Townsend Hamilton was one of only 11 boys to qualify for the Golf Pride Junior Classic during the Golf Pride Junior Classic TaylorMade-adidas Golf Qualifier held Sunday, July 3, in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
The qualifier was an 18-hole stroke play event conducted by the American Junior Golf Association. A total of 84 boys and 16 girls ages 12 to 18 from across 15 states to participate in the event, which was held on the North Course at Forest Creek Golf Club. The Boys Division played the par-72 course at 7,120 yards, with the girls playing at 6,016 yards.
William Gordon of Davidson, NC, claimed medalist honors in the boys division with a 70, while Vimonthip Benjasupawan of Bangkock, Thailand, earned medalist honors in the girls division with a 77. Gordon accepted an exemption in lieu of playing in the championship, while Benjasupawan will play in the Junior Classic which began on Tuesday at Forest Creek.
Hamilton shot a 38 and 38 for a total of 76 to qualify for the Classic. He tied for tenth overall, with Nick Eberhardt of Fort Mill, NC, qualifying with a second place finish at 72 and Philip Oneida, who had already qualified for the event previously, also shot a 72. Will Blalock of Gastonia, NC, and Dylan Siebenaler of Sugar Land, Texas, each shot a 73, with Blalock taking an exemption. Siebenaler had previously qualified.
Zachary Bauchou of Forest, Virginia, took an undisputed sixth place with a 74 to qualify. David German of Clayton, NC, shot a 75 to tie for seventh and qualify, with Sean Keane shooting a 75 and taking an exemption. Derek Bard also shot a 75 but had previously qualified.
Harly Abrams of Boca Raton, Florida; George Kilgore, of Raleigh, NC; and Minchung Kim of Cary, NC, all tied with Hamilton at 76 to qualify for the event. Chris Navarro of Davidsonville, Maryland; Thomas Walsh of High Point, NC; Peyton White of Huntersville, NC; and Terrence Zhang of Orlando, FL, all also tied with Hamilton but all took exemptions. Seth Gandy of Huntersville, NC, also tied for tenth, but had previously qualified.
In the girls division, Laura Hendee of Tampa, FL, finished first at 74, and Tess Fraser of Marysville, Ohio, finished second with a 75, but both had previously qualified for the tournament and were competing for PBE Status.
