Michael McGowan is taking no prisoners in his final year as a high school player.

The O'Neal School senior and future University of North Carolina golfer continued his assault on junior tournaments with a win in the Eastern Junior Golf Association event held at Pine Needle Lodge and Golf Club last weekend.

McGowan, the son of Bonnie and Pat McGowan, of Southern Pines, made the most of a home-court advantage. He posted rounds of 67-67 -- 134 for a one-stroke victory over runner-up Richard Fountain, of Raleigh, in the 16-18 age division.

Sam Packard, of Pinehurst, took third with a 71-73 -- 144 on the Donald Ross-designed course that has hosted three U.S. Women's Opens.

Bryan Stewart, of Pinehurst, was sixth with 148, and Douglas Johnson, of Pinehurst shot 159.

Joshua Martin, of Pinehurst, won the 12-13 age division with 70-69 -- 139, nipping Drew Johnson, of Oak Ridge, by two strokes. Zachary Martin, of Pinehurst, shot 74-71 and finished tied for third. Cody Roberts, of Whispering Pines, was at 158, with Josh Stockwell, of Aberdeen, at 166 and Sean Chang, of Southern Pines, at 167.

James Sugg, of Pinehurst, shot 84-76 -- 160 to win the 10-11 age division, topping Ben Chrystler, of Whispering Pines, by six shots. Blake Martin, of Pinehurst, was at 204, while Drew Viney, of Pinehurst, shot 221.

Ty Palmer, of Kernersville, won the 14-15 division with 75-71 -- 146. Chris Sherrod, of Dunn, was second with 152. Dylan Harris, of Southern Pines, shot 156. Conner Reilly, of Whispering Pines, was at 173. Christian McDonald, of Pinebluff, and Alex Meade and Nicholas Thompson, of Southern Pines, were at 176. Ethan Harris, of Whispering Pines, had 286, and Brandon Mawyer, of Whispering Pines, shot 196.

Kaitlyn Rohrback, of Crofton, Md., shot 73-71 -- 145 to win the girls' 15-18 division, with Kayla Sciupider, of Etowah, and Katherine Perry Cary tied for second with 147. Laura Kinsman, of Whispering Pines, shot 162, and Amanda D'Ostroph, of Whispering Pines, shot 163. Caitlyn Morrone, of Aberdeen, shot 164. Krystyn Morrone, of Aberdeen, had 173, and Katie Roberts, of Whispering Pines, had 178.

Casey Ward, of Chapel Hill, won the 12-14 division with 153. Hailey Crider, of Pinehurst, was at 179. Gina Kim, of Chapel Hill, won the 10-11 division with 192.

College Night: If you're a parent in the Sandhills with hopes of your son or daughter playing golf in college, you have to be at the Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club Conference Center on the evening of Jan. 12

The Carolinas Golf Association, the organization headquartered in West End that makes amateur golf the great presence that it is in the Carolinas, will host College Golf Night. Questions that may be looming in your mind will be answered.

The educational seminar is designed for parents and junior golfers to learn about programs currently available to them and to discuss the transition from a junior golfer to a collegiate golfer.

The seminar is open to everyone and is free of charge. Topics to be discussed are how and where to get started, why junior tournaments are important, how to get the best exposure for a junior golfer, the recruiting process, scholarship opportunities, and golf curriculums available at colleges in North and South Carolina.

For parents in the area who may not be able to attend the Jan. 12 seminar, another one will be held at Carmel Country Club in Charlotte on Feb. 8.

For more information, contact Jason Cox at 673-1000.

Mandell Blog: Richard Mandell recently began the Golf Course Design Today blog and community for the Washington Times Web site,www.washingtontimes.com.

According to washingtontimes.com, the blog will focus primarily on a grass roots movement to return the game of golf to its origins and what attracted us all to the game in the first place.

"This is a great opportunity to try and re-capture this game that we all love to play, but have struggled to afford over the past few years." Mandell noted. "For too long, golfers have been dictated to by the golf industry and a correction is the only way to go for survival. This blog is a way of opening the lines of communication between the everyday golfer and the golf industry as a whole."

Mandell's blog not only addresses the challenges the golf industry faces, but also it addresses current world events and how these events affect the golf industry. As a golf architect, Mandell's slant tends toward design so there will be no shortage of golf architecture-oriented entries either.

Mandell's main slant has always been about challenge and strategy as the solution to an overemphasis on pure aesthetics.

"Creating beauty and memorable landscapes is where we get into major trouble for the industry," he says. "If we want the game to survive, we must change the way we all look at the business of golf design, whether you are a Saturday morning muni golfer, Tiger Woods, or a golf course architect."

Future blog ideas will include Why is Brown Good for You?, Sustainable Golf Courses, and Too Little Time, Not Enough Desire: Is Slow Play The Reason for The Golf Industry Woes?

Interested readers can go to www.washingtontimes.com, click on "Communities" and scroll down the list of communities to Golf Course Design Today.