Charlie Woods isn’t the only offspring of a PGA Tour player making some noise in South Florida in the junior golf ranks. Look out for Petra Compton, 16, the daughter of veteran pro Erik Compton.
On Wednesday, the Miami native and junior on the Carrolton School golf team was the medalist at districts by six strokes, shooting 2-under 70 at Crandon Park as her school repeated as District 16 team champs as well and advanced to the state regional.
“She secretly is a very good player, probably, in my opinion, one of the top 200 players in the country at her age,” her proud papa boasted. “I’ve seen a lot of golf over the years and she’s definitely coming into her own.”
Erik, 45, was the No.1-ranked junior in the country before matriculating to the University of Georgia and making it to the PGA Tour despite being the recipient of two heart transplants, the first surgery in 1992 at age 12 and the latest in 2008. Erik has shifted to teaching the game and is working with noted PGA teacher Jim McLean at his academy at The Biltmore, which is also located in Miami.
Petra jumped out to a hot start at districts, making birdie on three of the first five holes en route to shooting 2-under par. Her dad tabbed her as a bit of a late bloomer, but her recent success didn’t come out of the blue. She also won a 36-hole South Florida PGA Junior Tour event at Eagle Trace earlier in the month, rolling in a 15-foot birdie putt at the last to get into a playoff. Her confidence is on the rise, and she said she’s looking forward to making her first appearance in the Orange Bowl in January. [There’s a good chance that Petra’s grandfather, Peter, Golfweek’s Father of the Year in 2009, and grandmother, Ellie, will be driving her to and from the competition, and reliving their junior golf days with Erik.]
Petra named driver as the best club in her bag, and said there’s room for improvement with the putter. “But when my putter gets hot,” she said, “it’s game over.”
It’s always tricky for a parent to serve as an instructor to his own child but Petra said she turns to her dad just as much as McLean and his team of world-class teachers at his academy.
“My dad always tells me, ‘If you don’t believe me, talk to Jim,’ and I know Jim’s going to tell me the same thing,” she said.
Petra hasn’t beaten her dad, who finished T-2 at the 2014 U.S. Open, just yet but she said that’s mostly because they haven’t played a match in a long time. The last time they played a practice round together, she had a putt to beat him but missed and settled for the tie. “I’m sure I could now,” she said.
Erik won’t go down without a fight and says he’s keeping his game sharp, but is enjoying watching his daughter find her own success on the golf course. “It’s more rewarding to see her succeeding than for me to play well,” he said.
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