BE's Kathleen Sumner is Carolinas PGA Junior Champion
The wind chill was near freezing both mornings - and the thermometer really didn’t budge for most of the weekend as clouds and a stiff breeze made the work environment less than ideal.
But that didn’t stop Kathleen Sumner from winning the 27th Annual Charles Tilghman Carolinas PGA Junior Championship, which was contested last Saturday and Sunday at the Members Club at Grande Dunes in Myrtle Beach.
Sumner, a senior at Bishop England High School, carded a 71 on both days to finish at par. She won the championship in a playoff against Graycn Burgess of Lexington.
Keeping warm isn’t a problem for Sumner, who recently was named the Class AAA golfer of the year by the Coaches Association of Women’s Sports (CAWS).
“You just have to layer up when it’s cold out,” said Sumner, who helped the Bishop girls win the Class AAA state championship last month. “You just try not to layer up too much. It’s actually not bad because you are constantly moving around.”
Sumner is one of the top female golfers in the state – and has the resume to prove it. She’s won many top-notch tournaments and has a scholarship to Florida State in her back pocket. But for now, she’s savoring her high school accomplishments and planning her future.
“Winning golfer of the year is awesome,” said Sumner, who is talented enough to play on the BE boys’ golf team.
“It’s my senior year,” she said. “It’s a great way to end my high school career. I had a good year. It was icing on the cake.”
She plans to play on the boys’ team this spring and will attempt to win a unique pair of state championships. There aren’t too many golfers in the Palmetto State who can say they won a state title as a member of the girls’ and boys’ golf teams in the same academic year.
Sumner was third at the 2016 Dustin Johnson World Junior Championship and third at the Sea Pines Junior Heritage Championship earlier this year.
She also has a knack for making holes-in-one. In 2012, she recorded two aces six weeks apart. She just recently added a third when she competed in an SCJGA tournament at Cheraw Country Club in Cheraw.
She used an 8-iron to ace the No. 9 hole, which is 135 yards and plays uphill.
She’ll graduate in May and then matriculate to Tallahassee in late summer 2017.
“I’m really excited about Florida State,” she said. “When the recruiting process first started, I didn’t know too much about Florida State. But I have learned a lot. When I went there to visit, I had a lot of fun, and got to meet the coaches. It’s an amazing situation.”
Sumner points out that the FSU women’s golf team is ranked No. 3 in the country. She also notes that she would like to contribute to the team’s success as a freshman.
“I want to be in the top five and play in all the tournaments,” she said. “I want to do well.”