GRANITEVILLE — Jackson Byrd knows his game is good enough to win the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley.
He has the speed and strength to create scoring opportunities. He has the experience, both at Sage Valley and on the international stage, to get the job done at the highest level. He has the pedigree, coming from one of the state’s foremost golfing families.
All he has left to do is win a gold jacket.
That’s the goal this week for Byrd, a Clemson-bound senior making his third and final appearance at the Junior Invitational. He was confident in his game leading up to the tournament, and he backed that up in the first round with a 1-under 71.
“It’s my third time here, so I feel like kind of a veteran,” he said. “I feel pretty comfortable this week. I’ve just been trying to get ready physically and then mentally, today, kind of get ready for the round. I feel like my game’s good enough to win, so just trying to get into a good headspace and enjoy the week.”
Byrd, ranked fourth in the American Junior Golf Association’s Rolex Junior rankings, picked up a marquee win back in October at the PING Invitational that was his best finish since a tie for third at the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic back in June.
Before that? A tie for sixth at last year’s Junior Invitational.
His scoring average at Sage Valley coming into the week was 72.5, a number inflated by a couple of loose rounds in his 2023 debut. Last year he shot par or better in all three rounds, and he started this year’s edition ready to continue that trajectory.
“I think I’m hitting it really good off the tee. I hit it pretty far and straight, so I feel like I’m going to try and rely on that,” he said. “I feel like my ball-striking is pretty good, so just dial in the speeds of the greens and give myself some looks and try not to make any dumb mistakes and see what I can do.”
He avoided those mistakes in round one, making just two bogeys on a tough scoring day before beginning Thursday’s second round in attack mode at a rain-softened Sage Valley.
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