Austin Harrill, of Pinehurst, grabbed a five-shot lead in the opening round of the 17th annual Winternational Junior Series being staged at Pinehurst Resort and went on to win the Freshman-Sophomore Division by 10 strokes last weekend with a 36-hole total of 150.

Ben Griffin, of Chapel Hill, was second with 160, followed by Alex Smalley, of Wake Forest, with 161.

David Kocher, of Charlotte, was fourth with 164, while Nick Dorton, of Anderson, S.C., and Peter Harrill, of Hickory, tied for fifth with 165,

Mitch Robinette, of Charlotte, battled the cold, the wind and a three-stroke first-round deficit to win the Junior-Senior Division.

Robinette opened with a 77 on the Pinehurst No. 6 Course on Saturday and trailed first-round leader Jeffrey Jackman, of Summerfield, by three shots going into Sunday’s final round. Jamie Canaday, of Summerfield, was second with 76.

Robinette posted a 2-over-par 74 on Sunday while Jackman soared to an 81 and Canaday an 82. His 36-hole total of 151 was four strokes better than the runner-up.

D.J. Holub, of Reminderville, Ohio, claimed third place with 156 while Canaday took fourth with 158 and Marshall Ritchie was fifth with 164.

Griffin holds second place in the Freshman-Sophomore Point Race with 280, followed by Peter Harrill with 237.5. Smalley is third with 230, with Austin Harrill at 225.

Robinette leads the Junior-Senior Division with 260 points, followed by William Whitacre of Greensboro with 205.5.

The fifth event of the series is scheduled for Jan. 22-23 with competition on the Ellis Maples-designed No. 5 Course. For information, contact Peter deYoung at (910) 295-5661.

Derr Sighting: John Derr, one of the true legends in the golf industry and a renowned broadcaster and author, will reap another honor Monday night at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla.

Derr, whose most recent publication is the well-received “My Place at the Table,” which is available at several locations in the Sandhills, was asked to attend the show by the International Network of Golf, where winners and runners-up in 12 categories will be announced at a press conference.

Although ING didn’t divulge the award, Derr was advised that his attendance would be worthwhile.

The book was recently listed as No. 2 among best-selling hard-cover purchases in the area.

Poole Bargain: Golfers at the Lonnie Poole Golf Course at N. C. State University can receive 30 percent discounts off green fees by buying now and playing later.

A new program allows players to prepay for rounds. A four-round card for Monday through Thursday play costs $155, and an eight-round card is $296.

“This is a substantial discount and is something that players are taking advantage of,” said General Manager Chip Watson.

Weekend rates (Friday through Sunday) are $240 for four rounds and $460 for eight rounds, using the prepaid card.

The challenging course, designed by Arnold Palmer, opened in 2009 and has been popularly received. The course on the N. C. State University campus is open to the public.

For more information, call (919) 833-3338.

Hot List: Golf Digest has released its 2011 Hot List, the hottest clubs in the game as reviewed by scientists, retailers, teachers, amateur players and Golf Digest’s team of equipment editors. The Hot List appears in the February issue of Golf Digest, on newsstands now and online in its entirety beginning today.

Ninety-four of the more than 300 clubs that were evaluated this year appear on the 2011 Hot List, and 19 brands are represented.

Ping has the most clubs on the Hot List with a total of 15 — eight gold medals and seven silver medals. 

Callaway received 11 gold medals, the most of any brand on the list.

In addition, there are four Editor’s Choice clubs: Callaway RAZR X (Iron), TaylorMade R11 (Driver), Adams Idea Tech V3 (Hybrid) and Titleist 910F (Fairway Wood).

The list showcases the most diverse collection of new technology the editors say they have seen in eight years of compiling the annual ranking. Manufacturers are completely focused on catering to the players’ needs and the message to consumers is clear: The right clubs are out there.

For more information on the Hot List, visit www.golfdigest.com.

Contact Howard Ward at howardward@att.net.