Down to the Final Hole: Team Arkansas Shines at 2025 Southern Junior Cup

LITTLE ROCK, Ark (July 29, 2025) - The 2025 Southern Junior Cup Matches brought together elite junior golfers from Arkansas, Alabama, Missouri, and Oklahoma for one of the most exciting events on the junior golf calendar. The annual competition, which rotates host locations, was held this year at Chenal Country Club in Little Rock, Arkansas. Each state fields a team of 12 players, six boys and six girls, who compete over three rounds in varying team and individual formats.

Team Arkansas was proudly represented by:
Boys – Gabe Haslauer, Tyson Seyler, Hogan O’Keefe, Jack Denery, Berkley Knapp, and Carter Pulley
Girls – Susanna Manns, Chloe Freville, Yinyoe Yang, Lillie York, Ana Bella Gutierrez, and Presley Stam

In the opening round, players were paired in mixed boy-girl teams from the same state, squaring off against similar mixed teams from other states in four-ball match play. Arkansas came out strong, earning a total of 4.00 points and holding a narrow half-point lead over the field after Round 1.

Round 2 featured the same pairings but switched to the alternate shot format. Arkansas scored 3.50 points in the round, bringing their overall total to 7.50 points. By the end of Day 1, Arkansas stood in second place, just one point behind the eight-time consecutive champions, Team Alabama. The energy and camaraderie within Team Arkansas were evident and continued to grow heading into the final day.

The final round delivered intense matchups and a high stakes finish. All 12 players from each state played singles matches. Team Arkansas came out firing, winning 7 of their 12 matches and tying 1. The competition between Arkansas and Alabama came down to the final group on the 18th hole. In the end, Alabama narrowly edged out Arkansas by just 1.50 points. Team Arkansas finished with an impressive 15 total points, marking one of their strongest showings in recent Southern Junior Cup history. Every match was a hard-fought battle, and the team's performance, especially in Round 3, was nothing short of outstanding.

A heartfelt thank you to Edwin Watts Golf for sponsoring this incredible event, and for their continued support of junior golf in Arkansas. Also, special thanks to Chenal Country Club being exceptional hosts and providing a first-class venue for this year’s matches. Congratulations to Alabama on a well earned win, and to all the players for their sportsmanship, talent, and team spirit.