Cathryn Brown wins at Arlington while Zach Watterson takes early lead at Gibson Bay.

RICHMOND, KY (June 1, 2022) – The first golf shots during Wednesday’s play of the Kentucky Junior PGA Championships were struck at 8:00 a.m. EDT. The last shot was hit around 7:15 p.m. A great deal happened in the 11 hours and 15 minutes in between at The University Club at Arlington and Gibson Bay Golf Course, making the first day of June in 2022 one that will never be forgotten.

Headlining the day’s events was Cathryn Brown prevailing at Arlington to claim the Kentucky Girls Junior PGA Championship. The soon-to-be University of Kentucky golfer started the day tied for the lead with Isabella Christy but began her round with an inauspicious start. Brown was +3 thru 3 holes which opened up the top spot on the leaderboard to a slew of players. Brown, Christy, Macie Brown (no relation to Cathryn), Cailyn Rogers, and Athena Singh all had a share of the lead at some point during the final round.

As the day progressed, the title became a five-person race between the two Browns, Singh, C.A. Carter, and Elizabeth Eberle. All of whom went to the 18^th hole with a chance to win as each were either tied for the lead or one stroke behind. A par from Macie, who was playing in the penultimate group, made 144 (E) the leading score in the clubhouse, which knocked out Carter, Eberle and Singh who all finished at 145 (+1). Playing in the final group, Cathryn was able to get up-and-down from off the green and hole a nervy three-footer to create a battle of the Browns in a sudden-death playoff.

That par did alleviate some of the pressure for Cathryn though as it confirmed her and Macie as the two automatic qualifiers for the National Girls Junior PGA Championship in Chicago this August. That meant the trophy was the only thing left to determine, and Cathryn made quick work in obtaining it. A massive drive on the par-four 1^st leaving her just forty yards in led to a birdie attempt from seven feet. Macie had a birdie try from twenty feet that missed, and Cathryn sank her effort in the heart of the hole to put things away and win her first overall major championship on the Kentucky PGA Junior Tour.

“The front nine here is definitely harder than the back and even with a not-so-great start, I knew I could get it back by scoring well on the back,” Cathryn said. “I had to take an unplayable lie on my 1^st hole which definitely shook my mindset, but I said to myself ‘I can get those two shots back real quick.’ I was lucky enough to do that, but this win means a lot to come on top against a field this strong. I wish I could have done a little better today, but I grinded it out and got the job done.”

Six other players also exited Arlington with major titles in hand, beginning with Morgan Kennedy who won the Girls 13-15 title. A round of 75 (+3) highlighted by an eagle on the par-five 2nd allowed her to coast to victory by eight shots.

Grant Guetig came away with the title in a competitively played Boys 11-12 Division. Guetig maintained the two-shot lead he took into Wednesday’s play to win by that same margin. Conner Ford mounted a charge with 34 (-2) in attempt to chase him down, but he and Hunter Majors ultimately shared second place.

Carol Ann Mendenhall also shot 34 (-2) on Wednesday, and that round did lead to a first-place prize. She went on to win by nine shots and continued her season of nothing but wins on the Kentucky PGA Junior Tour.

After making nine pars in nine holes on Tuesday, Paxton Fuqua wasn’t quite able to pitch a perfect tournament as a bogey crept onto his card on the par-four 6^th. Remarkably though, eight other pars graced his round for one of the most consistent performances the Tour has seen recently. He finished the tournament at 73 (+1) which gave him a five-shot victory in the Boys 10 & Under Division.

Kylie Miller won the Girls 9 & Under Division with a second consecutive round of 43 (+7). Doing so allowed her to win by three shots over Molly Amos.

Redick Johnson rounds out the winners from Arlington by getting the job done in the Boys 8 & Under Division. Like Mendenhall, Johnson is perfect from a winning percentage standpoint this season and now has a major to go alongside those other victories.

NOTES & STATS FROM ARLINGTON

• Lydia Harrel made the second hole-in-one of the Tour’s season on the par-three 5^th. That was her first career ace.
• Macie Brown’s Wednesday score of 71 (-1) was the low 18-hole round of the day. The rounds of 34 (-2) from Mendenhall and Ford were the top 9-hole rounds.
• Including Harrel’s ace, there were five eagles made on Tuesday. Kennedy’s eagle on the 2^nd also factored into that, as did a hole-out on the par-four 4^th from Kaden Puyear. The par-five 13^th surrendered two eagles.
• The 13^th was the easiest hole of the day in part because of those eagles. Along with thirteen other birdies, those all helped it play to a stroke-to-par average of -0.08.
• Despite Kennedy’s eagle on the 2^nd, that was the hardest hole of the day at +0.81.
• Both nines played similarly in terms of scoring average, but the back was slightly easier at 41.02 strokes compared to 41.20 on the front nine. That made the course average 82.22

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While all that took place, the Kentucky Boys Junior PGA Championship for 18-hole boys got started at nearby Gibson Bay Golf Course. After finishing in a tie for first in 2021, Zach Watterson picked up where he left off to take the opening lead in the Boys 16-18 Division.

The Beattyville native shot 67 (-5) in a round that included a front nine score of 31 (-5). Watterson made three straight birdies on holes 7-9 to help him stand out and gain the advantage on his peers while his closest pursuer is Luke Coyle. The pride of Campbellsville is one back of Watterson after shooting a bogey-free 68 (-4). Those two have some separation on the rest of the field as the next-closest players stand at 71 (-1), being Micah Bertram and Brady Smith. Those four were the only players from the division to break par. Like the Girls 16-18 Division, the top-two players will gain entry in the National Junior PGA Championship later this summer.

The Boys 13-15 Division is paced by Will Judd who had an all-time finish to his round. He was +1 heading to the 16^th tee where a par-par-par finish would have given him a one-shot lead. Instead of doing that, he made eagle on the par-five 16^th, made the second hole-in-one of the day on the 17^th, and topped it off with a birdie on the 18^th. That torrid finish resulted in a score of 68 (-4) and a six-shot lead. Jackson Mayes and Luc Kelty are tied for second place.

NOTES & STATS FROM GIBSON BAY

• With Judd’s ace to go alongside Harrel’s, immediate research shows that today is the first time in Kentucky PGA Junior Tour history where multiple holes-in-one were made on the same day.
• While Judd ended his round superbly, Drew Johnson started his impressively as well. Starting on the 10^th tee, he made birdie to get things going and then holed out for eagle on the par-four 11^th.
• Johnson gained almost three shots on the field with that eagle on the 11^th since that was the hardest hole of the round. Its stroke-to-par average was +0.80.
• The par-five 2^nd was the most gettable hole at +0.07. It had more birdies than any other hole with 25.
• That helped the front nine be more than a stroke easier than the back nine. Holes 1-9 averaged 39.49 strokes compared to 40.56 on the back. 80.05 was the course average.

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Kentucky Junior Golf will continue to have full coverage of the Kentucky Junior PGA Championships on its Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages. The final hole of the final group in the Boys 16-18 Division will be live-streamed on Facebook on Thursday afternoon. Should a playoff for the title be necessary, that will also be live-streamed.

About Kentucky Junior Golf:
Kentucky Junior Golf is part of the Kentucky Golf Foundation, one of three organizations that comprises Golf House Kentucky. Kentucky Junior Golf includes the state’s top tournaments and programs for the state’s golfers aged 18 or younger, featuring the Kentucky PGA Junior Tour, Youth on Course, the Youth on Course caddie program, PGA Jr. League, and Drive, Chip & Putt. Kentucky Junior Golf is dedicated to introducing Kentucky’s youth to the game of golf, providing resources to further enjoyment within the sport, and developing the skills necessary for players to thrive both on and off the golf course.

Media Contact:
Ethan Fisher, PGA | Golf House Kentucky | efisher@kygolf.org | (502) 792-9703