Granitville – Jackson Byrd knows that his game is good enough to win the junior invitation to Sage Valley.
He has the speed and the strength to create notation opportunities. He has experience, both in Sage Valley and on the international scene, to do the work at the highest level. He has the pedigree, coming from one of the main families of the state golf.
It only remains for him to win a gold jacket.
This is the goal of this week for Byrd, a senior for Clemson making his third and last appearance at the Junior Invitational. He trusted his game before the tournament, and he supported this in the first round with a 71-mine.
“This is my third time here, so I feel like a kind of veteran,” he said. “I feel quite comfortable this week. I just tried to prepare myself physically, then mentally, today, I prepare for the tour. I have the impression that my game is good enough to win, so trying to enter a good head space and enjoy the week.”
Byrd, classified fourth in the Rolex Junior ranking of the American Junior Golf Association, won a marquee victory in October at the Ping Invitational which was its best finish since equality for the third at the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic in June.
Before that? Equality for sixth at the junior invitation from last year.
His scoring average in Sage Valley when the week arrived was 72.5, a number inflated by a few loose rounds in his beginnings in 2023. Last year, he turned by or better in the three laps, and he started the edition of this year ready to continue this trajectory.
“I think I really hit him very well.” I feel like my ball jump is pretty good, so compose the speeds of the Greens and give me looks and try not to make stupid mistakes and see what I can do. “
He avoided these mistakes in the first round, making only two bogeys in a difficult day before starting the second round on Thursday in attack mode in a rain valley.
