At the end of another hot and action-packed day at famed Congressional Country Club, Avery McCrery and Baylor Larrabee rose to the challenge to win the 48th Junior PGA Championships
By Garrett Johnston
On a sweltering, humid day in Washington, DC, Brock Porter finished his debut Junior PGA Championship on Friday with a closing 4-over par 76 on Congressional Country Club’s Blue Course for a 4-over total for the week that placed him tied for twenty-seventh.
For the St. George resident and his parents Troy and Amy, it was his first trip to the nation’s capitol. Though there wasn’t any time for sightseeing on this stop, Brock gave plenty of fireworks early in then week with a share of the co-lead.
“It was interesting. It was just the first round lead, so I wasn’t too nervous (sleeping that night),” Porter said. “I knew I still had to put three more good rounds together. I was definitely a little nervous, but it was a pretty fun experience and it was exciting.”
Getting to play such a famous course with a lot of history got Porter’s attention this week too.
“It was just awesome. It’s a great course and a really good test I think. Just being out there knowing that there’s been so many good players who have competed there and won there, it’s just pretty cool to be able to play there as well,” Porter said.
So after a long week in the heat, and a T27 (+4) 70-73-73-76 – 291 finish, how does Porter rate his performance?
“It was pretty good overall. I would give it a B plus,” Porter said. “The driver on day two and day three I wasn’t hitting enough fairways. That put me in positions where it was harder to hit greens in regulation, and I ended up making a few mistakes.”
Junior PGA Championship winners Baylor Larrabee and Avery McCrery with Congressional Country Club’s Jason Epstein, PGA, following Friday’s final round.
Though Porter didn’t finish as strong as he’d hoped, he felt grateful for his parent’s support all week.
“They’ve always been there for me. They’re the only reason that I’m able to come out and compete in all of these tournaments and play my best,” Porter said. “They never forced anything on me, especially golf. No matter how I play, they always love me. Unconditional, for sure”
The 16-year-old has come a long way since first picking up a club at five at The Oaks GC. He says he feels like an underdog when it comes to college interest in his game, and there’s a lot to prove as his senior high school golf season kicks off soon.
For more information about the Junior PGA Championships, visit JuniorPGAChampionship.com and follow on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Garrett Johnston is a golf podcaster and Fairways Media freelance writer who hosts the Beyond the Clubhouse Podcast with Tour pros, caddies and broadcasters: He lives in Washington, DC and you can follow him on Instagram @garrettjohnstong