Chattanooga Junior Classic Champion: Kaitlyn Sneed holds her first place award after winning the Girls 12-14 championship Thursday at The Honors Course.
In the mid-1970s, a teenager named Charlotte Grant playing in tennis shoes, won the Chattanooga Women’s City Golf Championship against hall of famer Betty Probasco.
Thursday at The Honors Course, teenager Kaitlyn Sneed tried to do one better than Grant - who later played on the LPGA tour and is a member of three halls of fame - and win the Girls 12-14 Junior Golf Classic playing in flip flops.
Down one after four holes, Sneed, a ninth grader at Meigs County High School, switched to her golf shoes and went on to post a 5-and-4 triumph against Mary Melissa Manual (GPS) in the final.
“When I arrived at The Honors Course this morning wearing flip flops I realized that my golf shoes were in our other car, so I called my mother and asked her to please bring my golf shoes as soon as possible and within about an hour and a half I had my shoes,” said Sneed with a smile.
“I learned in the future to always check to make sure I have my clubs
and my shoes.”
Once wearing her golf shoes, Sneed squared the match after nine holes and then won the next five holes shooting 1-under to close it out after the 14th.
Other champions were Natalie Javadi (Girls 15-18), Tyson Venable (Boys 12-13), Sport Allmond (Boys 14-15) and Conner Caprara (Boys 16-18).
City Championship Re-Match: Sport Allmond and Lake Johnson met in the Boys 14-15 final with Allmond closing out the match with a par on No.16 to halve the hole and win 3-and-2. Allmond, a ninth grader at Heritage High School in Ringgold, also defeated Johnson in a one-hole play-off for the City Championship earlier this month at Windstone Golf Club.
Allmond, who full name is Sport Garrison Allmond, went 1-up after two holes Thursday and never trailed in the match.
Junior Golf Classic at The Honors Course: “Each year for 29 years we feel we have made this championship special for the golfers and offer a few different features that maybe other golf courses do not,” said Henrik Simonsen, the head golf professional at The Honors Course ,
Each year, the top four golfers in each of five age divisions dress in their Sunday best for a pre-tournament luncheon, have their own locker with the name on it in the locker room, play match play semis and finals for two days and are afforded the opportunity to play one of the finest courses in the country at no expense to them.
“I believe it is important that the young golfers dress up for a real nice lunch to start the championship,” Simonsen stated. “This is a special place and the staff and members want the junior golfers to feel that this a great way to close the summer tour each year.”
29th Annual Chattanooga Junior Classic
The Honors Course
Finals – Thurs. Aug. 9
Girls 12-14
(3) Kaitlyn Sneed def. (1) Mary Melissa Manual, 5-and-4
Girls 15-18
(2) Natalie Javadi def. (4) Rachel Rabne, 4-and-3
Boys 12-13
(3) Tyson Venable def. (1) Justin Hickman, 5-and-4
Boys 14-15
(2) Sport Allmond def. (1) Lake Johnson, 3-and-2
Boys 16-18
(3) Conner Caprara def. (4) Carson Griffin, 5-and-3
Upcoming Championships at The Honors Course
2014 –Men’s Southern Amateur
2018 – Women’s Tennessee State Amateur
2019 – Men’s Tennessee State Amateur
TBA – Men’s Tennessee State Mid-Amateur
contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net