Roachell, not ready for LPGA, cruises in AJGA

LITTLE FLOCK - Conway’s Summar Roachell didn’t let one disappointment turn into another.

Roachell won the KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior Open championship after failing to qualify for the LPGA Wal-Mart Northwest Arkansas championship on Monday. Roachell, who’ll be a freshman at Arkansas this season, shot a 3-under-par 69 Thursday to win the American Junior Golf Association tournament at Lost Springs Golf and Athletic Club.

Roachell finished with a 54-hole total of 2-under par 214 to best Cheyenne Knight of Aledo, Texas, who was second at 218. Griffin Pierce of Edmond, Okla., who shared the lead after two rounds, won the boys division with a 3-over par 219. The three-day event featured 72 boys and 24 girls ages 12-18 from 16 states, as well as Argentina, Canada and Mexico.

Roachell got progressively better at Lost Springs after she shot a 5-over-par 77 while attempting to qualify for the LPGA event at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers. She started with a 73 on Tuesday, then followed with a 72 and a 69 on Thursday to win the junior title by four strokes.

“I really wanted to qualify for that tournament, but I look at it as a learning experience,” Roachell said. “Even though I didn’t qualify, the experience helped me prepare for this tournament. I shot 73 the first day here, but I knew I could get better.”

Roachell tied Jordy LaBarbera of Allen, Texas for low final round Thursday despite making bogeys on Holes No. 11 and 15.

“I was able to strike the ball well and hit a lot of greens,” said Roachell, who won her first AJGA event. “When you do that, you have a lot of opportunities to make birdies. But the key for me was playing the par 5 better the last two days. I played them two or three under, and that gave me a lot of confidence.”

Pierce shot a 76 Thursday after shooting 72 and 71 on the the first two days of the tournament. Evan Shartzer of Overland Park, Kan., who was tied with Pierce after 36 holes, finished in a tie for third place after shooting a 79 Thursday.

“My short game saved me all week,” Pierce said. “I was able to chip and putt pretty well.”