Carolinas Girls’ Championship
Jessica Spicer of Bahama captured the Carolinas Girls’ Championship at Hope Valley Country Club by 8 strokes over Jessica Kittelberger of Raleigh.
U.S. Junior Amateur
THE WOODLANDS, Texas • July 21-26 – Doc Redman of Raleigh, Eric Bae of Cary, and Alex Smalley of Wake Forest qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur held at the Nicklaus Course at the Club at Carlton Woods.
All three advanced out of the two-round stroke play portion of the tournament into match play, with Redman advancing to the Round of 16 before falling.
Redman advanced to match play by posting scores of 71-73 (even par) during stroke play to finish tied for 24th heading into match play.
Redman needed 20 holes to slip past Justin Suh of San Jose, Calif., in his Round of 64 match.
Redman had a little easier time with Braden Thornberry of Olive Branch, Miss., in the Round of 32. After falling behind with a double bogey on the first hole, Redman won holes 2, 3, 7, and 8 to go 3-up. A birdie on the 10th hole gave him a 4-up lead, and he closed the match out on 15.
Redman then stretched Andy Zhang of China to the limit in their Round of 16 match before falling on the final hole.
Redman was 2-down in the match when he reached the 16th tee, but won 16 and 17 with birdies to square the match heading to the par-5 18th.
Zhang reached the hole in two shots and two-putted for birdie and the win.
Bae almost didn’t make it to match play after firing an opening round 76, but a championship record-setting 29 on his back nine during the second round of stroke play led to a 5-under 67 that put him a tie for 18th heading into match play.
Bae’s 29 was boosted by an eagle 2 at the par-4, 377-yard sixth hole from 60 yards out. He had already made three straight birdies on holes 3, 4, and 5 before his eagle at 6, then added birdies on 8 and 9 to secure his spot in match play.
Bae won his opening match against Peter Jones of Owattona, Minn., 2-up after making birdies on the final two holes.
Bae fell 2&1 to Anton Serafini in the Round of 32 after Serafini got hot at the right time on the back nine.
Bae fell behind early after losing the first two holes of the match, but squared things after making a birdie on 12.
Serafini responded by winning the 13th and 14th holes to re-take a 2-up lead, then closed out the match with a par at 17.
Bae also played in the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2011, but didn’t advance out of stroke play.
Smalley advanced to match play, but lost his opening match 4 & 3 to Dwight Cauthen of Columbia, S.C.
Mid-Atlantic Girls Challenge
LAUREL FORD, VA. • July 26-27 – Jennifer Chang of Cary, and twin sisters Jessica and Sarah Spicer of Bahama helped lead the Carolinas team to a 9½ to 2½ win against Virginia in the Mid-Atlantic Girls Challenge at Olde Mill Resort.
The match-play event consisted of four-ball matches and singles matches, and all three players won each match they participated in.
Team Carolinas led 4-0 after the four-ball matches, as Jessica Spicer and Chang defeated Khushboo Thiagaraj and Ashley Dingman 1 up, while Sarah Spicer teamed with Grace Yatawara of Salisbury to beat Kristin Hearp and Sienna Ferrick 1 up.
In the singles matches, Change coasted to a 5 & 4 win against Amanda Hollandsworth, Sarah Spicer defeated Kristin Hearp 3 & 2, and Jessica Spicer beat Katie Turk 2 & 1.
Team Carolinas, which lost the event last year, leads the all-time series 9-3-1.
IJGA Junior Open
OKATIE, S.C. • June 16-19 – Emilia Migliaccio of Cary fired a 66 during the final round of the IJGA Junior Open at Chechessee Creek Club to claim her first AJGA tournament title.
Migliaccio began the final round in fourth place and had four birdies and no bogeys to card a three-day total of even-par 210 to beat Isabella DiLisio of Hatfield, Pa., and Fai Khamborn of Cincinnati, Ohio, by one shot.
Migliaccio, a rising sophomore at Athens Drive and the 4-A individual state champion last fall, also earned the Scotty Cameron Putter Cover Award for shooting the lowest final-round score in the Girls Division. The IJGA Open was only her second appearance in an AJGA event this year.
North Carolina Junior Boys 13 & under Championship
ASHEBORO • July 14-15 — Grayson Wotnosky of Wake Forest captured his first CGA major title after defeating Symon Balbin of Pinehurst 6 & 5 in the championship match at Asheboro Municipal.
Wotnosky never trailed in any of his four matches during the event.
He won his first two matches 4 & 2, defeating Smith Brewer of Raleigh in the opening round and Wells Armes of Raleigh in the quarterfinals.
Wotnosky then faced stroke play medalist Fulton Smith of Pinehurst in the semifinals and posted a 3 & 2 win before running away with the championship against Balbin.
Defending champion Akshay Bhatia of Raleigh lost 1-up to Balbin in the semifinals.
U.S. Kids Carolinas State Invitational
RALEIGH • June 30-July 1 – Five Triangle-area players won their age groups at the U.S. Kids Carolinas State Invitational at Brier Creek CC.
Morgan Riley of Raleigh won the boys 7-and under division by eight shots over Connor Newbold of Hope Mills. Riley shot a 1-over 73 that included two birdies on the front nine.
Kareem El-Kassem of Raleigh won the boys 9-and under division after posting rounds of 75-72 to win by five shots over Slade Aliff of Hardy, Va. El-Kassem had a one shot lead after the first round over Aliff, but got off to a hot start in the second round by making birdies on three holes on his opening nine to stretch his lead.
El-Kassem was 2-under par during his second round before closing with a double bogey.
In the boys 12-and under division, Symon Balbin of Pinehurst edged Logan Patrick of Dunn by two shots after a two-round total of 146 (2-over par).
Balbin had rounds of 74-72 and made birdies on two of the final six holes in the second round to help him secure the win.
In the girls 12-14 division, Katharina Floyd of Clayton coasted to a 19-shot win against Ashlee Richardson of Simpsonville, S.C.
Floyd finished 1-over par after rounds of 72-73.
Twin State Junior Girls Championship
BLYTHWOOD, S.C. • July 1-2 — Catherine Ashworth of Fuquay-Varina posted a final round 70 to win the Twin States Junior Girls’ Championship at Columbia Country Club.
Ashworth, a rising senior at Fuquay-Varina who has committed to East Carolina, had three birdies on the day to edge first-round leader Siranon Shoomee by a single stroke.
Ashworth finished at 1-under par after rounds of 73-70.
Shoomee briefly tied Ashworth after chipping in for a birdie on the final hole, forcing Ashworth to get up-and-down from off the green to make a par for the win.
Jessica Spicer of Bahama finished in third place after rounds of 74-73, four shots behind Ashworth.
