Thomas wins local AJGA stop

With one swing, Zane Thomas ended whatever drama was left in the Las Vegas Junior Open golf tournament Thursday.

Thomas played a strong back nine in the final round at Anthem Country Club, highlighted by an eagle on the par-4 No. 13, to post a 4-under-par 68 and win by five shots over J.J. Holen. Thomas finished with a three-day total of 6-under 210.

“I had finished strong (Wednesday), and I just wanted to take that momentum and carry it over,” said Thomas, who became the third consecutive player from Southern Nevada to win the boys division. “I knew it was going to be tough. There were a lot of college coaches watching, and hopefully the exposure will help me.”

Thomas, who will be a junior at Arbor View High School in the fall, was locked in a head-to-head battle with Coronado High’s Tad Darland going to No.  13. When Thomas’ tee shot found the right rough, it appeared that his two-shot lead over Darland might disappear.

Instead, Thomas’ pitching wedge from 121 yards out bounced 5 feet from the hole and banked in off the flagstick.

“I put a good swing on it, and I heard it hit the flagstick,” Thomas said. “I couldn’t see from where I was whether or not it went in, but I heard everyone up on the green yelling and cheering. It was a great shot, but I knew the tournament wasn’t over. I still had to keep playing.”

The two-shot swing put Thomas up by four with five holes remaining, and the margin increased to five when he birdied the par-3 14th.

Holen, of Castaic, Calif., passed Darland in the latter stages but was too far back to catch Thomas, who is 2-for-2 in American Junior Golf Association tournaments.

“It’s nice to have the trophy stay in Vegas,” Thomas said. “I knew I had the ability to play well. But to do it on the big stage, it definitely changes things for me as far as my future.”

Darland finished six shots behind Thomas.

In the girls division, Devon Brown of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., finished with a birdie on the par-5 18th for a 1-under 71 and a three-day total of 2-over 218 to beat 14-year-old Shannon Aubert by four shots.

Henderson’s Jenny Hahn shot 72 and finished third at 224.

“I think my age and experience helped me a lot,” said Brown, an 18-year-old who will be a freshman at Northwestern this fall and picked up her first AJGA victory. “I didn’t get nervous, and I just tried to play smart at the end. It felt a lot like match play since we were the only two still in contention.”

Aubert closed with a 74. The teen from Orlando, Fla., was the first-round leader after a 68 on Tuesday but struggled to an 80 in windy conditions Wednesday.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.