RICHMOND, KY (June 3, 2021) – The 2021 Kentucky Junior PGA Championships will undoubtedly go down as two of the most memorable in their history. Some of the strongest fields in Kentucky Junior Golf, strange weather for early June and an unprecedented finish to the Kentucky Boys Junior PGA Championship will make the last two days hard to forget for those involved.

Cayden Pope, Rylan Wotherspoon and Zach Watterson all finished the tournament at Gibson Bay with a score of 139 (-5). Getting to that point alone was wild, as Pope chipped in to save par on the 18^th hole to preserve his tie at the top, while Watterson made a putt for birdie from twenty feet moments later to join Wotherspoon and Pope at -5. With light fading and each player having guaranteed themselves one of the three automatic exemptions into the National Boys Junior PGA Championship, the players mutually decided to have their final placements settled by a scorecard playoff. Based on the results of the scorecard playoff, Pope was awarded with the victory, Wotherspoon finishes runner-up, and Watterson receives third place.

It was an incredible scene that will make for an interesting story for the three qualifiers to share down the road. Perhaps joining them at Kearney Hill Golf Links on July 12-15 will be one of, or both Rocco Zakutney and Matthew Troutman. Zakutney played a phenomenal second round, recording one of the rounds of the tournament by shooting 67 (-5) today. He is the first alternate while Troutman is the second alternate, which was done by winning a sudden-death playoff on the second extra hole with a birdie.

Over at The University Club at Arlington, Trinity Beth began Thursday tied at the top of the Girls 15-18 Division with Abbie Lee after both players had shot 71 (-1) in the opening round. Less than two hours after they began their rounds, Claira Beth Ramsey became an instant challenger after a remarkable front nine of 31 (-5). In what seemed like an instant, Ramsey had gone from being four shots back at the start of the day to leading by three strokes at one point. Beth was not deterred, however, as three birdies in five holes from 9-13 got her back on top of the leaderboard. Steady golf down the stretch proved to be too much for anyone else to top, culminating in a two-stroke margin of victory for Beth and the 2021 Kentucky Girls Junior PGA Championship with a total score of 143 (-1).

“I didn’t look at the leaderboard at all today and just focused on what I could do,” Beth said after her round. “I kept playing my own game and hit a lot of iron shots close to the hole that led to a lot of birdie opportunities for me. It’s very special to win this tournament and very exciting to know I’ll be competing at Valhalla next month. I competed in a Drive, Chip & Putt Regional Qualifier there, but I’ve never played the golf course before so I can’t wait to get there and compete.”

Beth, Ramsey and last year’s winner of the Kentucky Girls Junior PGA Championship, Macie Brown, are the players who are now assured of the opportunity to compete at Valhalla Golf Club in the National Girls Junior PGA Championship in late July. Brown finished in solo third place to lock up that final exemption, while a playoff was needed to determine the alternate positions after regulation play had concluded. Elizabeth Eberle and Abigail Sutherland earned the first and second alternate spots, respectively.

Younger players were also recognized today for coming out victorious in their respective divisions. Those champions are as follows:

• Liam O’Grady was simply dominant in the Boys 14 & Under Division, coasting to a thirteen-shot victory.
• Alexa Salamah ran away with the Girls 14 & Under Division, as she recorded an outstanding eleven-shot victory.
• Conner Ford edged out Jacob Thompson by a stroke as the 2019 Drive, Chip & Putt National Champion from Mount Vernon earns the Boys 11-12 prize.
• Carter Lankford prevailed in the Girls 10-12 Division by virtue of a two-stroke margin of victory over Willa Borough.
• Following his under-par round yesterday, an even-par scorecard today produced a five-shot victory for Rowdy Harris in the Boys 10 & Under Division.
• Emlie Miller continues to own the Girls 9 & Under Division, as she gets a fourteen-shot victory for her latest prize on Tour.
• Matthew White was on cruise-control in the Boys 8 & Under Division, as a remarkable total score of 48 (-2) earns him an eight-shot win.

NOTES & STATS

• Across all divisions, Gibson Bay’s hardest hole on Thursday was the opener, the par-four 1^st. It had a stroke-to-par average of +0.59.
• The easiest hole was the very next hole, the par-five 2^nd, a title it also held in Wednesday’s first round. Today its average was +0.10.
• The University Club at Arlington’s hardest hole for all divisions combined was the par-four 11^th, clocking in at +0.96.
• The par-five 13^th was the easiest, which averaged +0.30.

The Kentucky PGA Junior Tour expresses its thanks to Jason Eberle, PGA Head Golf Professional at Gibson Bay Golf Course, Teddy Lausier, PGA Head Golf Professional at The University Club at Arlington, and their respective staffs for their assistance in creating these championships.

Many players who competed in Richmond this week will be looking to earn spots in more coveted national competitions next week, as the U.S. Junior Amateur, U.S. Girls Junior and Barbasol Junior Championship qualifiers all take place next week. Oxmoor Country Club will host the U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier on Monday, June 7, Heritage Hill Golf Club will host the U.S. Girls Junior qualifier on Thursday, June 10, and Boone’s Trace National Golf Club will be the site of the Barbasol Junior Championship qualifier on June 9-10.

Click here to view final results from Gibson Bay

Click here to view final results from The University Club at Arlington