Jonathan PetersBy Rubin E. Grant
Jonathan Peters had a decision to make about what sport he wanted to play following his freshman year at Homewood High School.
He chose golf over baseball.
“I enjoyed being on the golf course more than playing baseball and I enjoyed being around the people on the golf course,” Peters said.
Besides, his older brother Joshua Peters was headed into his senior year on the Homewood golf team and Jonathan Peters figured it would be neat to play with him. They helped the Patriots finish third in the Class 6A state tournament.
Joshua Peters is now headed into his junior year in college, playing golf for Centre College in Danville, Kentucky.
Jonathan Peters, meanwhile, has become one of the top junior golfers in the state. Two weeks ago, the Patriots’ rising senior was the overall winner of the Birmingham Golf Association Junior Championship at Shoal Creek.
He carded even-par 72 both days of the two-day event to finish at 144, four strokes ahead of Vestavia Hills rising sophomore Clark Browne and Hoover rising senior Jake Monk. Browne was the winner of the 14-15-year-old division with his 4-over par total of 148.
“That was a fun experience, getting to play at Shoal Creek,” Peters said. “I was excited I was able to walk away victorious and Joshua was there to cheer for me.”
Joshua Peters was the assistant junior tournament director for the BGA Junior.
“I putted well,” Jonathan Peters added. “When I had a chance to make birdies, I rolled it well.”
Peters continued his hot play last week during the AHSAA All-Star Week match-play golf competition at Arrowhead Golf Club in Montgomery.
Peters and Elliot Overton of Winfield won the fourth match 15-3 over William Hall of Montgomery Academy and Thomas Stewart of Trinity Presbyterian. Peters and Overton won top scoring honors for the North, which won 55-35.
“It was cool being in a tournament with a lot of the best juniors in the state and it was fun being on the North team with some of the guys I knew,” Peters said.
Hoover’s Monk and Caleb Thompson beat Ken Brown of UMS-Wright 10.5 – 7.5 in the second match. Vestavia Hills’ Pierce Becker and Hewitt-Trussville’s Gavin Isbell won a close 10-8 decision over Enterprise’s Luke Thornton and Samson’s Coy Ingram in the fifth match.
Pike Liberal Arts’ duo of Braden Prestwood and Jackson Cleveland posted the South’s only win in the third match, 10-8 over Spain Park’s Wes Sauceda and Luke Ballintine, to earn top scoring honors for the South.
The North boys now hold a 4-0 lead in their series against the South, which was first played in 2019.
In the spring, Peters competed as an individual in the AHSAA Class 6A tournament at RTJ Grand National in Opelika. He finished tied for sixth, posting rounds of 75 and 72 for a 3-over par total score of 147.
This week, Peters, who is a member of the Hoover Country Club, is competing in the Alabama Golf Association Alabama Boys State Junior Championship at the Goose Pond Colony Lake Course in Scottsboro.
“‘I’ve played in it the past two years and results were not the best,” Peters said. “I hope to do better this time.”
Short Game
Peters is not long off the tee, but he stays away from hazards.
“I don’t hit it that far, but I hit fairways,” he said. “I take pride in my wedges and my short game.”
Homewood coach Jason Haithcock raves about Peters’ ability to maintain his focus in the midst of adversity.
“He doesn’t let a bad shot dictate his round,” Haithcock said. “He keeps his emotions in check, and he never allows his opponents to see him get upset if things are not going his way. He’s a grinder.
“He’s having a good run of golf this summer. He’s one of the better juniors in the state. I believe he’ll have several opportunities to play at the next level.”
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