Joyce and Cadieux earn Hope Valley Junior Invitational titles
DURHAM, N.C. – Congratulations to Tanner Cadieux of Greensboro, N.C. and Rachel Joyce of Pinehurst, N.C. on winning the 7th Hope Valley Junior Invitational.
The 54-hole event was originally scheduled to take three days, but impending storms and inclement weather throughout the week shifted things around. Nearly two full rounds were played on Tuesday even with a two-hour rain delay during the first 18 holes.
Round 2 was wrapped up Wednesday morning and participants played straight through to Round 3, setting up an exciting finish in both divisions.
Joyce finished at even par for the championship with scores of 68-72-70 for a total of 210. She dominated the field and won by eight shots.
Cadieux reached 10-under, shooting 65-67-68, but needed four playoff holes against Aidan Wilson of Winston-Salem, N.C. before he officially secured the title.
Play was conducted in a shotgun format to attempt to beat out the storms headed Durham’s way. While it rained for most of the day on Tuesday, the sun actually made an appearance by the time the champions were crowned Wednesday afternoon.
Round 1 kicked off at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday and players were shuttled to their starting holes before their long walk of the day began.
Nearly three hours later, play was suspended with storms in the area. To fill the time, players ate lunch and played cards together in the clubhouse.
Despite it all, both Joyce and Cadieux reached red figures.
Toward the end of the opening round, Joyce grinded out birdies to shoot the only under par score of the girls’ division. Playing right into Round 2, she completed 14 holes before play was cut short due to darkness at 7:45 p.m.
By the end of Round 2 Wednesday morning, Joyce was at even-par overall. With some bumps in the road to start her Final Round, she rallied with a birdie on her tenth hole, getting back to even, before parring out the rest of the way.
Joyce was most proud of her putting and said she converted some that she doesn’t normally make which helped propel her down the stretch.
The Hope Valley Invitational grants exemptions to other tournaments and Joyce is excited for those upcoming opportunities.
Cadieux similarly got off to a hot start and finished Round 1 strong with birdies on three of his last four holes. Wilson matched him at 5-under but both were two shots off Ryan Curran of Waxhaw, N.C. who fired an opening round 63, the lowest round of the week.
Wilson’s birdie on the 53rd hole matched Cadieux at 10-under to force the playoff. They played the par-three 18th four times before Cadieux ultimately won by making par.
This was Cadieux’s last junior event since he is starting his collegiate career at NC State this fall.
“It means a lot, feels good, you know,” Cadieux said. “I didn’t win that much as a junior so winning this feels pretty good.”
The Carolinas Golf Association would like to thank the members and staff of Hope Valley Country Club. A special thanks goes out to Tournament Director, Allen Smith, Head Pro, Bob Byrnes and the HVCC professional staff, and Agronomy Team who worked incredibly hard preparing the course for this event.
About the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA)
The CGA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization founded in 1909 to promote and protect the game of golf in the Carolinas by providing competitions, education, support, and benefits to golf clubs and golfers. The CGA is one of the largest golf associations in the country, with over 700 member clubs represented by over 200,000 individuals.
The CGA annually conducts 48 championships and five team match competitions for men, women, juniors, and seniors. It also runs over 150 One-Day (net and gross) events and qualifying for USGA national championships. The CGA serves golf in the Carolinas with numerous programs such as: the USGA Handicap System; tournament management software and support; course measuring and course/slope ratings; agronomy consultation; answers about the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status, and Handicapping; Carolinas Golf Magazine; Interclub series; Tarheel Youth Golf Association; Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame; expense assistance for USGA Junior and Girls’ Junior qualifiers from the Carolinas; and the Carolinas Golf Foundation (CGF). The CGF has distributed over $3,000,000 since 1977 to benefit Carolinas’ golf initiatives, including junior, women and adaptive programs.
For more information about the Carolinas Golf Association, follow @cgagolf1909 on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok or visit our website www.carolinasgolf.org/
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