Marty Gordon
Blacksburg High School golfer Jake Albert has announced plans to continue his career at Auburn University.
Albert, who is only a junior, is currently ranked 17th in the American Junior Golf Association after picking up a win at the recent Jack Burke Jr. Invitational and 18th at the Junior Players Championship presented by Rolex. The 16-year-old also finished third earlier this year at the Will Lowery Junior Championship.
His biggest accolade was last year as the national champion at a high school golf national invitational at Pinehurst, N.C. Albert’s 10-under for the three-day, 54-hole event was the lowest score in the tournament’s history. He finished the event with 16 pars.
The invitation-only tournament field featured more than 330 of the top high school boys’ golfers from across the country. They had each won their respective state championships as a team or as individuals.
Albert would also finish one-hole out in the 2023 VSGA Amateur Championship for second place.
In 2022, Blacksburg was led by Albert, who shot a 4 under par 68 to finish as the State Individual Runner-up as the Bruins took the state title.
This past season was one of the best in the 75-year history of the Auburn University men’s golf program as the Tigers finished 10th at the NCAA Championships. This is the school’s third top-10 national placement of the last five championships. Auburn will be looking to reload as six golfers will leave the program this Spring.
Last week, the team, which is ranked #4 in the country, captured its second consecutive tournament title with a 3-2 defeat of No. 7 Vanderbilt at the SEC Fall Preview.
Albert’s team, Blacksburg High School, took a Class 4D sub-region competition on Saturday and advanced to the overall region match slated for Tuesday and are primed to defend their state title.
In other region high school golf action from this past week:
Christiansburg’s Josh Cummins shot a 69 to finished tied for medalist honors in Region 3D but lost in a playoff round to Richard Hearp of Hidden Valley. Christiansburg finished fifth in the team standings.
Auburn would finish in the runner up position in Region 1C and Eastern Montgomery was third. Galax took the team title.
