Sheridan golfer leads the pack in junior tourney

Kamrin Allen of Sheridan just smiled after hearing he shot a 63 on the first day of the 2012 Wyoming Junior Golf Tour Northeast Regional at Gillette’s Bell Nob Golf Course.
“I’ve gone that low before playing by myself and in other tournaments,” said the Sheridan ace who is headed to the University of Wyoming on a scholarship in the fall. “If I can go driver-wedge into the green, I like my chances of making birdie.”
The 18-year-old liked it all day long. Allen wasn’t quite as hot on Tuesday, but he still won the boys age 16 and older division title for the second straight year with a 6-under-par score of 136 over two days and 36 holes.
Gillette’s Danny Davis just rolled his eyes, standing on the Bell Nob clubhouse patio after shooting a 75 Tuesday to finish in a tie for fifth with Cole Smith of Sheridan at 154.
He trailed Allen by just two strokes on the second day of the tournament, but there was no chasing him down for the championship.
“This a quality field and I got to see who is going to be playing well later in the summer at the junior amateur,” said Davis, who shot a 79 in the opening round. “I have room for improvement and it’s nice to see where I am.”
The Campbell County High School standout, who finished second to Allen last fall in the Wyoming Class 4A state tournament, birdied holes 9 and 10, and played better on the second day without any blow-ups.
“With the greens here at Bell Nob I think there’s definitely a home-field advantage, even though my scores didn’t reflect it,” Davis said. “A lot of kids get confused, so knowing the breaks really helps.
“You definitely have to be below the hole to give yourself a chance for birdies here.”
Chris Cremer of Sheridan the 69 he shot Monday with a score of 74 to finish second at 143.
Nathan Green of Green River was third and Christopher Champlin of Casper was fourth.
Girls 16 and older
Gillette’s Haley Shackelford played four strokes better on the second day to win the girls age 16 and older division for the second straight year.
She parred the first five holes on the back nine en route to score of 80 on and rolled to a two-day total of 164.
Camel teammates Ashlyn Pearson and Jandey Shackelford were second and third, respectively.
“I drove the ball pretty well today. I had a couple of bad drives, but that’s golf,” said Shackelford, who won last year’s Class 4A state tournament, leading the Camels to the team championship.
“This was good practice for the Gillette girls. We push each other and something like this helps us all get better,” she said.
It was a Gillette sweep. Pearson shot 88-83 to finish second at 171 and Jandey Shackelford was third at 183.
“It was OK today. I didn’t have any four-putts and that’s good, and I improved from the first day to the second,” Pearson said. “There was some holes I wish I could change, but all in all, it came together in the end.”
Age 13-15 division
John Murdock IV of Laramie won the boys age 13-15 division title with a two-day total of 146 with rounds of 72 and 74.
Dallas Millin of Wright shot 80-79 to finish fourth at 159 and Kol Gorton of Gillette was 13th at 205.
Bailee Watt of Casper won the girls age 13-15 title with a 171. Caitlyn Skavdahl of Cheyenne was second at 184.