The East section totaled 51.5 points to claim the 40th annual GSGA Junior Sectional Challenge Match at The Georgia Club, July 22-23. The West section finished second with 40.75 points, 10.75 points behind the East team, to earn runner-up honors.
Two age groups were won by members of the winning East section: States Fort of Evans in the boys’ 14-15 group at even-par 144, and Harry Jones of Augusta in the boys’ 11-and-under group at 1-over-par 71.
Other age group winners included Lorenzo Elbert, Jr., of East Point (Northwest) in the boys’ 12-13 at 8-under-par 136, Doug Stephens of Waverly Hall (West) in the boys’ 16-18 at 2-over-par 146, and Sara Jane Bowers of Statesboro (Southeast) in the girls’ 14-18 at 5-over-par 149.
In the 9-hole division, Faith Scott of Columbus (West) won the girls’ 11-and-under division at 27-over-par 97, and in the girls’ 12-13 group, Elizabeth Funderburk of Moultrie (Southwest) won at 11-over-par 81.
This marks the eighth win in the 40-year history of the Junior Sectional Challenge Match for the East section, and first since 2009 when the event was held at West Lake Country Club in Augusta.
The order of finish for this year’s event: East, 51.5; West, 40.75; Southeast, 36.75; Northwest, 36; Southwest, 35.25; Northeast, 17; Middle, 8.25.
The Junior Sectional Challenge Match is a statewide competition that brings together the top performers from the summer-long GSGA Junior Sectional Program. Participants earned the opportunity to compete and represent their section in the tournament by accumulating points in their section’s qualifying events. Each of the seven geographic sections sends their top four point earners from each boys age division, the top three from each Girls’ 14-18 division and the top two from the Girls’ 12-13 and 11 and under divisions to the Challenge Match. The team winner, or winning section, is determined by cumulative points earned based on order of finish in the various age divisions during each round.
The Junior Sectional Program began in 1974 and was established by the Georgia State Golf Association as a grassroots effort to provide juniors across the state with the opportunity to experience competitive golf.
| Flight | B 12-13 | |||||
| Rank | Player | Section | Rd. 1 | Rd. 2 | Total | +/- |
| 1 | Lorenzo Elbert Jr., East Point | NW | 67 | 69 | 136 | -8 |
| T2 | Luca Karaulic, Lawrenceville | NE | 72 | 70 | 142 | -2 |
| T2 | Thomas Hogan, St. Simons Island | SE | 73 | 69 | 142 | -2 |
| T4 | Nolan Miller, Midland | W | 70 | 75 | 145 | 1 |
| T4 | Zac Thornton, Bristol | SE | 74 | 71 | 145 | 1 |
| T6 | Noah Kuranga, Decatur | NE | 75 | 73 | 148 | 4 |
| T6 | Warren Gallatin, Fortson | W | 73 | 75 | 148 | 4 |
| T8 | Gage Smith, Lafayette | NW | 79 | 73 | 152 | 8 |
| T8 | Michael Cook, Bethlehem | NE | 75 | 77 | 152 | 8 |
| 10 | Isaac Samples, Loganville | NE | 80 | 75 | 155 | 11 |
| 11 | Dalton NeSmith, Statesboro | SE | 83 | 74 | 157 | 13 |
| T12 | Davis Carter, Valdosta | SW | 75 | 83 | 158 | 14 |
| T12 | Jon Morgan, LaFayette | NW | 80 | 78 | 158 | 14 |
| T14 | Braden Colbert, Valdosta | SW | 76 | 83 | 159 | 15 |
| T14 | C.J. Clarkson, Jackson | M | 83 | 76 | 159 | 15 |
| T14 | Carter Grant, Rock Spring | NW | 79 | 80 | 159 | 15 |
| T17 | Peyton Clark, Moultrie | SW | 81 | 79 | 160 | 16 |
| T17 | Ty Hutson, Metter | SE | 83 | 77 | 160 | 16 |
| T17 | Walker Hinds, Midland | W | 78 | 82 | 160 | 16 |
| 20 | Chase Haygood, Fayetteville | M | 84 | 78 | 162 | 18 |
| 21 | Jackson Jones, Midland | W | 84 | 81 | 165 | 21 |
| 22 | Davis Mathis, Valdosta | SW | 87 | 86 | 173 | 29 |
| 23 | Brooks Norton, Swainsboro | E | 82 | 92 | 174 | 30 |
| 24 | Michael Clardy, Eastman | M | 89 | 87 | 176 | 32 |
| 25 | Lance Eldridge, Swainsboro | E | 87 | 92 | 179 | 35 |
| 26 | Dylan Steed, Forsyth | M | 94 | 89 | 183 | 39 |
| 27 | Luke Mead, Waynesboro | E | 102 | 102 | 204 | 60 |
| 28 | Brock Thomas, Waynesboro | E | 108 | 107 | 215 | 71 |
| Flight | B 14-15 | |||||
| Rank | Player | Section | Rd. 1 | Rd. 2 | Total | +/- |
| 1 | States Fort, Evans | E | 74 | 70 | 144 | Even |
| 2 | Ben Womack, Midland | W | 75 | 72 | 147 | 3 |
| 3 | Kevin Burns, Canton | NW | 75 | 73 | 148 | 4 |
| 4 | Daniel Davis, Columbus | W | 77 | 72 | 149 | 5 |
| 5 | Alex Wells, Evans | E | 75 | 75 | 150 | 6 |
| 6 | Justin Ward, Bonaire | M | 77 | 77 | 154 | 10 |
| 7 | Trey May, Claxton | SE | 80 | 76 | 156 | 12 |
| T8 | Camden Collins, Tifton | SW | 80 | 78 | 158 | 14 |
| T8 | Gunter Jordan, Calhoun | NW | 78 | 80 | 158 | 14 |
| T8 | Jake Harvard, Blackshear | SE | 77 | 81 | 158 | 14 |
| T11 | Ben Trancygier, Hahira | SW | 81 | 78 | 159 | 15 |
| T11 | Carl Terns, Athens | NE | 81 | 78 | 159 | 15 |
| T11 | Patrick Edwards, Columbus | W | 81 | 78 | 159 | 15 |
| T11 | Spencer Jordan, Statesboro | SE | 79 | 80 | 159 | 15 |
| 15 | Michael Quick, Waynesboro | E | 76 | 84 | 160 | 16 |
| T16 | Chris Dunlap, Watkinsville | NE | 80 | 81 | 161 | 17 |
| T16 | Hunter Courtney, Cairo | SW | 88 | 73 | 161 | 17 |
| 18 | Ashton Denton, Thomasville | SW | 77 | 86 | 163 | 19 |
| 19 | Joe Burnett, Canton | NW | 83 | 84 | 167 | 23 |
| T20 | Evans Copeland, Columbus | W | 88 | 83 | 171 | 27 |
| T20 | Payne McDonald, Watkinsville | NE | 87 | 84 | 171 | 27 |
| T20 | Philip McManamy, Savannah | SE | 85 | 86 | 171 | 27 |
| 23 | Chris Stowe, Carnesville | NE | 94 | 79 | 173 | 29 |
| 24 | Samuel Bishop, Macon | M | 85 | 89 | 174 | 30 |
| 25 | Brock Stewart, Calhoun | NW | 90 | 89 | 179 | 35 |
| 26 | Walter Kopacz, Hawkinsville | M | 109 | 105 | 214 | 70 |
| Flight | B 16-18 | |||||
| Rank | Player | Section | Rd. 1 | Rd. 2 | Total | +/- |
| 1 | Doug Stephens, Waverly Hall | W | 73 | 73 | 146 | 2 |
| T2 | Jeb Stewart, Swainsboro | E | 76 | 71 | 147 | 3 |
| T2 | Tyler Key, Moultrie | SW | 74 | 73 | 147 | 3 |
| 4 | Jack Rautenstrauch, Evans | E | 73 | 75 | 148 | 4 |
| T5 | Dalton Quick, Waynesboro | E | 72 | 77 | 149 | 5 |
| T5 | Tyler Seth Raley, Dudley | M | 68 | 81 | 149 | 5 |
| 7 | Jacob Morgan, Lafayette | NW | 72 | 78 | 150 | 6 |
| 8 | Garrett Rowland, Cleveland | NE | 77 | 74 | 151 | 7 |
| T9 | Jake Minchew, Waycross | SE | 79 | 73 | 152 | 8 |
| T9 | Tripp Talley, Valdosta | SW | 79 | 73 | 152 | 8 |
| T11 | Harrison Stafford, Savannah | SE | 76 | 77 | 153 | 9 |
| T11 | Tyler Barker, Evans | E | 74 | 79 | 153 | 9 |
| 13 | Ty Gore, Tifton | SW | 81 | 76 | 157 | 13 |
| 14 | Kolbe Kennedy, Savannah | SE | 83 | 75 | 158 | 14 |
| 15 | Mckenzie Blanchett, Moultrie | SW | 81 | 79 | 160 | 16 |
| T16 | Kurt Ingram, Rock Spring | NW | 80 | 82 | 162 | 18 |
| T16 | Wes Foskey, Greensboro | NE | 82 | 80 | 162 | 18 |
| 18 | Christian Parker, Guyton | SE | 85 | 83 | 168 | 24 |
| 19 | Connor Todd, Midland | W | 83 | 86 | 169 | 25 |
| 20 | Austin Adams, Hamilton | W | 87 | 89 | 176 | 32 |
| 21 | Samuel Speir, Warner Robins | M | 93 | 90 | 183 | 39 |
| 22 | Nolan Flynn, Cleveland | NE | 94 | 92 | 186 | 42 |
| Flight | G 14-18 | |||||
| Rank | Player | Section | Rd. 1 | Rd. 2 | Total | +/- |
| 1 | Sara Jane Bowers, Statesboro | SE | 76 | 73 | 149 | 5 |
| 2 | Dallas Vaughn, Cartersville | NW | 77 | 76 | 153 | 9 |
| 3 | Amy Clark, Columbus | W | 79 | 75 | 154 | 10 |
| T4 | Haley Grable, Bogart | NE | 82 | 81 | 163 | 19 |
| T4 | Samantha Blount, St. Simons | SE | 82 | 81 | 163 | 19 |
| T6 | Anna Greer, Tifton | SW | 88 | 77 | 165 | 21 |
| T6 | Hanna Friedlander, Moultrie | SW | 79 | 86 | 165 | 21 |
| T8 | Jordan Booker, Americus | W | 84 | 82 | 166 | 22 |
| T8 | Karson Stone, Thomasville | SW | 81 | 85 | 166 | 22 |
| 10 | Rylie Marchman, Waynesboro | E | 83 | 87 | 170 | 26 |
| T11 | Elizabeth Burns, St. Simons | SE | 84 | 87 | 171 | 27 |
| T11 | Marlee Bingham, Dalton | NW | 88 | 83 | 171 | 27 |
| 13 | Sarah Kuranga, Decatur | NE | 85 | 87 | 172 | 28 |
| 14 | Megan Reddick, Bonaire | M | 90 | 83 | 173 | 29 |
| 15 | Katie Rose Rawls, Calhoun | NW | 92 | 87 | 179 | 35 |
| 16 | Kelly Wilson, Midland | W | 93 | 95 | 188 | 44 |
| 17 | Emily Wilson, Augusta | E | 92 | 98 | 190 | 46 |