Players compete at the Gulf States Junior PGA Championship in Diamondhead
Over the past two days, junior golfers from the state of Mississippi and Louisiana gathered at the Diamondhead Country Club for the Gulf States Junior PGA Championship.
Over 140 junior golfers picked up their clubs and hit the links for the Gulf States Junior PGA Championship.
With the tournament taking place on Diamondhead’s Cardinal Course, a lot of local talent had the great opportunity of competing in this prestigious tournament, including a pair of state champions out of Ocean Springs. Ocean Springs senior Mallory Pippin said, “We did just come off of a win from state not too long ago, so we rolled into summer and now I’m by myself. It’s definitely bigger tournaments, so a lot more pressure. So, just keep your head straight and try to do your best, so I’m really excited about the summer, excited to see where it goes and how I finish off.”
Pippin was accompanied by her rising freshman teammate, Mackenzie Smith. Smith said, “I’m really excited because I get to look up to Mallory and Avery. They’re just my biggest role models and I’m just excited to see how much I can grow. Definitely not my two best days, but it was really fun. I had my ups and downs, but it was a really pretty course and I’m glad I got to play here.”
There are three different age divisions for both boys and girls, but only the top two overall boys and girls will earn the honor of competing in the 47th Junior PGA Championship in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
One of the golfers that punched their ticket to the overall championship is Harper Hinckle out of McComb, Mississippi. “I’m looking forward to the overall championship because I played in it last year and you know, like I said I didn’t qualify for the second qualifier last year, so playing in this one, hopefully I can qualify both times and make it through the whole way. My friend Lucy Cook played really good and she got second, so we’re going to go to Arkansas together, so that’ll be good.”
The championship will take place August 1st through the 4th.
