Team Georgia closed out an undefeated season in sterling fashion at Grayhawk Golf Club, edging out New Jersey to win the sixth PGA Jr. League Championship.
“It means a lot to the team,” said Georgia captain Patrick McCrary, a PGA pro at TPC Sugarloaf near Atlanta. “They worked hard to get here, and it’s been a long road. We couldn’t be more happy for these kids.”
Georgia took an early lead through three holes on Sunday in Scottsdale, but the co-ed New Jersey club fought back with three consecutive birdies, highlighted by 12-year-old Katie Li draining a 60-footer at Grayhawk's 13th.
The match reached the the 465-yard par-5 18th hole, where the Georgia trio of William Love, Harris Barth and Lucas Jinglov earned a conceded birdie by reaching the green in two, sealing the W for the Duluth-based squad.
"They played hard, and I couldn’t ask for anything more," said Anthony Latham, head of the New Jersey team. "They never quit."
Both teams went 3-0 in round-robin play to reach the finals, with Georgia winning 29½ out of 36 possible points.
In the third-place match, Team Ohio (Columbia Station) defeated Team Texas (Houston) 7½-4½. Team California (San Jose) took fifth place over Team Arkansas (Little Rock), 7-5. Team Illinois (Chicago) won the seventh-place match over Team New Hampshire (Atkinson), 7-5.
The 80 boys and girls competing in Arizona comprise eight Regional Champion teams from a record 42,000 kids who played in PGA Jr. League during 2017.
The Golf Channel will air a two-hour showcase on the PGA Jr. League Championship on Dec. 5 at 8 p.m.
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