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Eight players earn first-place honors at 2022 Junior Falls Cities.
 

LOUISVILLE, KY (May 15, 2022) – One of Kentucky’s oldest golf tournaments added another chapter in its storied history this weekend at Seneca Golf Course. First contested in 1945, the 2022 edition was significant before the first tee shot was even struck thanks to it being the first time the championship was co-sanctioned by the Kentucky PGA Junior Tour. While inclement weather on Saturday altered the way the tournament would play out, the latest edition of the Junior Falls Cities served as an avenue for Kentucky’s youth to demonstrate their skill on the golf course.

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After a dominating performance in Lexington’s crown jewel junior event two weeks ago, Athena Singh had a slightly closer battle in Louisville’s premier tournament, but still earned victory all the same in the Girls 16-18 Division. Singh and her peers in this division, along with every other division excluding the Boys 16-18 Division, had their Saturday scores nullified when thunderstorms rolled through the area that afternoon. She and Isabella Wiley were neck and neck before the suspension of play, but today they started from scratch to determine a champion.

 

With three birdies in her first ten holes, Singh created a gap on the leaderboard that led to an eventual four-stroke victory. Singh carded 71 (-1) to get her third victory in three starts this year on Tour, with Emma Lindemoen finishing in second place.

Finishing at that same total in the Boys 13-15 Division was Will Judd, who earned his second victory of 2022 on Tour with his strong play today at Seneca. He racked up four birdies throughout the day, including three in a four-hole stretch, to secure a one-shot victory with Parker Warren coming in second place.

 

As noted above, the only division which was able to complete two full rounds of play this weekend was the Boys 16-18. Tyler Wirth went wire-to-wire and bumped what was a one-shot lead after Saturday’s round to a two-shot victory following Sunday’s round. Wirth tallied 71 (-1) in round one and had a resilient performance on Sunday to preserve his victory. Despite making a quadruple bogey on the par-four 5th (his 14th hole of the day) that dropped him out of the lead, Wirth bounced back with two birdies to finish his round while Micah Bertram finished runner-up.

 

The largest margin of victory from each of the weekend’s winners belongs to Emma Ballengee from the Girls 13-15 Division, who picked up nearly a stroke per hole on her competitors with a seventeen-shot win. Ballengee shot 76 (+4) with two birdies throughout her performance to highlight the commanding victory.

One playoff was needed to decide a champion which came in the Boys 11-12 Division. Grant Guetig and Brady Faulkner were tied at 36 (E) after regulation, so extra holes were needed with Guetig coming out on top. That makes it his first individual win of the season, and second in total after winning the Kentucky Junior Four-Ball Championship in April with Griffin Jackson.

Sophia Hayes won for the first time this season with top honors in the Girls 10-12 Division. With a score of 40 (+4), Hayes prevailed by two strokes over Mary Clayton Rodgers.

 

Greyson Cloern of the Boys 10 & Under Division had one of the most impressive performances in the entire field, as the youngster shot 36 (E) for what turned into a two-stroke victory. Cloern began his day with two consecutive birdies, which propelled him to his first individual win of the year.

The final winner of the 2022 Junior Falls Cities has been a consistent winner throughout 2022, as Redick Johnson won for the fourth time in as many starts. By shooting 38 (+2) for a five-stroke victory, Johnson continues a storybook campaign that has already given him a massive lead in that division’s Player of the Year standings.

NOTES & STATS

•  Because of the influence of Saturday’s thunderstorms, AJGA stars for the 18-hole boys players were awarded based solely off Sunday’s scores since the Boys 13-15 Division could not complete their rounds on Saturday. Therefore, Micah Bertram will be awarded with the lion’s share of AJGA stars amongst boys thanks to his score of 70 (-2) on Sunday – the lowest round recorded of the tournament. Athena Singh will get the most stars from the girls 18-hole players.

• Three eagles were made during the tournament, but impressively, two of them came on par-fours. Layton Richey had the longest hole-out so far this season on the 18th, Trey Wall holed out on the 11th, and Micah Sheffer made the only par-five eagle with one on the 10th.

•  Even with those eagles, none of those three holes made it as Seneca’s easiest hole of the tournament. That distinction goes to the par-four 9th, which across all divisions, played to a stroke-to-par average of +0.31.

• Seneca’s opening hole, the par-four 1st, was the hardest of the tournament. Its stroke-to-par average was +0.87.