Beattyville, Richmond golfers earn top state junior golfer honors

The 2021 campaign began in March with the Season Kick-Off from Griffin Gate Golf Club in Lexington. It was followed by thirteen Series Tournaments, nine two-day championships and three major championships each for boys and girls. The Tour’s points standings weighted each player’s performance from each of those events and has produced one of the strongest Player of the Year groups in the Tour’s history. They are as follows:

“To be named 2021 Player of the Year is an extreme honor,” Watterson said. “My favorite moment on the course was the Kentucky Boys Junior PGA Championship when I made the twenty-footer on the last hole to tie for first there. This offseason, I plan on continuing my hard work practicing and entering the 2022 season razor sharp!”

“It was an honor to receive this award, as well as a great surprise!” Ramsey continued by saying her highlight of the year “was the Kentucky Girls Junior Amateur where I led nearly the whole way. It was fun and stressful at the same time but was just good experience for me at this point in my career. Madison Central has performed really well this high school season so hopefully that will continue, but after that I plan on playing in a tournament at Vanderbilt in the beginning of November and then finishing up the year with a tournament in North Carolina that I got invited to thanks to winning the State Junior Amateur. My goals in 2022 are to just improve my overall golf game as much as possible. I don’t have any specific goals as far as scoring, rankings, wins, qualifying for events, or anything like that. I just want to focus on playing as well as I possibly can. When I do that, all the other stuff seems to work itself out.”

“The Player of the Year award is extremely special because I am competing with so many other talented golfers in Kentucky,” O’Grady stated. “The great competition makes winning this award very challenging and I am grateful to all the players that push me to my best throughout the season. My signature moment had to be the Boys Junior PGA at Gibson Bay. It was my best performance in multi-day tournament play so far and I really enjoy that course. A close second had to be my first hole-in-one at Hunting Creek during the Lou Perry Tour Championship. In the offseason, I plan on continuing my TPI training, sneak in a few golf trips, and work with my coaches with fine-tuning my swing. I’d really love to play college golf and will continue to work hard towards that goal.”

“This award meant a lot to me because this summer was the first time I branched out from Owensboro area tournaments,” Salamah explained. “I originally wanted to play in the 12 & Under Division, but my mom encouraged me to try this division, so I wasn’t expecting a lot entering the year. It’s exciting to me that I was able to play well enough to achieve this award. I’m currently playing golf for Owensboro High School and looking forward to Regionals and State. In the past, I’ve done volleyball and tennis in the offseason which I will continue to do, but I plan on spending a bit more time practicing golf this time around as I also plan to start working with a PGA Professional. In 2022, I hope to get my approach shots closer to the flag and compete in more 36-hole tournaments.”

“That tournament came down to the last hole which really got my adrenaline going,” Lankford exclaimed. “That was one of my favorite moments of the season battling it out to the final hole there. Healing a broken finger is the most important thing for me the rest of 2021. Then I’ll get back to working on my swing to get it in form for the 2022 season.”

“Winning the Player of the Year award is awesome and means a lot to me,” Lindsay described. “It’s something that keeps me motivated all season long. Winning the Lou Perry Tour Championship and getting a top-ten in a national junior event were my season highlights. This offseason, I plan on practicing more on my short game and putting. Then in 2022, my goals are to shoot under-par in an 18-hole tournament and my long-term dreams are to be on the PGA TOUR and win The Masters.”

“I’m so happy to be receiving this award for the second consecutive year,” Miller stated. “It means so much to me to be named Player of the Year. My signature moment of the season was when I holed out from 76 yards away at the 10^th hole of Country Club of Paducah during the Independence Bank Western Kentucky Junior Championship. I’m getting ready to play in the Middle School Regional at Calvert City Country Club next Saturday, then this offseason I’m going to continue perfecting my swing by incorporating more lag and distance. Also, I’m always working to improve my putting and short game! Next year, I want to keep winning as many tournaments as possible and try to be Player of the Year for the third year in a row.”

“This summer, I learned how to deal with my emotions,” DeHaven divulged. “The best moment of the year was at the Lou Perry Tour Championship when I chipped in for an eagle and then won the tournament with a score of 70 (-2). I know I’m young, but I would love to be on the PGA TOUR when I’m older.”

The Kentucky PGA Junior Tour congratulates each of these players and their families on these awards and thanks them for their participation all season. Each player will receive a new golf bag courtesy of Sun Mountain with the player’s name on the bag thanks to these accomplishments.

This fall, one boy and one girl will be named the 2021 Golf House Kentucky Junior Players of the Year, which accounts for performance in the top local, regional, and national junior tournaments plus prestigious amateur competitions.

The Tour will be focused on the remainder of the high school season for the next month but will also host the Middle School Regionals and Championship on September 18-19 and September 25. One final Kentucky PGA Junior Tour event will be held on October 16-17 at University Club of Kentucky (Big Blue) with the Fall Classic. Registration for that event is available and open to all players.