Fairborn, OH -16 Southern Ohio PGA Junior. Tour members competed all season long for a spot to represent the Southern Ohio PGA at the inaugural Junior Ohio Cup presented by Cobra Puma Golf! These players will head to Westfield Country Club’s South Course in Westfield Center, OH October 28-29 to compete against juniors from the Northern Ohio PGA in this Ryder Cup style event.

Let’s meet Team SOPGA!

Captain: Ben Chandler, PGA

Ben Chandler, PGA Assistant Professional at Little Miami Golf Center is the captain of Team SOPGA for the inaugural Junior Ohio Cup! Chandler is the 2023 recipient of the Southern Ohio PGA Youth Player Development Award for his exceptional work with junior golfers. Chandler 

Representing the Southern Ohio Boys are:

Cameron Phillips earned the first spot on Team SOPGA with his win at the 2023 Southern Ohio Junior PGA Championship. Back–to-back rounds of three-under-par 69 at Darby Creek Golf Course sent Phillips to the 2023 Junior PGA Championship and locked up his spot on Team SOPGA.

Andy Steed competed in a total of 19 events on the SOPGA Jr. Tour throughout 2023 and earned Player of the Year honors in the Boys 16-19 Division. Of those 19 events, Steed claimed a record-setting 10 victories, cementing his spot on Team SOPGA.

Griff Turner finished the year in second place in the Boys 16-19 Player of the Year race. In his 15 events of the season, Turner finished inside the top-10 11 times, including five top-5 finishes.

Zach Hartley, like Steed, competed in 19 events throughout the summer with the SOPGA. His consistent play all season long earned him a total of 12 top-10 finishes and a spot on Team SOPGA.

Colin Cleary teed it up in 12 events last season on the SOPGA Jr. Tour and was the pinnacle of consistency. Finishing outside of the top-10 only two times, Cleary teed it up with a chance to win every event he played in.

James Wei had himself a great season on the SOPGA Jr. Tour. Competing in a total of 13 events, James was a staple in the top-10. The highlight of his season came at the Johnstown Jr. Open where he claimed first place with a two-over-par 74.

Lucas Massa earned the Player of the Year in the Boys 13-15 season. Playing in 17 events, Massa was never outside of 7th place for his division. He also added four victories to his career total to set up his spot on Team SOPGA.

Owen White earned the final spot on the boy’s roster for Team SOPGA. A strong season saw White compete in 12 events, finishing in the top 10 in every one of them. In addition, he had three victories to add to his total.

Representing the Southern Ohio Girls are: 

Addie Yarbrough earned the first spot for the girl’s of Team SOPGA with her victory at the 2023 Southern Ohio Junior PGA Championship. Rounds of even-par 72 and four-over-par 76 earned Yarbrough a spot in the Junior PGA Championship and punched her ticket as a member of Team SOPGA.

Paige Weiss competing in 13 events to earn the Girls 16-19 Player of the Year award for the 2023 season. Of those 13 events, Weiss finished inside the top-3 an incredible 11 times and claimed five wins. She also tied for the lowest round of the season with a four-under-par 68 at the Johnstown Jr. Open.

Katelyn Miley teed it up in 14 events on the SOPGA Jr. Tour in the 2023 season. Seven finishes inside the top-5 highlighted her season, along with the low round of the tournament at the SOPGA Jr. Tour Championship at Muirfield Village Golf Club earned her a spot on Team SOPGA.

Ava Bressler played in 16 events throughout the 2023 SOPGA Jr. Tour season. Thanks to her consistent play, she was able to finish in third place for the Player of the Year race. This was thanks in part to four top-3 finishes during the season to go along with 15 top-10’s and grab a spot on Team SOPGA.

Abby Haywood came out of the gates strong and never slowed down. Winning her first three events of the season and adding two more along the way cemented Haywood’s spot on Team SOPGA. 

Grace Boone earned her spot on Team SOPGA thanks to great play in 12 events. During those 12 events, Boone recorded back to back victories to set up a lot of momentum heading into the second half of the season and solidifying her spot.

Cadence Monroe-McCoy earned her second consecutive Player of the Year award thanks to five wins in 17 events last season on the SOPGA Jr. Tour. Monroe-McCoy never finished outside of the top-5, propelling her to a spot on Team SOPGA.

Rebekah Hartley rounds out the girls side of Team SOPGA. A strong season saw Hartley playing in 16 events throughout the season. She recorded 10 top-five finishes and had 3 wins to lock up her spot on Team SOPGA.

Team SOPGA will head to Westfield Country October 28 and 29 to go head to head against the best juniors from the Northern Ohio PGA.