Meet the South Carolina Junior Match Play Field

Defending champions Brady Hinkle and Alyssa Campbell

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. (July 7, 2017) -- The Carolinas Golf Association's 40th South Carolina Junior Match Play will take place July 11-14 at Cherokee National Golf Club in Gaffney, S.C. A total of 72 boys and 17 girls will be participating.

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

The South Carolina Junior Match Play format is match play; 36-hole stroke play qualifying for seeding. The top 31 boys and top 15 girls advance to match play. Defending champions Brady Hinkle and Alyssa Campbell will be seeded #1 for match play. The boys’ division will compete at approximately 6,943 yards, par 72, while the Girls’ division will compete at approximately 5,800 yards, par 72.

Players to Watch:

Boys' Division

Defending champion Brady Hinkle, 17, of Lancaster will look to repeat as champion. In last year's championship match, Hinkle found himself all-square with Manning Sloop after Sloop pared the par-4 10th. Then, a birdie on the par-5 11th by Hinkle kick-started a run that helped him clinch five consecutive holes to win 5-and-3. "I view it as an honor to be able to defend," said Hinkle. "Golf is hard enough and winning anything is truly special." Hinkle, a College of Charleston commit, is familiar with Cherokee National, as he walked away victorious at the 2016 Henry Transou Memorial. This knowledge of the course gives him ease on trying to repeat. "I really do not feel too much pressure. Having said that, it would be awesome to repeat and see my name back-to-back on the trophy. The Cherokee National staff really worked hard to have their course in great shape and I look forward to playing there again." Hinkle also noted that ball striking with his irons and swing tempo are areas he has looked to focus on heading into the match play portion.

Manning Sloop, 14,  lost to Hinkle in last year's match play final. Sloop, who was the 54th overall seed, defeated four higher seeds to make it to the championship match. He jumped 22 spots to 35th in the latest SCJGA rankings. Last month, he recorded five top-25 finishes, most notably an eighth place finish at the Grant Bennett Florence Junior Invitational.

Levi Moody, 17, of Greenville currently is third in the South Carolina junior rankings and recorded a second place finish at the Carolinas PGA Junior Championship at the end of June. Just two days later, he qualified for the Big "I", the nation's largest junior stroke-play golf tournament.

Zack Gordon, 17, of Gaffney has 11 top-10 finishes this year. A semifinalist at last year's SC Junior Match Play, the Clemson University commit also finished second at the 2016 Carolinas Boys' Championship. He is fourth in the SCJGA rankings. 

Tyler Gray,17, of Lugoff ranks as the 11th-best junior golfer in the state of South Carolina. He has captured seven top-15 finishes this year, including first place in the South Carolina Independent School Association State 2A.   

Girls' Division

Alyssa Campbell won the girls' match play championship over Anna Grace Brock 1 up at last year's SC Junior Match Play Championship. With the match was all-square through 14 holes, Campbell, 17, rattled off two straight birdies on holes 15 and 16 to go two up. Brock would respond on No. 17 with a birdie, giving herself a chance to go to extra holes. However, the pair would both make par on No. 18, giving Campbell the victory. "I will leave it up to my game to prove I can repeat," said Campbell. "If I believe in my game, then there is a good chance that [I can win] again."

Anna Grace Brock, 16, of Greenwood reached last year's championship match with a 3-and-2 victory over 15 seed Anna Parramore, and 2-and-1 victories over 10 seed Jalen Castle and six seed Baylee Evans. In addition, Brock, who is fourth in the SCJGA rankings, finished second in last months 22nd Jimmy Self Invitational in Greenwood.

Jensen Castle of West Columbia qualified for the Big "I" two weeks ago. In addition, she won medalist honors to qualify for the 69th U.S. Girls' Junior Championship on Thursday with a 1-under 71, the only player to shoot under-par. She ranks 10th in the SCJGA rankings.

Elle Johnson of Inman moved up to 3rd in the SCJGA rankings after finishing tied for second at the Twin States Girls' Championship. This year, she won GSA Junior Golf Tour Season Open and the GSA Junior Golf Tour Winter Classic. Also, she has finished in the top-6 in four of her last five events. 

Baylee Evans, 17, of Lancaster had three top-5 finishes in June, her best being a third place finish at the Jimmy Self Invitational.

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: 40th South Carolina Junior Match Play

Playing Dates: July 11-14

Host Site: Cherokee National Golf Club, Gaffney, S.C.
Boys - 6,943 yards, par 72, Girls - 5,800 yards, par 72.

Defending Champion: Brady Hinkle, Lancaster - Alyssa Campbell, Lake Wylie
 

Format: 36 holes stroke play qualifying (July 11-12) for all divisions. The boys' division will be cut to the low 31 for
match play. The girls’ division will be cut to the low 15 for match play. Defending champions Brady Hinkle and Alyssa Campbell will be the #1 seeds.
 

Eligibility: Entry is open to any male or female amateur golfer who has not reached their 19th birthday by July 14, 2017, who has not started college, is a legal resident of South Carolina, is a member or their parent 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® at a CGA member club that does not exceed 18.4.

 

Schedule of rounds

Tuesday, July 11
8:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. Stroke play qualifying round 1
12:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Player lunch
Wednesday, July 12
8:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. Stroke play qualifying round 2
12:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Player lunch
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Boys’ Round 1 matches
Thursday, July 13
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Boys’ Round 2 matches
9:15 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Girls’ Round 1 matches
12:30 p.m. -1:30 p.m. Boys’ Quarterfinal matches
2:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Girls’ Quarterfinal matches
Friday, July 14
8:00 a.m. - 8:10 a.m. Boys’ Semifinal matches
8:20 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. Girls’ Semifinal matches
12:30 p.m. Boys’ Championship match
12:40 p.m. Girls’ Championship match

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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