Guest and Singh capture overall boys and girls titles to cap off Lexington Junior City Championship.

LEXINGTON, KY (May 1, 2022) – The 2022 edition of the Lexington Junior City Championship was arguably the best edition to date for the twenty-year old tournament. This year marked the first time the event was jointly operated by the Kentucky PGA Junior Tour and Play Golf Lex and it led to a clear revitalization. With more than 130 players across all divisions entered, it set the record for the largest field in tournament history with some of the state’s top young players involved with the proceedings at Kearney Hill Golf Links.

Among them was Sam Guest, who entered Sunday’s final round trailing overnight leader Trey Wall by three strokes in the Boys 16-18 Division. After twelve holes, Guest was looking at the same deficit he faced at the start of the day with Wall looking in control. The final six holes featured an eleven-shot difference between each player, however, with Guest making two birdies and four pars to quickly emerge as the front-runner with room to spare. Punctuated by a birdie on the 18^th, Guest went from trailing by three shots to standing as the champion with a five-stroke margin of victory in the span of ninety minutes. Wall and the two-time defending champion of the tournament, Zach Watterson finished in a tie for second place.

“I started today’s round a little rough, but I knew I was going to make some strokes up if I kept playing my game,” Guest said. “I had a feeling some birdies were going to be on the way for me today, I just had to stay patient and eventually they did come around. It’s a big win for me though and I’m excited to have a spot in the Lexington Men’s City Championship (on July 15-17 at three Play Golf Lex courses) with this victory. That event should be a lot of fun to participate in and is a nice bonus on top of this win.”

That exemption into the City Championship is a new sprinkle to the Junior City Championship’s overall winners, which is a benefit Athena Singh will also get to enjoy with the Women’s City Championship. She receives that accolade thanks to a dominating performance to win the Girls 16-18 Division trophy. After an under-par score of 70 (-2) to open the competition on Saturday, Singh was not too far away from that number on Sunday with a 73 (+1) resulting in a fourteen-shot margin of victory. With it, she gets one of the biggest victories in her young career plus the aforementioned berth in the Women’s City Championship which will be at Tates Creek Golf Course and Kearney Hill on July 30-31.

“My putting was much better than usual this weekend,” Singh explained. “I made some nice par-saving putts and had a good run on Saturday of making a few birdie putts in a row. The last few tournaments I’ve played in I haven’t felt like I’ve done as well as I should have, but I did a much better job of that this weekend and it’s certainly one of the best victories I’ve ever had.”

Guest and Singh were not the lone victors at Kearney Hill, as seven players captured trophies in the tournament’s younger divisions. Weston Miller leads that group with a three-stroke win in the Boys 13-15 Division. Miller shot 72 (E) on Sunday which was one of the best scores of the day across any division. It helped him go from two shots down at the start of the round to winning by three strokes over Will Judd.

Like Miller, MacKenzie Federspiel erased a two-stroke deficit starting the day to find herself in the winner’s circle. In doing so, she ended the day winning by two instead with Channing Hagen coming in second place.

The most compact division of the weekend was without question the Boys 11-12 Division as six players ended within three strokes of the lead, including a trio of players one off the winning total. The player who stood alone at the top was ultimately Rowdy Harris, who prevailed with a score for the weekend of 78 (+5). He shot 38 (+2) on Sunday which was the best of the bunch and ultimately the difference-maker.

Carol Ann Mendenhall made her third start of the season on the Kentucky PGA Junior Tour and ended this one the same way she ended the first two – with a win. Rounds of 39 (+3) and 40 (+4) were the winning formula on this occasion as she cruised to a six-stroke victory.

Matthew White had the second-largest margin of victory of all of this weekend’s winners, as he navigated his way to an eleven-shot win in the Boys 10 & Under Division. The bulk of his work was done on Saturday when he shot an incredible round of 33 (-3). That allowed him to soak in the walk on Sunday as he departed Kearney Hill with his first victory on Tour this year.

The youngest divisions, the Girls 9 & Under and Boys 8 & Under groups, were both won by a couple of players already familiar with the winning sensation in 2022. Charlie Hix won the girls competition for her second victory this season on the Kentucky PGA Junior Tour. Redick Johnson was the man ahead among the youngest boys and continues a 100% winning rate this year, getting his third win in as many starts.

NOTES & STATS

• On Saturday, Hayden Wasch made the first hole-in-one of the Tour’s season when he sunk his tee shot from 165 yards on the par-three 2^nd.
• Wasch’s ace was one of three eagles made throughout the weekend. Brayden Casolari snagged one at the par-five 3^rd during the opening round while Zach Watterson made eagle on the par-five 18^th round on Saturday as well.
• Watterson’s eagle aided in the finishing hole being the easiest factoring in scores from all divisions during the event. It had the most birdies of any hole with twenty-six and had a stroke-to-par average of +0.32.
• The preceding hole, the par-four 17^th, was the most difficult for each division. It was the only hole to average more than a stroke over par at +1.08.

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Kentucky Junior Golf and Play Golf Lex express their thanks to each of the players and families who participated in the tournament and helped create a memorable first edition of this tournament under its new partnership.

The Kentucky PGA Junior Tour has a bye week next week because of the Kentucky Derby but will return on May 14-15 with the Junior Falls Cities – another tournament featuring a new partnership. The Tour will partner with Louisville Metro Parks & Recreation to operate that event at Seneca Golf Course where registration is open.

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.

About Play Golf Lex:

Play Golf Lex is the golf department of Lexington’s Parks & Recreation, a division of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government. Play Golf Lex manages and operates five 18-hole public access golf courses in Lexington. In addition to golf, Parks & Recreation oversees the programing, maintenance, and development of over 100 city parks and natural areas, six pools, community centers, recreational programs, and three arts venues. To find out more, follow @LexKYParks on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Media Contact:

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