Top Players at 61st Carolinas Jr Girls'

Gracyn Burgess highlights a stacked Carolinas Jr. field

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. (July 29, 2017) -- The Carolinas Golf Association's 61st Carolinas Junior Girls' Championship will take place August 1-3 at the Country Club of South Carolina in Florence, S.C. 48 girls will be competing for the title.

The Carolinas Junior Girls' Championship format is 54 holes of stroke play. The field will be flighted after round two based on 36-hole scores. The Championship flight will be made up of the top 18 players and ties.

Related: Championship Web Site | Full Field of Players | History | Starting Times | Scoring

Players to Watch:

Gracyn Burgess, 17, the top-ranked junior girls golfer in South Carolina, repeated as champion at the Twin States Junior Girls' Championship in June, winning on the first playoff hole. The future Clemson Tiger also walked away victorious at the Vicki DiSantis Girls' Championship in May, finishing the final day with a round of 67 to erase a five-shot deficit. Burgess also won the WSCGA Junior Girls' Championship, finished second at the SCJGA Blade Junior Golf Classic and finished third at the North & South Girls' Junior Championship. Burgess was the Beth Daniel Player of the Year in 2016, an honor which is given to the top female golfer by the South Carolina Junior Golf Association. She also was a member of the Mid Atlantic Junior Girls team.

On July 15th, Emily Hawkins of Lexington, N.C. walked away victorious at the North Carolina qualifier for the Trusted Choice Big I Girls, posting a 72-72--144. The Campbell University commit also finished fifth at the Twin States Junior Girls' Championship last month. In 2016, Hawkins became just the third player in CGA history to capture both the North Carolina Junior Girls' and Carolinas Junior Girls' titles in the same year. She ranks third in the North Carolina Junior Girls' Rankings.

Jodee Tindal ranks as the second-best junior girls golfer in South Carolina and made to the quarterfinals of the Carolinas Women's Match Play. She also finished T4 in the Carolinas Women's Four-Ball, finishing at even-par with her sister, Jaelyn. Jodee, who will play with her older sister on the Mercer University women's golf team this fall, won the Carolinas PGA Junior Girls’ and finished in seventh in the WSCGA Women’s Amateur Championship in 2016. She is also a two-time champion of the Carolinas Parent-Child championship, winning in 2014 and 2015.

Elle Johnson of Inman, S.C. ranks third in the S.C. Jr. Rankings. On July 18th, she posted a top-10 finish at the SCJGA Blade Junior Classic. Also, last month, she finished T-5 at the Johnson also finished T-2 at the Twin State Girls' Championship and finished T-2 at the WSCGA Green Valley Girls' Championship in May.

Katie Whitfield is on a hot streak heading into the week after recording two big wins in South Carolina. Most recently, Whitfield won the Blade Junior Golf Classic after posting rounds of 72-73--145. Whitfield also received her first CGA win at the South Carolina Junior Match Play. Whitfield defeated Jalen Castle in the final match to win the trophy. Whitfield also finished T-2 at the WSCGA Jr. Championship and the WSCGA Green Valley Girls' Championship.

Scoring will be provided by the CGA throughout the championship, offering 9 and 18-hole updates. Live updates will also be available on the CGA’s official Twitter, @CarolinasJunior. Continue to visit the CGA website throughout this championship and all year long for complete championship coverage including scores, interviews, photos, and recaps.

Championship Facts
Event: 61st Carolinas Junior Girls' Championship
Playing Dates: August 1-3
Host Site: Country Club of South Carolina in Florence, S.C.
6,006 yards, par 72, Course Rating 75.3/131
Defending Champion: Emily Hawkins, Lexington, N.C.
Format: 54 holes of stroke play. The field will be flighted after round two based on the player’s 36-hole score. The Championship flight will be made up of the top 18 players and ties.

Eligibility: Entry is open to any female amateur golfer who has not reached her 19th birthday by August 3, 2017, who has not started college, is a legal resident of North Carolina or South Carolina, is a member in good standing of a club which is a member of the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA) and has a current USGA Handicap Index® of 18.3 or lower at a CGA member club.

Schedule of rounds

Tuesday, August 1
8:00 am – 10:00 am Round 1 starting times off #1 and #10
12:30 am – 3:00 pm Player’s lunch
Wednesday, August 2
8:00 am – 10:00 am Round 2 starting times off #1 and #10
12:30 am – 3:00 pm Player’s lunch
Thursday, August 3
8:00 am Round 3 shotgun start
12:30 pm Award’s lunch

About the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA)

The CGA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization that was founded in 1909 to promote and to protect the game of golf in the Carolinas by providing competitions, education, support and benefits to golf clubs and golfers. The CGA is the second largest golf association in the country with over 700 member clubs represented by nearly 150,000 individuals.

The CGA annually conducts 48 championships and five team match competitions for men, women, juniors, and seniors. It also runs over 150 One-Day (net and gross) events as well as qualifying for USGA national championships. The CGA serves golf in the Carolinas with numerous programs such as: the USGA Handicap System; tournament management software and support; course measuring and course/slope ratings; agronomy consultation; answers about the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status, and Handicapping; Carolinas Golf Magazine; Interclub series; Tarheel Youth Golf Association; Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame; expense assistance for USGA Junior and Girls' Junior qualifiers from the Carolinas; and the Carolinas Golf Foundation (CGF). The CGF has distributed nearly $2,000,000 since 1977 to benefit Carolinas' golf initiatives including junior and women's programs.    

For more information about the CGA, visit our website.

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