MASON — The final points race chase ended Monday at Riverside Golf Course, where the young linksters turned it into a very tight finish for the age group crowns in the 2009 Tri-County Junior Golf Tour.

It was a super finish in the premier 15-17 division, and a deadlock for weekly first-place decided the overall champ by a single point.

Corey Hamilton and Boeing Smith, both of Gallipolis, fashioned a 41-apiece for the tie. In the playoff for first and second weekly Fruth trophies, Smith won first — but the points were evenly divided between them at nine each.

Leader Justin Cavender, of Point Pleasant, earned fourth place points with 46 and managed to hang on to the overall lead with 25 season points. Hamilton was the season runner-up with 24 points, completing a classic thriller.

Opie Lucas of Point Pleasant held on for third with 20 points, while Zane Warner of Ft. Myers placed fourth overall with 17 points.

Other final round scores showed Warner with 45, Kevin Back with 47, Dave Green with 50, David Michaels with 52, Kylenn Criste with 54 amd Daniel Rees with 58.

The 13-14 age bracket was good, though calmer, as Dakota Sisk of New Haven led wire-to-wire while carding a 51 to capture another Fruth weekly award to finish the championship in style.

Sam Gordon of Mason garnered second-place for the week with 54, which also propelled him to overall runner-up. Mike McKnight fired a 60 for third and Jacob Leach was fourth with 69 for the day.

Gus Slone posted a 71 and finished third overall, while Adam Thomas had a 79. Josh Parker shot an 81, Christian Sparks fired a 90 and Trenton Cook posted a 113.

For the ladies, Libby Leach of Cheshire collared her fourth Fruth trophy with a 59, while Kasey Eblin won runner-up with 98. Leach and Eblin also finished one-two in the season order.

Another tension-filled competition for overall champion took place in the 11-12 division. Going into the fourth round, the leader held an ‘almost’ lock on the crown. However, it ended up being a four-way hitfest in the end.

On the day, Logan Sheets of Bidwell carved out a 61 for weekly Fruth honors, while Jacob Hoback of Racine and Zack Graham of Gallipolis tied for second with matching 64s.

Michael Edelmann of Gallipolis placed fourth on the day with a 67, so bonus points were gone. Leader Ryan Schenkelberg of Meigs and Hunter Rose of New Haven were just a couple back at 69 apiece.

Sheets had pulled to just one point behind Schenkelberg, who held on to the season crown with 26 points. Hoback and Graham finished tied for third overall with 23 points.

For the 10-and-under group, the closest competition was for runner-up. Addison Stanley of Gallipolis had nailed down the overall crown last week, but made it four straight weeks with a Fruth trophy by posting a 44.

Jonah Hoback of Racine was second with 52, but wasn’t able to catch Jasiah Brewer from Pomeroy. Brewer earned third place points via his 62, while Garrett Jones of Racine was fourth at 77.

Overall, Stanley gained the crown with 40 points while Brewer was the season runner-up with 26 points. Hoback finished third with 24 points.

The annual grand finale roundup will be held Monday, July 20, at Hidden Valley Golf Course in Point Pleasant. Registration is at 8:15 a.m. and tee-off is at 9 a.m.