Belton graduate Beaty and three-time Class A individual state champion Dominguez fired 3-under-par 69s to win the 16-18-year-old boys and girls divisions, respectively, at the 13th annual Craig Bukosky Junior Golf Open on Monday.
“On the back nine I really started to feel my putter,” said Beaty, who will attend Hill College. “I started making a whole lot more putts. I started sticking them right next to the hole and it really helped.”
Beaty shot an even-par 36 on the front nine that included three birdies, three pars and three bogeys. He birdied No. 10 and parred the next four holes before recording three birdies on the final four holes for the win.
On the 537-yard par-5 15th, Beaty hit a 5-wood 20 feet from the hole and two-putted for birdie. On the 199-yard par-3 16th, he knocked a 5-iron to within 3 feet and tapped in for his second straight birdie.
He bogeyed No. 17 but got the stroke back when he birdied No. 18, a 533-yard dogleg par-5. Beaty smashed his driver to the corner, left his 3-wood short, hit a pitching wedge to the back of the green and sank a 25-foot putt to complete his 69, one stroke off his personal best.
Beaty finished with seven birdies, seven pars and four bogeys for his first Bukosky title. The 69 tied Temple graduate Josh Dixon’s score in 2000 for the third-lowest in the boys 16-18 division. Geoff Stirling holds the record with a 65 in 2005.
Belton graduate and incoming University of Mary Hardin-Baylor freshman Johnathan Sustaita finished second with a 1-over 73.
He was leading high school teammate Beaty by a stroke after the front nine before he drove his tee shot on No. 10 out of bounds and had to settle for a double bogey.
“I was a little stiff because we had to wait for 20 minutes,” Sustaita said. “After that I was grinding the whole time.”
Down by one to Beaty heading to No. 15, Sustaita couldn’t mount a comeback, making three pars before bogeying the final hole to finish over par on his round. Dylan Anthony was third with a 74.
Not to be outdone, Chilton’s Dominguez turned in her 69 more than an hour later to win the girls overall title. She had four birdies, one bogey and 13 pars to break the girls scoring record held by Belton graduate Rosalyn Kim, who shot 76 in 2005.
Temple sophomore McKenzie Ralston moved up an age class to compete in the older division and finished second with a 76. Salado junior Rachel VanHoozer was third with an 87.
The annual tournament featured 117 golfers and was once again put on by Temple residents Mike and Judy Bukosky, who formed this event to honor the memory of their son, Craig, who died at age 11 from leukemia.
“We started this to honor our son and promote junior golf,” Mike said. “For my wife (Judy) and I, as we look at all these junior players, some players remind us of our son. For me, the emotions are about the fun times we had with him on the golf course.
“It certainly brings back a lot of great memories of him. The whole day to us is to think about him, see all the junior players and certainly at times I think about how good he could have been.”
In other boys divisions, Kevin Arguelles’ 88 edged Austin Oliver by a stroke to win the 14-15 title; Blake Stock shot a 73 to win the 12-13 crown; Cameron Wolf shot a nine-hole 34 to win the 10-11 group; Reid Hesse won the 7-9 championship with a 43.
In the girls divisions, Killeen’s Lizeth Escobedo, Temple’s Molly Daheim and Salado’s Molly Rodeffer were repeat winners.
Escobedo shot a 104 to win the 14-15 division, Daheim shot a nine-hole 35 to win the 12-13 title and Rodeffer, with her father and UMHB men’s golf coach Aaron caddying, won the 7-9 group with a 41. Madison Smith shot a 45 to win the 10-11 group.
“I’d have to say this year ranks up there with one of the best,” said Mike Bukosky, who wished to thank the tournament sponsors, especially Randy Helcel and Charlie Kimmey of Ralph Wilson Youth Clubs.
“Overall, the scoring by age category is lower. This tournament shows that junior golf in Central Texas is alive and well and that’s certainly one of the things we were hoping to accomplish in all this.”
