Kentucky’s Rogers and Beth among four to qualify for U.S. Girls Junior in Bowling Green

GEORGETOWN, KY (May 27, 2022) – A USGA championship is coming to Kentucky for the first time in more than a decade this July with the U.S. Girls Junior at The Club at Olde Stone, and following today’s qualifier at Cherry Blossom Golf Club, two local ladies can start preparing to play on one of golf’s grandest stages on their home turf.

Cailyn Rogers and Trinity Beth were two of four players to gain spots in what will be Olde Stone’s first USGA competition on July 18-23. Joining them in the field will be Ontario’s Ella Weber and Ohio’s Sydney Deal, who rounded out the group to advance from today’s competition in Georgetown.

Rogers was the only player to turn in a scorecard at even-par and by doing so, she was presented with medalist honors. The fifteen year-old from Lexington made the most birdies of any player with four, which included consecutive birdies on the 7^th and 8^th holes. That pair of holes jump-started her round and put her firmly in the top four through the remainder of her round. Despite bogeys on holes 10 and 13, she was able to cancel them out by making her other two birdies on the 14^th and 16^th holes. Doing so all but secured her of one of the automatic qualifying spots and proved to be the difference-makers in getting medalist honors.

Beth of Calvert City finished one stroke behind Rogers with 73 (+1) and was the last of the players who qualified not needing to take part in the playoff for the final two spots. The reigning Golf House Kentucky Girls Junior Player of the Year had the cleanest round of everyone in the field with fifteen pars, while one birdie and two bogeys provided the only geometry found on her card. Beth and Rogers will both graduate high school in the class of 2025, meaning two soon-to-be sophomores from Kentucky will be representing their home state at Olde Stone.

Weber and Deal secured the final two spots in a four-for-two playoff. The two of them, along with Kentuckians Macie Brown and Athena Singh, all shot 74 (+2) in regulation and took to the par-four 13^th to begin the playoff, which ended up just being one hole to decide matters. Weber stuffed an approach shot to within two feet to set up a birdie while Deal two-putted for par. Brown and Singh were unable to make par and will be alternates as a result, with Brown getting the first alternate spot and Singh being the second alternate.

Given the fact the U.S. Girls Junior will be held in Kentucky, both Brown and Singh will have better odds than normal to ultimately end up in the championship, but will still have to rely on other qualifiers to withdraw in order to get in.

NOTES & STATS

• Cherry Blossom’s most gettable hole was the par-four 3^rd. It was the easiest hole for the ladies with a stroke-to-par average of +0.23.
• The par-five 17^th was the hardest hole of the qualifier, playing at +0.91. Isabella Wiley was the only player to make a birdie on this hole while more than half the field carded bogey or worse.
• Thanks in part to the 17^th, the back nine played considerably more difficult overall than the front nine. Holes 10-18 averaged 41.91 strokes compared to 40.06 from the front nine. Added together, that made the course scoring average 81.97.

Click here to view the final results

Kentucky Junior Golf and the Kentucky Golf Association extend their thanks to Luther Conley, PGA General Manager and the entire staff at Cherry Blossom for their assistance in hosting this qualifier. Additionally, appreciation is sent towards each player who competed in today’s event.

Volunteer opportunities are available for those interested in helping with the U.S. Girls Junior this summer. To further inquire about these possibilities, send an email to Kevin Childers, PGA Head Golf Professional at The Club at Olde Stone.

Next week, big tournaments within Kentucky Junior Golf continue with the first major championships of the Kentucky PGA Junior Tour season. The Kentucky Girls and Boys Junior PGA Championships will take place in Richmond with action stemming from Tuesday through Thursday. Many of the ladies who competed today at Cherry Blossom will be at The University Club at Arlington for the Girls Championship, which starts on Tuesday, May 31 and will conclude on Wednesday, June 1.

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 the Kentucky Golf Association:
The Kentucky Golf Association (KGA) is one of the three organizations encompassed under Golf House Kentucky, in addition to the Kentucky Golf Foundation (KGF) and Kentucky PGA Section (KPGA). The Kentucky Golf Association represents the amateur body of Kentucky’s golfers working in assistance with the United States Golf Association (USGA). The KGA provides a wide range of services, including handicapping, USGA course and slope ratings, and tournament management software to its Member Clubs. The KGA also operates the state’s premier amateur tournaments along with USGA National Championship qualifiers. Alongside the KGF and KPGA, the KGA strives to promote the benefits and enjoyment of golf while continuing to grow the sport across the Commonwealth.

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