Four Former ASGA Junior Players Roll up Collegiate Wins within Days of Each Other
Winning a college golf tournament never comes easy, yet four separate Arkansas-raised golfers won collegiate tournaments during a period of just over three weeks, recently.
Gracen Blount kicked the winning off on March 13, followed by Evan Griffith the following day. Then, Lilly Thomas notched her win April 2, and Michael Senn III completed the winning streak a couple of days later. All four players competed in Arkansas high school golf and ASGA junior tournaments, as well as the ASGA’s High School Overall Championship multiple times. Gracen Blount actually continued her winning in mid-March. While representing Henderson State University, Blount held the trophy for her third win of the season at the Emerald Coast Classic in San Destin, Florida. During this senior season, she won one tournament during the fall and won a second tournament the week prior her win at the Emerald Coast Classic. In the classroom, Blount graduated in business management and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in sports administration.
Blount raising the champion’s trophy is a common occurrence. She won five times during the 2021-2022 college season, including back to back victories at the Great American Conference Championship and the NCAA Division II Central Regional tournaments. For her efforts last season, Blount became a GAC All-Conference performer and a First Team All-American NCAA Division II player.
During high school, Blount led her Hot Springs Lakeside team to a state championship, played in the ASGA High School Overall Championship, and received a golf scholarship to the University of Central Arkansas. At UCA, she contributed to a team tournament win during her freshman season. Since transferring to Henderson State, Blount’s Reddies team won thirteen times during her three seasons in Arkadelphia. The Reddies host the Great American Conference Championship at Hot Springs Country Club at the end of April, with an expected trip to the Regional tournament for Blount and her team to follow.
Evan Griffith won the Oak Tree Invitational in Edmond, Oklahoma, for his collegiate individual trophy. In his victory, Griffith finished his final round with a bang. After a slow start, he dropped four birdies in his final 11 holes for the one-stroke win. Griffith expects to complete his Professional Golf Management degree at the University of Central Oklahoma during next golf season. As part of his college degree, he has interned at Pinnacle Country Club and the golf courses at Big Cedar Lodge in Branson, Missouri, including Ozarks National, Buffalo Ridge, and Payne’s Valley. During his 2022 season, Griffith also finished tied for first at the Houston Invitational at the Golf Club of Houston.
At Greenwood High School, Griffith won his state championship tournament his junior and senior year. He won the 2018 ASGA High School Overall Championship at Pleasant Valley Country Club, after a successful playoff. Griffith also participated in the Chenal Junior Invitational for the state’s top junior players prior to heading to Edmond, Oklahoma, for college. Back to this season, Griffith and his Broncho teammates play their Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association Championship tournament in Bolivar, Missouri, beginning the third week of April.
If horses are for courses, Lilly Thomas loves the ride at Dornick Hills Country Club in Ardmore, Oklahoma. The University of Tulsa player won her first individual college tournament, The Bruzzy, named for Jerome “Bruzzy” Westheimer, by finishing as the only player under par. Her recent two stroke victory matched her prior margin of victory at Dornick Hills as a junior in the Red River Challenge during October 2018. In her three years that have counted for golfers toward college eligibility, Thomas contributed to five team wins thus far at Tulsa, including the 2021 American Athletic Conference Championship. She earned AAC All-Conference honors during the prior two seasons.
Prior to enrolling at Tulsa, Thomas led Bentonville High School to two golf state championships. At the 2018 ASGA High School Overall Championship, Thomas tied at the conclusion of play but ultimately lost in a playoff. She finished on the podium at the Chenal Junior Invitational to end her high school career.
Thomas played in the 2019 and 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship hosted by the USGA. She advanced to match play in 2022 at Chamber Bay in Washington. During the summer of 2021, she won the Arkansas Women’s Stroke Play Championship held at Fayetteville Country Club and the Ladies National Golf Association Amateur Championship. The accounting major has one college season remaining, but first she will compete in the American Athletic Conference Championship in Brooksville, Florida, during the third week of April. Due to their national ranking, she and her Tulsa teammates expect they will advance to post-season play in May.
In his second season at Belmont University, Michael Senn III won the Ernie Denham Classic by carding an eleven under par (-11) score for a 205 total. He eagled his final two par fives to seal his first college victory at The Standard Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Senn posted the seventh lowest score in Belmont’s Division I history. This win became Senn’s second top-10 finish of the spring. Other notable tournaments for this finance major are the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur and the 2021 Barbasol Junior Championship.
As a Bentonville High School player, Senn and his Tiger teammates won two state championships. Despite losing his high school state championship individual title in a playoff, he went on to win the ASGA High School Overall Championship, also in a playoff. Senn and the rest of the Belmont team will play in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship beginning in late April.
Gracen Blount, Evan Griffith, Lilly Thomas, and Michael Senn III all played ASGA tournaments and Arkansas high school golf. They each represent this great state well. These players prove that junior golf provides a tremendous foundation for advancing a player’s game. Without a doubt, their individual wins are mostly a result of their own hard work and dedication. Let’s join in celebrating these four individuals and their respective college tournament wins!