Noah Goodwin, Min Woo Lee advance to US Junior Amateur final
OOLTEWAH, Tenn. (AP) - Noah Goodwin outlasted John Pak with a conceded eagle on the 20th hole Friday to advance to the U.S. Junior Amateur championship match.
The 16-year-old Goodwin, from Corinth, Texas, will face Australia's Min Woo Lee in the 36-hole final Saturday at The Honors Course.
"Absolutely incredible," Goodwin said. "Everything I've been grinding toward every single day, it's been to get to the finals here this week."
Goodwin and Pak, from Scotch Plains, New Jersey, matched pars on 17, bogeys on 18 and pars on 19 before Goodwin won on the 20th.
The 17-year-old Lee held off Eugene Hong of Sanford, Florida, 1 up with a par on the 18th.
He was asked about his mindset entering the final.
"Go win it," Lee said. "I've been playing great. I have nothing against the way I am playing."
His older sister, Minjee Lee, won the 2012 U.S. Girls' Junior and has two LPGA Tour victories.
In the morning quarterfinals, Goodwin beat Australia's Fred Lee 5 and 4, and Min Woo Lee topped Brandon Gillis of Nashua, New Hampshire, 4 and 2.