Pate, Polin, Win Respective Divisions At Mimosa Hills Junior

 

MORGANTON, N.C. (August 29, 2021) -- The Carolinas Golf Association conducted the Final Round of the 2021 Mimosa Hills Junior Invitational at Mimosa Hills Golf Club, in Morganton, N.C. on August 29, 2021. The Girls Division competed at 6,048 yards (36-36--72), while the Boys Division competed at 6,643 yards (35-35--70).

 

Related: Championship Web Site | Full Field | Scoring | Photos

 

It has been just that good of a summer for Macy Pate of Winston-Salem, N.C., as she takes home the 2021 Mimosa Hills Junior Invitational Girls’ Division title. 

 

This marks Pate’s fourth win of the summer, to go along with the Twin States Junior Girls, Carolinas Junior Girls, and North Carolina Junior Girls Championship. 

 

“After I won that first event I’ve just felt really confident,” said Pate. “It helped me going forward. My game has been pretty good too.” 

 

She did it in what has almost become a trademark to her brand of golf, steady play with plenty of birdies and scoring opportunities to outpace her competitors. After an opening round 2-under-par, 70 that saw her just one back of the lead going into Sunday, Pate provided much of the same en route to a final round 2-under-par, 70 to finish at 4-under-par for the Championship. 

 

“The course is pretty hard,” said Pate. “There’s a lot of tough holes. If you put yourself in a bad spot you can definitely make a big number. I played pretty good, definitely had some bogeys but I made a lot of birdies this week. I hit a lot of shots close and made a bunch of putts.”

 

Birdieing four of her first seven holes, Pate made her turn in 2-under-par towards the back nine, collecting one birdie on the Par-5 12th before cruising in with pars from holes 14 and on. For Pate this is her final Carolinas Golf event of the summer, and it was gratifying to get just one more win. 

 

“I'm excited to keep playing into high school golf,” said Pate. “I’m excited to see what I can do.” 

 

Finishing in second place by herself is Grace Ridenour of Raleigh, N.C., who finished at 2-under-par for the Championship. She followed up a first round 3-under-par, 69 with a solid 1-over-par, 73, that tied for the most birdies in the field for the final round, as she tallied six. 

 

In third place is Morgan Ketchum of Winston-Salem, N.C., who finished at 1-under-par. Ketchum built strongly on her first round even par 72, firing a 1-under-par, 71 that also included six birdies on the scorecard. 

 

In the Boys’ Division Quinlan Polin of Cary, N.C. came away with a nail biting victory, finishing just one shot clear of the field at 6-under-par for his first Carolinas Golf Championship. 

 

“It’s pretty dope, I won’t lie,” said Polin. “I played really well this week, and had nine birdies yesterday. Today was more of a slow round.”

 

His first round of 6-under-par, 64 that included nine birdies proved to be the difference in this event, as an even par round of 70 on Sunday did just enough to secure the trophy. Polin’s ball striking was the key this week, leading to plenty of birdie opportunities. 

 

“The ball striking was good,” said Polin. “I just couldn’t drop any putts but that last stretch of golf the pins were so tough. Pars were good score and I’m just happy I got it done, but my ball striking and driving was definitely the main factor.” 

 

Polin’s preparation in his practice round prior to the event paid off in a big way, as prior knowledge of Mimosa Hills is always helpful in knowing the right spots to be.

 

“I played a practice round and I really loved the golf course,” said Polin. “It really fits my eye. I love the greens and how well maintained this place is. The way the tournament was run overall as well it was just amazing.”

 

Finishing alone in second place is Gray Mitchum of Winterville, N.C., who finished the tournament at 5-under-par. Mitchum followed his first round 3-under-par, 67 up with a very steady 2-under-par, 68, and rolled in five birdies on Sunday. 

 

Mason Kucia of Indian Land, S.C., Will Spicer of Kings Mountain, N.C., Tyler Jones of Jacksonville, N.C., Jack Boyer of Greensboro, N.C., and Jack Wieler of Waxhaw, N.C., all finished in a tie for third at 3-under-par. 

 

The Carolinas Golf Association would like to extend its deepest thanks and gratitude to Mimosa Hills Golf Club and its staff for hosting the 2021 Mimosa Hills Junior Invitational, especially, Head Golf Professional Jimmy Piercy and Head Golf Course Superintendent Dan Winters. 

 

2021 Mimosa Hills Junior Invitational

Mimosa Hills Golf Club, Morganton, N.C.

Final Round Results

Girls Division

Position	Player	City, State, Graduation Year	To Par	R1	R2	Total
1	Macy Pate	Winston-Salem, NC, 2024	-4	70	70	140
2	Grace Ridenour	Raleigh, NC, 2025	-2	69	73	142
3	Morgan Ketchum	Winston-Salem, NC, 2022	-1	72	71	143
4	Ella Perna	Durham, NC, 2022	E	71	73	144
5	Annalee Caveney	Raleigh, NC, 2024	+3	70	77	147
6	Ella Stalvey	Blythewood, SC, 2023	+4	69	79	148
7	Sahana Mantha	Charlotte, NC, 2025	+6	75	75	150
T8	Shyla Brown	Matthews, NC, 2026	+7	75	76	151
T8	Maya Beasley	Pinehurst, NC, 2023	+7	74	77	151
T8	Nicole Nash	Charlotte, NC, 2023	+7	73	78	151
T11	Saia Rampersaud	Durham, NC, 2025	+8	77	75	152
T11	Bridget Wilkie	Bluffton, SC, 2024	+8	73	79	152
13	Kasey McIlvaine	Raleigh, NC, 2023	+9	73	80	153
T14	Anna Howerton	Winston-Salem, NC, 2023	+10	79	75	154
T14	Kiera Bartholomew	Wake Forest, NC, 2023	+10	77	77	154
16	Abby Franks	Roebuck, SC, 2023	+11	76	79	155
17	Lily Kate Watson	Raleigh, NC, 2023	+12	77	79	156
T18	Kaitlyn Rand	Raleigh, NC, 2022	+19	83	80	163
T18	Justine Pennycooke	Cary, NC, 2023	+19	81	82	163
T20	Mary-Paige King	Clemmons, NC, 2023	+20	83	81	164
T20	Katelyn Griggs	Lexington, NC, 2022	+20	78	86	164
22	Olivia Wilkie	Bluffton, SC, 2022	+21	77	88	165
23	Maddie Peake	Pauline, SC, 2023	+27	85	86	171
24	Brooke Sutton	Concord, NC, 2022	+31	89	86	175
25	Katherine Dann	Charlotte, NC, 2023	+35	87	92	179
26	Allie Witherspoon	Morganton, NC, 2023	+43	95	92	187
WD	Madison Dixon	Boiling Springs, SC, 2023	-	WD		WD

Boys Division

Position	Player	City, State, Graduation Year	To Par	R1	R2	Total
1	Quinlan Polin	Cary, NC, 2023	-6	64	70	134
2	Gray Mitchum	Winterville, NC, 2022	-5	67	68	135
T3	Mason Kucia	Indian Land, SC, 2025	-3	70	67	137
T3	Will Spicer	Kings Mountain, NC, 2024	-3	68	69	137
T3	Tyler Jones	Jacksonville, NC, 2023	-3	68	69	137
T3	Jack Boyer	Greensboro, NC, 2022	-3	66	71	137
T3	Jack Wieler	Waxhaw, NC, 2023	-3	65	72	137
T8	Burch Harrison	Columbia, SC, 2022	-2	71	67	138
T8	Keenan Royalty	Raleigh, NC, 2023	-2	67	71	138
10	Davis Sayman	Charlotte, NC, 2023	-1	69	70	139
T11	Colin Salema	Matthews, NC, 2024	E	69	71	140
T11	Davis DeLille	High Point, NC, 2022	E	68	72	140
T11	Logan Lutz	Mount Pleasant, SC, 2023	E	68	72	140
T14	Jake Conklin	Cary, NC, 2022	+1	74	67	141
T14	William Webb	Raleigh, NC, 2024	+1	70	71	141
T14	Cornell Beans	Charlotte, NC, 2024	+1	69	72	141
T14	Major Lenning	Simpsonville, SC, 2023	+1	69	72	141
T18	Owen Kose	Holly Springs, NC, 2022	+2	73	69	142
T18	Fisher Kennedy	Winston Salem, NC, 2023	+2	72	70	142
T18	Ryan Jahr	Ocean Isle Beach, NC, 2022	+2	72	70	142
T18	James Rico	Cary, NC, 2022	+2	71	71	142
T18	Sean Finan	Winston Salem, NC, 2022	+2	71	71	142
T23	Jack LaPiana	Charlotte, NC, 2023	+3	74	69	143
T23	Michael La Sasso	Raleigh, NC, 2022	+3	72	71	143
T23	Benton Leinster	Greenville, SC, 2022	+3	72	71	143
T23	Landon Hawley	Charlotte, NC, 2023	+3	71	72	143
T23	Liam Harris	Wake Forest, NC, 2022	+3	69	74	143
T28	Nick Goellner	Holly Springs, NC, 2023	+4	76	68	144
T28	Nick Norman	Gastonia, NC, 2022	+4	73	71	144
T28	Branden Boyce	Spring Lake, NC, 2022	+4	73	71	144
T28	Alex Bock	Morganton, NC, 2024	+4	72	72	144
T28	Simon Burgos	Raleigh, NC, 2022	+4	72	72	144
T28	David Oliver	Pageland, SC, 2024	+4	71	73	144
T28	Spencer Turtz	Charlotte, NC, 2022	+4	72	72	144
T28	Matthew Baxley	Beech Island, SC, 2023	+4	71	73	144
T28	Andrew Gregory	Inman, SC, 2023	+4	70	74	144
T28	Dallas Johnson	Mount Pleasant, SC, 2024	+4	67	77	144
T38	Isar Joshi	Charlotte, NC, 2023	+5	74	71	145
T38	Calvin Hawkins	Lexington, NC, 2023	+5	72	73	145
T38	Harris Holstein	Orangeburg, SC, 2024	+5	68	77	145
T41	Owen Pearce	Winston-Salem, NC, 2023	+6	73	73	146
T41	Robert Gefaell	Winston-Salem, NC, 2023	+6	73	73	146
T41	Freddy Ortmann	Greensboro, NC, 2024	+6	72	74	146
T41	Ben Jordan	Greensboro, NC, 2022	+6	70	76	146
T45	Will Tharin	Rocky Mount, NC, 2023	+7	74	73	147
T45	Jay Smith	Florence, SC, 2023	+7	74	73	147
T45	Hank Johnson	Morganton, NC, 2026	+7	72	75	147
T45	Miles Eubanks	Warrenville, SC, 2023	+7	72	75	147
T45	WIlson Thrift	Charlotte, NC, 2022	+7	72	75	147
T45	Drew Van Dyke	Charlotte, NC, 2022	+7	72	75	147
T45	Preston Howe	Winston Salem, NC, 2025	+7	70	77	147
T52	Cayden Bryner	Winston-Salem, NC, 2022	+8	78	70	148
T52	Kyle Haas	Winston Salem, NC, 2023	+8	77	71	148
T52	Matthew Richardson	Ayden, NC, 2022	+8	76	72	148
T52	Ryan Curran	Charlotte, NC, 2024	+8	75	73	148
T52	Kareem Elkassem	Raleigh, NC, 2023	+8	75	73	148
T52	Jeremy Edmunds	Charlotte, NC, 2022	+8	75	73	148
T52	William Grasty	Charlotte, NC, 2022	+8	73	75	148
T52	Hugh Faulkner	Greenville, SC, 2025	+8	72	76	148
T60	Aiken Golightly	Rock Hill, SC, 2022	+9	76	73	149
T60	Steven Shea	Charlotte, NC, 2023	+9	69	80	149
T62	Maddox Whittington	Lenoir, NC, 2022	+10	78	72	150
T62	Max Cranford	Newton, NC, 2022	+10	75	75	150
T62	Max Jacobson	Charlotte, NC, 2022	+10	75	75	150
T62	Holland Giles	Pinehurst, NC, 2023	+10	74	76	150
T62	Lucas Acevedo	Charleston, SC, 2023	+10	73	77	150
T62	Jeremy Voigt	Waxhaw, NC, 2023	+10	73	77	150
68	Cole Rouse	Kernersville, NC, 2024	+11	75	76	151
T69	Drew Greene	Greenville, NC, 2023	+12	77	75	152
T69	Jimmy Brewer	Charlotte, NC, 2022	+12	72	80	152
T71	Cole Wright	Wake Forest, NC, 2022	+13	78	75	153
T71	Aidan Browning	Charlotte, NC, 2022	+13	75	78	153
T73	Eric Loftis	Canton, NC, 2023	+14	78	76	154
T73	Cameron Hardison	Greenville, NC, 2022	+14	77	77	154
T73	Ryan Dunn	Waxhaw, NC, 2023	+14	75	79	154
T73	Jake Clayton	Burlington, NC, 2022	+14	73	81	154
T77	Cameron Biddle	Aiken, SC, 2023	+15	78	77	155
T77	Jay Wilkins	Simpsonville, SC, 2022	+15	77	78	155
T77	Jackson Bode	Pinehurst, NC, 2022	+15	77	78	155
T77	Nicholas Smith	Pickens, SC, 2022	+15	74	81	155
WD	Sam McMillan	Mount Pleasant, SC, 2023	-	WD		WD

 

 

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.

 

##30##