Kate Walker, Emma Lillywhite, Lincoln Markham and Brock Porter (photo above), four of Utah’s best junior golfers have qualified to play in the 48th Boys and Girls PGA Junior Championship at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, MD later this summer.
The Silver Course at Soldier Hollow was the host June 10-11th for Utah’s Junior PGA Championship qualifier in the boys and girls 16-18 age divisions of the Utah PGA’s Junior Series. Players also competed in the Boys and Girls 13-15 age divisions but were not competing for the national qualifier spots.
Two-time 4A State individual champion Kate Walker of Crimson Cliffs earned medalist honors on the Silver Course with a 5-under 139 performance on rounds of 71-68. Battling throughout the day for the runner-up qualifier spot were Lone Peak’s Aadyn Long and Timpview’s Emma Lillywhite. Deadlocked at (-2) 142 after the final round, Long and Lillywhite played the par 5 9th playoff hole twice before Lillywhite won the hole with a par the second time through.
Five alternates for the national event were named as Long, Navy Hubbs (T4,+1), Kaylee Westfall (T4,+1), Alyssa Meadows (T6, +3) and Adley Nelson (T6, +3) as the next five on the final round leaderboard.
With consecutive rounds of 65 Crimson Cliffs’ Lincoln Markham, a BYU commit, finished (-14) 130 to claim the top spot in the Boys 16-18 division, one shot better than runner-up qualifier Brock Porter of Desert Hills. Markham and Porter will head to the Junior PGA Championship July 30-August 2 at Congressional CC.
Rounding out the top five boys alternates were Max Landon (3rd place, -11), Noah Moody (T4, -10), Jaxon Erickson (T4, -10), Cayson VanBeekum (T6, -9) and Cole Taylor (T6, -9).
Fairways Media summer intern Arden Louchheim caught up with the qualifiers and Utah PGA Junior Golf Director Cassie Campos following play. Watch the video below for comments and highlights from the final round of the Utah Junior PGA Championship.
Hazel Peters won the Girls 13-15 division with a (+7) 151. She was followed by Saylor Wagner at (+12) 156. In the Boys 13-15 division Corver Barnes earned the win with rounds of 76-64 – 140. A shot behind Barnes was Joseph Corcell at (-3) 141. Click here for the final round leaderboard for all flights.
Story, photos and video by Fairways Media/Randy Dodson and Garrit Johnson. For more information about the Junior PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club, click here.