The 2025 Arkansas Junior Amateur Championship has wrapped up, and two brand-new champions have been crowned!
FORT SMITH, Ark. (July 2, 2025) – The future of Arkansas golf was on full display this week as the Arkansas State Golf Association hosted the 2025 Arkansas Junior Amateur Championship at Hardscrabble Country Club in Fort Smith. With a new 54-hole format and World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) status, this year’s event represented a major leap forward for junior competition in the Natural State.
The championship brought together the top junior golfers across the state and region, with three days of play on one of Arkansas’s most storied and challenging layouts. In the end, two standout performances stole the spotlight.
Henry O’Keefe, who also led the first two rounds of the Arkansas State Amateur, delivered an incredible performance, going even-par in the first two rounds before a final 4-under round. His consistent, steady play throughout the week separated him from the field, as he claimed the Boys Championship Division by an incredible 13-shot margin, finishing at 4-under-par overall.
“Just to have my name on that trophy beside a lot of other great players, like Ron Whittaker, who won the State Am. It just means a lot, because hopefully the future will be bright for me, and this is just one of the steps in the right direction,” said Henry O’Keefe.
O’Keefe’s win carries an added layer of history, because his father, Jack O’Keefe, won the same title in 1987. With this victory, Henry became part of a rare father-son legacy in Arkansas junior golf, furthering the family name in state golf history.
In the Girls Championship Division, Chloe Freville showed out in a dramatic final round that came down to the 18th hole. After holding the lead through the first two rounds, Freville was tested on Wednesday but ultimately held off the field to capture the title with a final score of +20.
Freville’s round with Yinyoe Yang came down to the wire, putting a lot of pressure on a 9-foot putt.
“I was mentally preparing myself just to stay calm and patient. I knew I had to make the putt, so it was very stressful,” said Chloe Freville. “But in my mind, I knew I could make it because I had done it a million times. So when it fell in, it was awesome.”
Her ability to stay composed under pressure proved to be the difference, as she became the newest Girls Junior Amateur Champion.
This year was the first ever Arkansas Junior Amateur as a full three-round championship, adding both prestige and competitive value for junior golfers across the state. With WAGR points on the line and a challenging venue in Hardscrabble Country Club, the 2025 edition set a new standard for the event.
“We’re proud of the direction junior golf is heading in Arkansas,” said ASGA Director of Junior Golf, Tyler Myel. “This event reflects that growth and gives these players the opportunity to perform on a big stage.”
As the ASGA continues to invest in junior golf, the Arkansas Junior Amateur is poised to remain one of the premier events on the calendar, a proving ground for the state’s next generation of champions.
