Sean Smothers wins the Junior Golf Association of Broward County season-ending championship and the prestigious Julius Boros title, after finishing with a low stroke average of 74.25 for the summer. Photo by Gary Curreri
By Gary Curreri
Sean Smothers thought he could have shot a couple of strokes better here and there, but was happy with the way he played. As well he should be.
The Pompano Beach 15-year-old not only won the Junior Golf Association (JGA) of Broward County season-ending championship, but also captured the prestigious Julius Boros title after finishing with a low stroke average of 74.25 for the summer. It was his third tournament title of the summer.
“I just wanted to start off and make sure I kept myself in the tournament,” said Smothers, a Cardinal Gibbons High School junior, who is also a member of the school’s golf team. “It just gives me experience and how to deal with pressure spots. I will learn from what I did here. If I got myself in trouble, I came back after it.”
Smothers, who carded a 75-73-75-223 to win the tournament, has played in the Junior Golf Association of Broward County for the past five years.
“I look forward to Mondays a lot,” said Smothers, of the Monday outings when the JGA of Broward is played. “It is just a time to play golf and spend time with your friends. You get to play tough courses and you get good competition.”
Smothers said the summer tour helped him stay sharp for the high school season and hopes the Chiefs will be competitive in the districts when they finished fourth and narrowly missed advancing farther in the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) state series. He said they added two new players to the squad and that should help.
“This is great because there is good competition and you have to play solid to win it,” Smothers said. “I just try and play the course and, however I do, I do. If I start to play the opponents, that’s when I tend to mess up.”
Smothers also liked playing on the top courses in Broward County during the JGA of Broward.
“It is great,” Smothers said. “It seems like you have a huge advantage, even when you won’t be able to get on courses to play.”
