Third time’s the charm for South Africa’s Jayden Schaper, who muscled his way to victory at the AJGA Junior Players Championship this weekend.
‘It really feels amazing on my third go, to finally get the win,’ said SA’s leading amateur.
He was forced to sink a six-foot putt at the final hole to cement a one-shot victory on a six-under-par 210.
With Hurricane Dorian closing in on the coast of Florida, the invitation-only junior event at the iconic TPC Sawgrass was reduced to two days.
The field teed off the first round in driving rain that swept across the Stadium Course in the morning, but 18-year-old Schaper wasted no time in living up to his billing. He broke into the top four with an opening three-under-par 69 and, in the afternoon, the Ebotse golfer braved the elements to card a 70 that earned him a share of the lead with American Brett Robert on four under.
‘In a lot of our tournaments back home, we play 36 holes on the first day and 18 on the last, so the change in format didn’t really faze me,’ he said. ‘It’s one of my most favourite courses and it was such a big goal of mine. It hasn’t really sunk in, but I’m just over the moon to call myself a Junior Players champion.’
Exhibiting the same cool and composed demeanour that had him triumph under great pressure in the South African Stroke Play Championship earlier this year, Schaper was the picture of calm on the final day. He got off to a birdie start at the par-four 1st and parred the next four holes before a birdie at the par-four 6th took him clear of the chasing pack on six under.
‘I had a terrible warm-up session on the range and I just wasn’t striking it well at all,’ he said. ‘Then I got on the first tee, striped it down the middle and made birdie and that settled the nerves.’
Once he got his nose in front, Schaper never relinquished the lead.
Despite spirited charges from Bo Jin from China and Australian Karl Vilips, and successive bogeys at the 7th and 8th holes, Schaper turned level and rallied with two birdies on the bounce on the par-five 11th and par-four 12th to get back to six under.
‘After the wobble on the front nine, I kept it simple. I hit fairways and greens and I was able to keep myself in it,’ Schaper said.
The South African offset a third bogey at the short 13th with his fifth gain, at the par-four 15th, and two solid pars gave him a two-shot lead at the final hole.
‘I always try to keep my head down in tournaments, focus on my own game and play one shot at a time. I knew what the guys in my group were doing, but not much else,’ he said.
‘I missed a short birdie putt on 16 and I was happy to walk away with a good par on 17. I don’t care what anyone says, standing on that tee, you don’t want to be the guy who hits it in the water. I felt comfortable coming up 18. I’ve felt good about that tee shot all week.
‘I asked what the leaderboard was doing and they told me I was two shots ahead, but Bo Jin had a six-foot putt for birdie. I hit a good drive down the middle, and I heard the cheers and knew I only needed par to win.
‘The club I had in my hand was the same one I used to make a birdie two years ago to make the International Team for the Junior Presidents Cup. Then I blocked the shot right and it came up just short right of the green. Not a great shot and I wasn’t too happy with it. I was calm, though, by the time I got to my ball, and I chipped it to six feet below the hole and sunk the putt.’
Schaper became the fifth international winner in the 13-year history of the event.
‘The thought of winning it was there in the back of my mind when we arrived, but I didn’t think it could really happen. To get a win over here in the United States in this kind of field is amazing. I had some trouble during the tournament, but I backed it up with some good golf,’ Schaper said.
