Rising game
of Briggs Winfree
Briggs Winfree, a 17-year-old from Anchorage and member of the high school class of 2027, is hopeful to add his name to the growing list of young Alaskan golfers who advance to the collegiate level. His golf journey goes back five years or so, when he picked up the game at age 12 having been a hockey and baseball player.
Once he knew he was hooked on golf, Briggs found himself playing in a smattering of junior and Alaska Golf Assoiation events, first taking on the State Match Play as an incoming high school freshman. Given Alaska’s obvious climate and lack of high school golf teams, he began searching for established programs further south and found the JPGA, 4,000 miles or more from Anchorage.
Briggs now bases himself at the Junior Players Golf Academy (JPGA) in the renowned golf haven of Hilton Head, South Carolina. And his effort has been paying off. Briggs won the 2025 Alaska State Match Play, as well as the 2026 Palencia Junior Open (boys 16-18 division) on the Florida-based Hurricane Junior Golf Tour.