August 02, 2004
Robert Gates, Jr. of Gainesville, Fla., overcame a two-shot deficit and won a sudden-death playoff on Friday to capture the HP Boys Junior Championship at Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club and Lodge.
"The feeling of playing against this field and winning is indescribable," Gates said immediately after adding his name to a list of champions that includes Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk and David Duval. Gates will be a freshman at Texas A&M this fall.
The HP Boys Junior Championship, conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, featured 82 boys, ages 12-18, from 24 states, Chile, China and Japan. The 72-hole stroke play event. The Bay Hill Club and Lodge is the site of the PGA TOUR's annual Bay Hill Invitational. Highlighting the 2004 field were 14 Rolex Junior All-Americans and 13 2004 AJGA tournament champions.
Gates was steady throughout the day, carding one of only two sub-par rounds recorded Friday with a 1-under-par 71.
"I played great all week," Gates said. "I made a bunch of pars and finally rolled in some birdie putts at the end."
After making birdie on the par-5 16th hole, Gates took the lead at even par for the tournament. He then stood on the 185-yard, par-3 17th with a 5-iron in hand. After hitting his tee shot over the green, Gates faced a seemingly impossible up-and-down as his ball rested against the back lip of a greenside bunker. After taking an awkward stance, Gates was able to flop the ball onto the green, about 12 feet away from the hole.
"It was the best shot I've probably ever hit," Gates said.
Although Gates admitted he mis-hit the putt, the ball still found its way into the hole to lock up a dramatic par. Gates would go on to make par on the 18th hole, and then sat and watched as as his closest challenger par the final hole to force the playoff.
On the playoff hole, Gates' opponent hit his second shot into the water, paving the way for Gates to claim victory with a par.
The event was Gates' final individual AJGA event, making the victory even sweeter.
"This is my last individual AJGA event and I've been out here so long playing in great tournaments with great fields," Gates said. "To win my last tournament is just incredible."
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