Tarver & Song Capture Division Wins at the 2020 Carolinas Junior PGA Champ
Greensboro, NC (June 30, 2020) – The field of 106 boys and 29 girls have finished play and our two champions have been crowned at the 2020 Carolinas Junior PGA Championship.
In the Boys division, Griffin Tarver of Tega Cay, SC dominated this 36-hole championship, holding the lead both days and coming out on top. After carding the low round of the tournament in his first round of 66, his confidence was high going into today’s round as he started his first 11 holes at 6-under. Tarver held steady through the rest of the round shooting 31, 37 for a total of 3-under-par for the day and a championship total of 8-under-par, 134. Three shots back from Tarver, alone in second place, is Collin Adams of Charlotte, NC who jumped up two spots in the field to finish in outright second. With a first round 68 and second round 69, Adams finished at 5-under-par for the 36 holes. In an effort to polish off his round in the best way possible, Adams lipped out a shot for eagle from 40 yards, but nonetheless, finished his round with a tap-in birdie.
There was a three-way tie for third place as players fought hard against the tough competition today. Ryan Jahr from Ocean Isle Beach, NC proved he deserved that spot by his play today as he tied the low round of the tournament today with his 66. Joined with his first round 73, Jahr finished at 3-under-par, two back from Adams in second. Joining Jahr in the third-place position at 3-under is Branden Boyce from Spring Lake, NC and Andrew Plate from Greensboro, NC. After a scorecard playoff, Plate won the third-place position for trophy rights.
In the Girls division, Gracie Song of Waxhaw, NC played solid and stayed strong through her stellar round of 69 in today’s final round. She remained bogey-free through 15 holes today. Standing on the 16th tee at 5-under for the day, she got a bit shaky but still finished strong. Combined with her 71 from yesterday’s round, Song won the Girls Division with a 2-under-par, 140 for the 36-hole championship.
Coming in second place with not only the girls’ division low round, but also her career low, Hannah Altman from Lake City, SC carded a 68 which included only one bogey for the day, propelling her to the second-place position. Two shots back from Song, Altman finished at 142 (E). Rounding out the top three is Kennedy Gooding from Lexington, SC who remained consistent over her two rounds with 71, 72 for a 36-hole total of 143, one-over.
A highlight from the girl’s division today was an eagle from Adrian Anderson on the par-5, 4th hole. The 10th hole clearly set up well for Nick Kleu as he eagled the par-5 during both rounds! Another eagle came today from Andrew Haarlow also on the par-5, 10th hole.
The Carolinas PGA extends a huge thank you to Chris Terry, PGA Head Professional, Brian Kittler, PGA, Vice President of Golf Operations for McConnell Golf, and their entire team at The Cardinal at Pete Dye for stepping up to host this event last minute. This was a phenomenal venue to host this great group of juniors and the event would not have been possible without their great support.
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About the Carolinas PGA
Since its inception in 1923, the Carolinas PGA Section has been committed to nurturing and improving the quality of the game for the thousands of golfers using its member facilities. Now the largest of the PGA’s forty-one sections, the Carolinas PGA Section of the Professional Golfers’ Association boasts over 2,000 professional members and represents more than 700 golf facilities within North and South Carolina as well as portions of southern Virginia. For more information, please contact Director of Marketing, Sally Morgan, PGA at smorgan@pgahq.com or visit www.carolinas.pga.com.