Abney, Tyree Claim Gulf States Junior
PGA Championship
New Orleans, Louisiana – The Gulf States PGA
Junior Championship took place at Bayou Oaks South
Course June 11-June 12. Twenty-six players competed in
the event. Unfortunately, due to inclement weather, the
fi nal round on Tuesday was canceled and fi rst round 18-
hole scores were offi cial for the Championship.
James Grimes III, of Covington, Louisiana, won the
boys 12 and under division with nine-hole scores of one-
over par, 37, and three-over par, 39.
In the girls 13-15 division, Madeleine Yu of Hattiesburg,
Mississippi, took f i rst place by fi ve shots with a two-over,
74. Liza Lapeyre of New Orleans and Katelynn Altese,
of Diamondhead, Mississippi, took second and third,
respectively, with scores of 79 and 83.
Kyle Bennett of Zachary, Louisiana, narrowly took
the boys 13-15 division with a four-over par, 76. Miles
Merlin of Metairie, Louisiana, took second in the division
with a score of fi ve-over, 77. Rounding out the boys 13-
15 division was Karsten Bryan of Golden, Mississippi,
shooting seven-over par, 79.
Brooke Tyree of Sulphur, Louisiana, took the girls
16-18 division with an outstanding score of three-under
par, 69. Tyree also won the overall girls division. Her fi rst
round included six birdies, with a bogey free, two-under,
34, on the back nine. Daphney Tilton of Iowa, Louisiana,
fi red a three-over par, 75, to claim second place. Coming
in third place in the 16-18 division was Carly Whittington
of Kinder, Louisiana, with a score of 78.
The boys 16-18 division featured three scores under
par. Simms Abney took the fi rst-place title with a four-
under par, 68. Abney’s round included seven birdies
and only three bogies. BJ Rogillio of Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, was second with a score of three-under par,
69. Rounding out the boys 16-18 division in third place
was Matt Billingsley of Saltillo, Mississippi, with a one-
under, 71.
The top two overall boys and girls from the tournament
advance to the Junior PGA Championship. The Boys
Junior PGA Championship will be held at Valhalla Golf
Club, in Louisville, Kentucky, July 31-Aug. 3. The Girls
Junior PGA Championship will be held at Kearney Hill
Golf Links in Lexington, Kentucky, July 9-12. Qualifi ers
include Abney, Rogillio, Tyree, and Yu!
The Gulf States Section thanked the staff at Bayou
Oaks, including General Manager and PGA Member
Brian Long, Host PGA Professional Alex Abbruzza, and
Head Golf Course Superintendent, Ryan McCavit.
Pictured above from left to right: Simms Abney, BJ Rogillio, and Matt
Billingsley.
Pictured above from left to right: Daphney Tilton, Madeleine Yu, and
Brooke Tyree.
Click here for full results.
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