On a breezy day at Fairway Hills Golf Club, where cooler temperatures elevated scores for those competing for this year’s county championship, Marriotts Ridge senior Jonathan Moon and River Hill sophomore Michelle Yeung expressed a similar sentiment on what it took to emerge victorious: Patience and poise.
Both Moon and Yeung successfully bounced back when they got into trouble on Oct. 17 and that resiliency helped them edge past their respective competition.
Moon fired a one-over-par 71 to beat Marriotts Ridge teammate Aidan Kim by one shot for the boys crown, while Yeung overcame a three-shot deficit on the back nine to shoot a 74 and top her Hawks teammate Evelyn Park (78) for the girls title.
It marks the first county title for both players.
Rounding out the top six for the boys were Marriotts Ridge’s George Williamson (75), River Hill’s Mark Berg (81), River Hill’s Justin Choi (81) and Howard’s Krish Patel (83). For the girls, the rest of the top six behind Yeung and Park were Atholton’s Cate Lee (79), Marriotts Ridge’s Lila Becker (81), Glenelg’s Samadi Tennakoon (81) and Marriotts Ridge’s Morgan Swidersky (83).
For Moon, the breakthrough victory comes one year after finishing runner-up by a one shot at the county tournament. Considering the number of near misses he’s had in the past, including finishing in a tie for fifth place earlier this week at the District V championships at Fairway Hills, Moon said finally finding the winner’s circle felt validating.
“It’s a very satisfying feeling because I’ve put in a lot of work throughout not only the high school season but in my own time as well,” Moon said. “It’s nice to see it all kind of come together. And I think the key for me was really just staying composed even when I didn’t hit the greatest shots.
“No one part of my game was incredibly strong today, but I feel like I was able to hit the shots I needed to when I needed to.”
Moon erased a bogey on his first hole of the day, the par-3 14th hole, by bouncing right back with a birdie on the par-5 15th. He played his next 13 holes in one-under par to sit alone in first place coming down the stretch.
That’s when things nearly derailed. Moon hooked his tee shot on the par-4 11th hole out of play, leading to a double bogey that dropped him into a tie for the lead with Kim.
“Things looked grim there after 11 and I definitely started thinking that might end up being the decider of the tournament,” Moon said. “I knew I had two holes left, though, and all I could do was stay calm and finish strong.”
Finish strong was exactly what Moon did by making two pars to close his day. Kim ended up bogeying his second-to-last hole to put him a shot behind.
Even while falling just short, however, Kim’s day proved to be one of overall redemption. On Monday at the District V Tournament, he posted a score of 82 to leave his spot on the Marriotts Ridge state championship roster up in the air.
Mustangs coach Mark Dubbs said he was going to let the outcome of the county tournament decide who would grab the team’s final spot at states and Kim seized the moment.
“I just wanted to have fun,” Kim said. “I felt like I had a second chance and I didn’t want to let the opportunity go to waste. I tried to get rid of all the negative thoughts from Monday and play how I know I can play.”
On the girls side of things, Yeung’s championship effort built on the momentum from her victory at the district tournament three days earlier. At districts, she fired a one-under-par 69 to win by six shots — marking her first postseason title.
In the early stages Thursday, though, it looked like Yeung was going to be hard pressed to find the winner’s circle once again. She played her first six holes in five-over par, including a triple bogey on the par-5 second hole.
Park, conversely, chipped in for birdie on that second hole and had an early four-shot advantage.
Yeung never panicked.
“I wanted to make sure I kept a positive attitude and didn’t rush,” Yeung said. “I’ve noticed that I tend to rush when I get frustrated, so I took deep breaths a lot and slowed myself down. Luckily it was early in the round and I knew I had time to get my game back up.”
Yeung played her final 12 holes in one-under par to surge into the lead and never look back. She made two birdies and one bogey over that closing stretch.
As a county champion, Yeung follows in the footsteps of her older sister, Helen, who won Howard County titles in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Michelle says she is excited to try and blaze her own path.
“I definitely don’t focus on trying to do what she did. It’s more that I just want to enjoy the sport and have fun out on the golf course,” she said. “Winning these tournaments gives me confidence and I’m going to try to keep practicing and improving and see where that takes me.”
Even with Yeung surging to victory over the closing holes, the tournament also served as a coming out party for Park. The sophomore made two birdies and made nothing worse than a bogey during her round.
After finishing in third at this year’s district tournament, it was another step forward.
“I’ve played good in the regular season, but those are just nine holes so part of me felt like those could have been luck,” Park said. “To do well for 18 holes, though, is definitely better. I’m just hoping I can keep it up at states.”