Joseph Pagdin came up four shots short Monday at the Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods, a stacked AJGA invitational traditionally played over Presidents Day weekend. By the next day, however, Pagdin had claimed something else: the top spot in Golfweek’s Junior Rankings.
The 18-year-old Englishman now lives in Orlando, Florida, and is headed to the University of Florida next fall. He’ll be part of a major infusion of talent for the Gators in the graduating class of 2020. Pagdin’s resume includes a top-10 finish at the Rolex Tournament of Champions last fall and a run to the semifinals at the U.S. Junior, where he lost to eventual champion Preston Summerhays.
At Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas, Pagdin fired rounds of 64-64-68 for a 16 under total. It just wasn’t quite enough to overtake Luke Potter, the Encinitas, California, resident whose 20 under total included a course-record 10-under 62 in the second round. Potter’s 54-hole total is an AJGA tournament record.
For that effort, Potter also made a considerable move up the rankings, from No. 21 to No. 5.
Potter has committed to play for Arizona State in 2022.
Karl Vilips, an Australian headed Stanford in the fall, lost the top spot but not by much. After his own T-11 finish at the Simplify Boys Championship, Vilips only dropped to No. 2 in the Golfweek Junior Rankings.
