LOUISVILLE, KY (October 29, 2020) – The Kentucky PGA Junior Tour is proud to announce the 2020 Players of the Year across its eleven divisions. After the season’s start was delayed nearly three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic, these players separated themselves in the Tour’s 28 tournaments that took place during the 2020 campaign.

Warren Thomis was the top male player of the season as the Madison Central freshman has claimed the Boys Championship Division. Thomis was the first player this season to notch a victory, and he did so in dominant fashion at Gibson Bay Golf Course during the Kentucky Boys Junior PGA Championship. Rounds of 69 (-3) and 68 (-4) led to a dominant seven-shot win to lock up the first major of the season on Tour. He then finished in fourth place at the Lou Perry Tour Championship which put him over the top in the Player of the Year race. Thomis will be in the inaugural field in the Barbasol Junior Championship next summer as a result of this accolade and his Kentucky Boys Junior PGA Championship victory.

The top female this season is Casey Powell, who takes the distinction of being the Girls Championship Division’s Player of the Year. Powell competed in the three major championships this year on the ladies’ side and displayed outstanding consistency in all three. It was capped off by a victory in the Lou Perry Tour Championship, which she did with ease as result of winning that tournament by nine strokes. Fourth-place finishes in both the Kentucky Girls Junior PGA Championship and the Kentucky Girls Junior Amateur helped propel Powell, a senior at Paul Laurence Dunbar, to this meaningful honor.

One of the most dominant players of the season across all divisions took Player of the Year in the Boys 15-18 Division, with that being Joe Hamilton. Hamilton reached the 1,000-point threshold this year and won his division by nearly 600 points. In his six times teeing it up this season, he won five times. Three of those victories were the major championships and for good measure, he won the Series Tournament at Winchester Country Club (where he happened to make a hole-in-one) plus the Callaway Junior Four-Ball Championship alongside Gabe Shelley.

The Girls 16-18 Division finished at a dead heat with Madison Harding and Matti Spalding each sharing the Player of the Year honors here. Harding took the Kentucky Girls Junior Amateur at Cherry Blossom Golf & Country Club while Spalding won the Kentucky Girls Junior PGA Championship. With each player claiming 300 points at those tournaments, they could not be separated in this race.

“I want to thank the entire team at the Kentucky PGA Junior Tour for their outstanding efforts to make the season happen,” Spalding said. “They went great lengths to keep all of us safe while continuing to run high-caliber tournaments. I am honored to be among this season’s Players of the Year.”

Winning her division convincingly, Cailyn Rogers is the Player of the Year from the Girls 13-15 Division. Rogers won her first three starts this season with two of those being majors alongside the Louisville Junior Championship. She finished runner-up in the Series Tournament at Winchester Country Club as well as the Lou Perry Tour Championship. It all totaled up to a near 200-point triumph to put an exclamation point on her banner season.

"I just want to thank the Kentucky PGA Junior Tour for this honor and an amazing season," Rogers said. "My goal was to win the Kentucky Girls Junior PGA Championship along with the Kentucky Girls Junior Amateur with hopes of achieving Player of the Year too. Very glad to have achieved this. My favorite quote is from Nelson Mandela: "I never lose, I either win or I learn."

Jacob Settles reigns supreme this year in the Boys 14 & Under Division. His seven starts throughout the year were highlighted by victories in two of the three major championships, plus victories in the Series Tournaments at Quail Chase Golf Club, Campbellsville Country Club and Winchester Country Club. Settles also has the distinction of recording one of the lowest rounds of the season, a feat that came at Gibson Bay Golf Course when a final round 66 (-6) helped him come from behind to win the Kentucky Boys Junior PGA Championship.

“I had a great summer this year,” Settles said. “I’m very excited to have won this award. I worked very hard and I’m looking forward to the upcoming years. I hope that hard work will allow me to play golf in college one day.”

Kristen Lingle’s three victories in ten starts this year helped her earn the title of Player of the Year in the Girls 12 & Under Division. With a Series Tournament win at Shawnee Golf Course coupled with Fall Series victories at Shelbyville Country Club and Gay Brewer-Picadome, she was able to get the top spot in her division for 2020. Lingle also recorded three runner-up finishes plus three third-place finishes to pad her outstanding campaign.

“Resilience is the key to success,” Lingle stated. “This year, I persevered and discovered that resilience is the key to being successful. Even when it seems hard, keep your head up and stay determined.”

A phenomenal year on the golf course for Luc Kelty nabs him honors of the Boys 11-12 Division. Six wins in nine starts meant smooth sailing for him on the way to this achievement, with those victories highlighted by a clean sweep of the majors, the Louisville Junior Championship plus two Series Tournament wins at Shawnee Golf Course and Bardstown Country Club. 2^nd, 3^rd and T5 finishes in the three tournaments he did not prevail in added extra insurance for his terrific run.

“One of my main goals heading into each season is to win Kentucky PGA Junior Tour Player of the Year,” Kelty said. “So, to accomplish this goal for the third year in a row against tough competition feels really great. This year felt even better considering I wasn’t sure there would be a season at one point. I’d like to thank the Golf House Kentucky staff for their work in making this season happen. In the offseason, I will continue working to improve my swing and putting, but also plan to understand more of the mental side of the game. I can’t wait for next season!”

A consistent season from start to finish results in the Boys 10 & Under Player of the Year for Drayden Lindsay. He won three times this season with those triumphs occurring in the Kentucky Boys Junior PGA Championship, the Callaway Junior Four-Ball Championship and the Fall Series event at Cherry Blossom Golf & Country Club. With four runner-up finishes as well, Lindsay was a force to be reckoned with for his peers all season.

“I want to thank the Kentucky PGA Junior Tour for giving all of us kids such a great Tour,” Lindsay said. “My favorite tournaments this year were each of the majors, being the Kentucky Boys Junior PGA Championship, Kentucky Boys Junior Amateur and Lou Perry Tour Championship. I’m going to work twice as hard this winter to try to win another Player of the Year!”

Nobody in any division had the winning success rate than Emlie Miller did. Of her eight starts, seven were marked with victory. The one tournament that didn’t feature a W was a runner-up. By virtue of her incredible campaign, she also went over the 1,000-point mark and had more than a 700-point advantage over her nearest peer in the final standings. There are big things in store for the Mayfield youngster and this year showed it.

“It feels really good to win Player of the Year,” Miller said. “My chipping and putting carried me this year. Other girls were longer than me, but I got a lot of strokes back on and around the greens. I’m really working on my full swing, especially trying to be consistent with my baby draw. Adding distance to my driver is my biggest focus right now and always trying to focus on having a positive attitude. I love golf and look forward to playing on the Kentucky PGA Junior Tour next year as well!”

The final Player of the Year comes from the Boys 8 & Under Division and it’s Paxton Fuqua. Ten starts this year brought forth eight wins and two runner-up finishes, representing how well the Bowling Green boy has played. In his six-hole rounds, Fuqua shot 24 on three occasions but beat that mark in his final round of the season at the Lou Perry Tour Championship, where he shot 23 (-1) at the University Club of Kentucky’s Big Blue course. An extraordinary accomplishment for the 8-year old which bodes well for his bright future in golf.

“My favorite moment of the year was winning the Junior Am at Cherry Blossom and overcoming a two-shot deficit after the first day at the Lou Perry Tour Championship and winning there,” Fuqua said. “The best part of my game this season was my putting and I plan on learning to hit draws and fades over the offseason.”

The Kentucky PGA Junior Tour congratulates each player on their season-ending accomplishments and thanks them for playing the Tour all season. Each of these individuals will receive a custom-made golf bag representing their feat. The Golf House Kentucky Junior Player of the Year honors, recognizing the juniors who succeeded on all levels of competition throughout the season, will be announced next week.