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t the end of another hot and action-packed day at famed Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, Avery McCrery and Baylor Larrabee both rose to the challenge to win the 48th Junior PGA Championships on Aug. 2. McCrery held off her competitors to win the Girls Division by two strokes, while Larrabee rode a hot hand to take a three-stroke victory in the Boys Division.
McCrery, who entered the day two strokes off the lead in third place, fought through a tough start and a crowded leaderboard to win at 6-under 281. The Wilmington, Delaware, native carded a steady final-round score of 1-under 71 while playing in the final group.
“I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet, to be honest,” said McCrery. “It’s just a testament to hard work. Testament to my coaches, everyone who supported me. It just kind of came together. It really just shows how much work you’ve put in and it means a lot.”
The 17-year-old had an up-and-down start, with two bogeys and a birdie across her first four holes before settling into a good rhythm.
“I started off pretty rocky,” said McCrery. “From the fourth hole on, I was pretty steady all day, lots of pars. Keep the ball close enough where you could make pars and that’s what ended up winning it today.”
The Duke University commit took the sole lead after her birdie on the par-5, 514-yard 11th hole, but it was an unlikely shot that led to a birdie on the par-5 16th hole and a two-stroke lead with two holes left to play.
After hitting her drive in the bunker, McCrery had to lay up on her second shot, leaving her with about 150 yards to the pin through a strong wind. What she thought was a bad shot instead hit one of the fans cooling the green and kicked to about four feet from the hole.
“I guess I should dedicate my win to the fan on the left side of the 16th green because that’s really the shot that won me the event,” joked McCrery. “I definitely thought as soon as I hit that that it was over and done, and I just got extremely lucky.”
Set to begin her senior year of high school this fall, McCrery is excited to see where the game of golf will take her.
“The win shows me that I have grown from where I sort of started a couple of years ago,” said McCrery. “I can play, I can compete with the top players, I can win against the top players. So, it’s definitely a good confidence booster and it just gives me a lot of hope for the future.”
Elizabeth Rudisill of Charlotte, North Carolina (even-par 72), and Alice Zhao of China (3-over 75) finished in a tie for second place at 4-under 283 after each were tied for the lead at points throughout the final day. Rudisill, who shot the lowest girls’ round on Aug. 1, had two early birdies before three late bogeys, while Zhao was unable to overcome a double-bogey on the opening hole.
Four girls finished in a tie for fourth at 1-under 286: Elise Lee of Irvine, California (1-under 71 on Aug. 2); 2023 U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team member Ryleigh Knaub of Debary, Florida (2-under 70); Asterisk Talley of Chowchilla, California (4-under 68); and Madison Messimer of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (2-over 74).
In the Boys Division, Larrabee came into the final round tied for fifth after moving 12 spots up the leaderboard on Aug. 1 with a round of 5-under 67. The momentum carried over into the final round with the 18-year-old matching his third-round score to finish at 10-under 277.
“Definitely the biggest thing in my career up to this point,” said Larrabee, who will play golf this fall at UCLA. “Definitely the biggest win, best performance I’ve had. It means a lot to come out on this stage and prove I can play with the best.”
The Ferndale, Washington, native was 1-under through six before the stretch from holes 7 through 10 that gave him a lead he never relinquished. He birdied the par-3, 169-yard 7th, eagled the par-4, 296-yard 8th, then added birdies on the 9th and 10th to give him a three-stroke lead.
“The eagle was like a 300-yard pin,” said Larra bee. “It set up perfect for like a low cut because I could get it running down the slope and get it to kick right to the pin. And so I hit it and it felt perfect… It ended up like seven feet away. That one was definitely the highlight of the week. Next thing I knew in like a blink of an eye, I was 6-under through 10.”
Having qualified through the Pacific Northwest PGA Section event, Larrabee was even-par through the first two rounds. He had been hitting putts that just wouldn’t go in until the third round. Sticking to his game plan, he noticed a larger crowd following him down the stretch in the final round.
“I didn’t follow the leaderboard at all because my game plan was going to be the same either way,” he said. “So, I just didn’t want to see it. And then on hole 16, I noticed that the cameras were following me more and I knew I was in a good spot.”
Lev Grinberg of Ukraine (3-under 69), Asher Vargas of Spring, Texas (1-under 71) and Jake Albert of Blacksburg, Virginia (2-under 70) all posted solid final rounds to finish tied for second at seven-under 280. Four boys finished in a tie for fifth at 6-under 281: Michael Riebe of Encinitas, California (4-under 68); Ronin Banerjee of Irvine, California (4-under 68); 2023 U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team member Will Hartman of Marvin, North Carolina (1-under 71); and Jake Birdwell of Blaine, Minnesota (even-par 72).