Oliver, Peters Win GAM 12 and Under Titles

Kara Peters of Brighton, Noah Olver of Brights Grove Win GAM 12 & Under Titles

 WEST BLOOMFIELD – Kara Peters of Brighton (above left) and Noah Olver of Brights Grove, Ontario both overcame the pressure of tight competition in winning the second GAM 12 & Under Championship titles Tuesday at Twin Beach Country Club.

  Olver, who turns 12 on Aug. 28, won the boys’ title by making par on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff with Graham Hill of Toledo. Both golfers shot a final nine-hole round of 36 and were tied at 73 over the two days of competition.

  Peters, 12, shot a final round of 47 for 94, keeping a narrow lead on Corinne Strickland of Bloomfield Hills, who shot a final 48 for 97.

  Olver said he had a blast playing the nine-hole course at Twin Beach.

  “It feels great to win, and it means a lot to me and my family,” he said.

  Olver birdied the par 5 No. 8 hole and made par on No. 9 in regulation play to force the playoff while Hill made two closing pars. He called the playoff nerve-wracking.

  “It felt very good to drain the putt to win,” he said. “I was about five-feet for par. I knew that we were tied at the start of the round and that once it got down to the last hole, I knew that I needed to make par or birdie.”

   Peters said she knew Strickland was close or tied with her during the final round.

  “It added a lot of pressure,” she said. “I just took it hole-by-hole, and I prayed that whatever happened, it would be good.”

   Peters said it was her first time in the 12 & Under Championship, and that it meant a lot to win.

  “I just wanted to make my family proud, and my coaches (Tim Green and Eric Martin at Lakelands Golf & Country Club),” she said.

RESULTS: Visit GAM.org or the Golf Genius App.