Swanson, veteran of Hale Irwin Player Program, posts top-20 finish at High School Golf National Invitational
By Gary Baines – 8/5/2020
Last fall, Hunter Swanson finished tied for second at the boys 4A state high school tournament. The 2020 season is beginning this week in Colorado, but before the golfer from Northfield High School starts down that road, he had a bigger-scale tournament on the agenda.
And Swanson didn’t just make an appearance at the High School Golf National Invitational at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina; he posted a very competitive performance.
The Denver golfer, one of a handful of Colorado residents and/or Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado members to play at the HSGNI, finished tied for 18th on Wednesday out of a boys field of 235.
Swanson, runner-up in the Colorado Junior Amateur last month, shot a 76 at Pinehurst No. 6, a 73 at Pinehurst No. 8, and a 71 at Pinehurst No. 9 in Wednesday’s final round. That gave him a 4-over-par 220 total, which left him 14 strokes behind champion Anawin Pikulthong of Arizona.
In the final round, Swanson carded four birdies and three bogeys.
Swanson is a third-year member of the Hale Irwin Player Program — based at CommonGround Golf Course — which is designed to nurture the budding careers of promising, determined and passionate junior golfers in the state.
Two other Coloradans and/or JGAC members also finished in the top 40 at Pinehurst on Wednesday as 2019 JGAC Tour Championship winner Parker Paxton of Riverton, Wyo. (222) ended up 24th and Jeffrey Nelson II of Commerce City (225) 36th.
Here are the round-by-round results for all of the local players:
18. Hunter Swanson, Denver (Northfield HS) 76-73-71–220
24. JGAC member Parker Paxton, Wyoming (Riverton HS) 74-74-74–222
36. Jeffrey Nelson II, Commerce City (Prairie View HS) 75-76-74–225
93. Gregory Lewis, Monument (Lewis-Palmer HS) 78-83-76—237
115. Kaden Ford, Colorado Springs (Discovery Canyon HS0 76-83-82—241
For all the scores from Pinehurst, CLICK HERE.