GOLF: Pavloff wins SIGA Jr. Tour points title
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Southern Illinois Golf Association Junior Golf Tour crowned its Players of the Year on Monday at Franklin County Country Club following the completion of the Vogler-Ford Mazda Junior Players Championship.
Du Quoin's Kolton Pavloff held on for the win in the highly-contested Boys 14-15 division, holding off a trio of other golfers that were no more than five points behind him. Pavloff finished fourth at the Players Championship with a 77 after recovering from a front-nine 42 to par the back side.
"On the front nine, I had some inconsistencies off the tee, punching out of trees, just trying to scramble for bogey," said Pavloff. "On the back nine, I decided to keep the driver in the bag and hit the wood off the tee a little more. It kept me in the fairway, kept me in play and gave me some shots at birdies."
Pavloff's round picked up some momentum on hole eleven, where he chipped in from just off the green to save par.
"That (shot at #11) was a big key in my even par on the back nine," Pavloff said. "I hit the irons pretty well, my putting was decent. Forgetting what happened on the front nine really helped me out."
Holding a three-point advantage coming into the season finale, Pavloff's point total of 128.5 edged Marion's Brendan Lewis (125) in second, Nashville's Tyler Wall (124.5) in third and Energy native Austin Craft (123.5), who finished fourth in the standings.
"I knew I had a three-point lead coming into today, and I think on the front nine I was pressing a bit knowing what this tournament meant," said Pavloff, "but on the back nine I just let it all go. It feels great to be points champion."
Pavloff said the close race "definitely" pushed him to play better as the season drew to a close.
"Austin (Craft) and Tyler (Wall) are great guys, I enjoyed playing with them and getting to know them over the year," Pavloff said. "It was great to battle it out with them."
Monday's best 18-hole round came from the group directly ahead of Pavloff - a 68 fired by Carterville's Jacob Ecklund to claim first in the Boys 14-15 division at F.C.C.C.
Other winners at the Players Championship on Monday included Mounds' Brady Dixon (72, Boys 16-18), Ramsey's RaeChelle Leiken (72, Girls 16-18), Carbondale's Maggie Bryant (79, Girls 14-15), Metropolis' Brock Burnham (38, Boys 12-13), McCleansboro's Krista Aud (56, Girls 12-13), Herrin's Drew Ringle (43, Boys 10-11), and Metropolis' Brooke Stepter (59, Girls 10-11).
Rounding out the list of points champions for the 2012 SIGAJGT season were Leiken, Aud, Stepter, Sikeston's Kirk Hoggatt (Boys 16-18), Belknap's Paige Ellerbusch (Girls 14-15), Marion's Michael Rials (Boys 12-13), and Dahlgreen's Austin Downen (Boys 10-11).
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