The golfer he was talking about was 16-year-old Clinton Kohls, of Alexandria.

But Kohls' steely resolve and stoic demeanor are probably what helped him win the two-day tournament while others struggled mightily under windy and damp conditions.

Kohls followed up his 75 with a 5-over-par 77 for a total 152 to become the overall champion. He led by just a stroke after the first round but won by five.

"I'm happy except for the round I played today," Kohls said. "I played well on the front nine -- shot even par -- then on the back nine I couldn't make anything happen."

Because Kohls had the best score overall, 16-year-old Jake Coldiron won the boys 16-18 division with scores of 78 and 79 for a total 157 (second overall).

Coldiron was the boys 14-15 champion last year. Both he and Kohls are playing their first season in the 16-18 age group.

Neither had played Triple Crown, regarded as one of the toughest courses in the area, but Coldiron did get in a practice round Saturday.

"It makes me feel like I'm getting better," Coldiron said of winning his first event in the older age group.

Meghan Schaefer won the girls division by shooting 83 and 87 for a total 170 while Ross Sharp picked up the boys 14-15 trophy with scores of 83 and 82. In the boys 12 and 13 division, Jeremy Martin posted an 81 and 87 for the win and in the 11 and under category, Mickey Sutton beat Jason Lewis in a three-hole playoff.

Jonathan Ehlen, last year's boys 16-18 runner-up, and Billy Warken turned in the best rounds of the day, 4-over-par 76. Both will attend Northern Kentucky University in the fall.

While Warken and Coldiron enjoyed playing from the blue tees (6,674 yards) in the final round instead of the white tees (6,155 yards), Kohls felt he struggled with his long irons.

"The course was playing tough because they played us back and it was still pretty wet," said Kohls, who will be a junior at Bishop Brossart.

Kohls is entered in the Hudson Jr. Invitational being held at The Country Club of Hudson in Hudson, Ohio from June 16-19. Past champions include PGA Tour professionals Phil Mickelson and John Daly.

Kohls will spend the upcoming days practicing for the national tournament at his home course, Pendleton Country Club.

"It gives me a lot of confidence (winning the Northern Kentucky Junior Amateur) to start working hard and preparing for my next tournament," Kohls said. "My dad downloaded a course map, and it looks pretty tough. There are a lot of sandtraps and it's really tight. The fairways are really narrow."

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