association of Northern California Tournament hosted by Silver Creek Valley Country Club in San Jose last week.
Going into the final holes, Poria was tied with second-place finisher Eashwar Thenpattinam.
But Poria distanced himself down the stretch to capture the tournament title by four strokes, with a two-day score of 1-under par (70-73.) It was Poria’s first JGANC tournament victory of the year.
The win closes a whirlwind of a summer for Poria, who started the season in May at the United States Kids European Junior Championships in Luffness, Scotland. That tournament served as quite a learning experience as Poria had to contend with 60 mph wind gusts and spurts of hail and difficult putting surfaces.
During the JGANC season, Poria finished second at Brookside Country Club in Stockton, and third at Poplar Creek Golf Course in San Mateo.
During the summer, Poria has played on multiple junior circuits in the area, including the Northern California Golf Association, American Junior Golf Association, and the Future Collegiate World Tour.
In addition to last weekend’s triumph, Poria finished second at the Brookside and Stockton Country Club and at Hunter Ranch on the NCGA Junior Circuit, third at Poplar Creek and fourth Los Altos Golf and Country Club.
Poria is in action this week, closing out a two-day stay today in the NGCA Junior Tour Summer Series VI at San Jose Country Club. Poria entered the day in fifth, two strokes behind the leader.
