Wilkie Wins the 14th Carolinas Girls' 15 and Under Championship

 

WHISPERING PINES, N.C. (July 13, 2021) -- Final round results from the 14th Carolinas Girls’ 15 and Under Championship at the Country Club of Whispering Pines in Whispering Pines, N.C., July 12-13, 2021. The championship division competed at 5,701 yards (36-36--72). The junior division competed at 5,342 yards (36-36--72). The sub-junior division competed at 2,474 yards (36).

 

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

 

Bridget Wilkie of Bluffton, S.C. continued her dominant play on Tuesday and won the Carolinas Girls’ 15 and Under championship division with an impressive score of 1-over-par, 145 total for the tournament. Mary Elizabeth Harrison of Cary, N.C. took home gold in the junior division after sinking seven pars and a pair of birdies on her final round. Audrey Liu of Weddington, N.C. receives champion honors in the sub-junior division after strengthening it out another day. 

 

“[Being named the champion] feels amazing. I am really happy to be here,” Wilkie said following her round on Tuesday.

 

In the latter half of Wilkie's first round on Monday, she struck a chord dropping birdies and pars in from everywhere. Entering the final round on Wednesday, she was even-par and four strokes ahead of her nearest competitor.

 

Although Wilkie could not escape the first hole bogey-free, she managed to piece together an impeccable front-nine score of 1-over-par, 37. Wilkies dominance on her outward nine resonates with her seasonal statistics that show she is averaging 38.2 strokes on her first nine holes of competition. She played the 10 hardest handicapped holes at Country Club of Whispering Pines at only 1-over-par. She powered through the course knowing that the field was not going to hand her a victory. 

 

“I was steady, I hit a lot of greens today,” the newly minted champion said. “Nothing really dropped but I had a bunch of two-putts.”

 

The No. 57 ranked Carolinas Girl golfer would prove her worthiness of the title on her inward nine. After stumbling and making a double-bogey on the par-3, No. 12; which ironically is handicapped as the easiest hole at Country Club of Whispering Pines,  Wilkie had at this point in the tournament a 2-stroke margin separating her from second place finisher, Grace Ridenour of Raleigh, N.C.

 

“Well I knew the girls behind me were going to be chasing, so my goal was to go as low as possible and not really focus on everyone else and to just stay in the moment.”

 

Ridenour battled back from a 5-over-par, 77 from the day prior and signed off on a 1-over-par, 73 on Tuesday. Fellow Raleigh, N.C. native, Katherine Brictson, finished in sole possession of third place with a collective score of 10-over-par, 154 total.  

 

The wire-to-wire champion would complete her inward nine with monumentous birdies on Nos. 13 and 16 to regain a comfortable margin and claim the title of 14th Carolinas Girl’s 15 and Under Champion. 

 

The Carolinas Golf Association would like to extend our appreciation to the members and staff at the Country Club of Whispering Pines, especially General Manager JP Longueil, Events Director Claudia Dooley and Course Superintendent Mike Rose. 

 

Tournament Results

Championship Results

 

Pos.	Player	City, State	Total	R1	R2
1	Bridget Wilkie	Bluffton, SC	+1	72	73
2	Grace Ridenour	Raleigh, NC	+6	77	73
3	Katherine Brictson	Raleigh, NC	+10	78	76
4	Caroline Hawkins	Columbia, SC	+14	78	80
5	Hallie Wilson	Lewisville, NC	+15	76	83
6	Payton Burch	Elgin, SC	+16	83	77
7	Rachel Joyce	Southern Pines, NC	+17	81	80
T8	Kasey McIlvaine	Raleigh, NC	+18	79	83
T8	Kinsley Smith	Raleigh, NC	+18	82	80
10	Ellie Acrey	Winston Salem, NC	+20	80	84
11	Mackenzie Crossman	Pittsboro, NC	+21	87	78
12	Sanaa Carter	Jacksonville, NC	+23	86	81
13	Boonyanant Rujiranan	Pinehurst, NC	+24	84	84
T14	Sloane Spessard	Raleigh, NC	+26	90	80
T14	Lauren Kuhn	Pinehurst, NC	+26	86	84
16	MacKenzie Finn	Fort Mill, SC	+31	87	88
17	Breannon Council	Wilson, NC	+36	88	92
18	Katelyn Cox	Hampstead, NC	+37	86	95
T19	Kellyn Arnold	MARVIN, NC	+45	92	97
T19	Peyton Nichols	Winterville, NC	+45	95	94
21	Brooke Tyler	Summerfield, NC	+48	100	92
22	Elise Taylor	Chapel Hill, NC	+65	113	96
WD	Ava Gutshall	Winston Salem, NC	-	WD
WD	Grace Lindsey	Mount Pleasant, SC	-	WD
WD	Justine Pennycooke	Cary, NC	-	WD
WD	Saia Rampersaud	Durham, NC	-	WD
DQ	Ella Reed	Winston Salem, NC	-	99	DQ

 

Junior Division Results

 

Pos.	Player	City, State	Total	R1	R2
1	Mary Elizabeth Harrison	Cary, NC	+22	83	83
2	Eliana Kim	Apex, NC	+26	86	84
3	Brooke Burgess	Lexington, SC	+42	95	91
4	Haley Paramore	Winterville, NC	+53	97	100

 

Sub-Junior Division Results

 

Pos.	Player	City, State	Total	R1	R2
1	Audrey Liu	Weddington, NC	+16	43	45
2	Addy Arnold	Marvin, NC	+40	57	55

 

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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