LOUISVILLE, KY (July 25, 2021) - Sunny skies were present throughout the weekend during the Kentucky PGA Jr. League Section Championships from Quail Chase Golf Club. PGA Professionals and their PGA Jr. League team members came from all corners of Kentucky to crown the top teams of the 2021 summer season as well as qualify for Regionals, which will be held at Kearney Hill Golf Links in September.

The top two teams from the 13&U competition, Derby City and Western Kentucky, locked up spots in the Regional competition with Derby City receiving gold medals as Kentucky’s 2021 summer champions. All participating teams competed in a stroke play competition on Saturday which sent the top four teams into match play competition on Sunday. These matches were contested under the format of a two-person scramble where teams battled for “flags” on every three holes. Every “flag” was worth 1 point.

Derby City won the first semi-final match on Sunday morning by a very slim margin of 6.5-5.5 over Bowling Green. The highlight of these matches was the opening match where Finn Johnson and Jackson Burrice lit it up and fired a round of 27 (-9) together. The duo played their last four holes in -5 which helped steer momentum in Derby City’s favor the rest of the way to move them onto the championship match.

In the second semi-final match, Western Kentucky was victorious over Louisville. The score was tied 6-6 so captains Robert Costello, PGA and Adam Webb, PGA sent out two players each to compete in a playoff. Western Kentucky’s duo of Dallas Vinson and CeCelia Ray took care of business in front of a large crowd as Vinson drained a twenty-foot putt for birdie to seal the deal for Western Kentucky.

Derby City then took down Western Kentucky in the championship match by a score of 7.5-4.5. Their three-point win was the largest margin of victory in any match today. With that victory, Derby City is the 2021 Kentucky PGA Jr. League Section 13&U champions, but both they and Western Kentucky will be in the Regional competition at Kearney Hill on September 10-12. The members of Derby City’s championship team are as follows:

Branson Adwell
Jackson Burrice
Scott Davis
Grant Guetig
Alex Hasselbeck
Jacob Holzer
Finn Johnson
Taiten Luehrs
Will Schneider, PGA (non-playing captain)

Click here for the final results of the 13 & U competition

In the 17&U Championship, three teams duked it out in a stroke play competition on Sunday. Louisville and Lassing Pointe’s A Team each shot scores of 66 (-6) to tie for first. Louisville then won a tiebreaker based off a scorecard playoff, but both teams will still compete in the Regional competition in September. The members of Louisville’s title-winning team are as follows:

Alexis Haller
Alex Hickman
Xavier Huestis
Jake Martin, PGA (non-playing captain)
William Norris
Clay Robinson
Nolin Underhill

Click here for the final results of the 17 & U competition

Kentucky Junior Golf extends its thanks to Craig Heibert, PGA President of the Kentucky Section and his team at Quail Chase Golf Club for their assistance in creating a memorable championship weekend. Appreciation is also expressed towards each PGA Professional, PGA Jr. League competitor and spectator who made this event a spectacular one. Lastly, thanks to National Car Rental for their continued support of PGA Jr. League among other PGA of America activities as their partnership is pivotal in creating weekends like this.

Click here to view the tournament photo gallery

The Derby City, Western Kentucky, Louisville, and Lassing Pointe A teams will take on other top teams from the Gulf States and Tennessee Sections when Regionals take place on September 10-12 at Kearney Hill. Winners from that competition will advance to the National Championship which will be conducted in Arizona this November.

While the summer season of PGA Jr. League is now complete, registration for the fall season is open! Many facilities in Kentucky are accepting players for this stretch of play that will be conducted from August-October. To get a player signed up for this fall’s activities, click here.