In the most crowded field of the summer so far, local youth golfer Chris Salamah posted the low round of the day in the Boys Championship division of the GO Junior Golf Series.
A total of 72 golfers participated in Monday’s tournament at Hillcrest Golf Course. Of the 28 from Owensboro, a handful were at the top of the leaderboard across nearly every division.
Other division winners from Owensboro were Alexa Salamah (Girls 11-12), Seth Moore (Boys 13-15), Braden Whistle (Boys 13-15 Championship) and Holly Holton (Girls 13-15 Championship). A full list of local finishers and scores can be found below.
Salamah was playing in his first tournament of the year, and he said he shook a rocky start to finish strong.
“I feel like I played good,” he said. “I got off to a rough start. I woke up like 10 minutes before the tournament. After the first few holes, I got my drives in the fairway. Today my short game came through. My short game was off, but it all balanced out.”
Salamah’s time away from golf was partly due to his success on the tennis court for Daviess County High School, where he’ll be competing for the golf team this fall. He advanced all the way to the doubles state quarterfinals before falling to the eventual champions.
“I’m really trying to get back in the tournament vibe,” he said. “I haven’t played golf in a couple of months. I was just coming out to play. It’s my first tournament of the season, so I wasn’t expecting anything.”
Salamah has been playing the GO series since he was competing in the 8-under division. Tournament director Mark Price said he’s enjoyed watching the young golfer through the years.
“Chris is a tremendous athlete,” he said. “He’s a great tennis player, and he’s always been a really good golfer.”
Price said this year’s GO series has showed continued growth, and he’s been happy with the turnout through the first two weeks.
“It’s been a really good series this summer,” Price said. “It’s off to a great start and the numbers are good. We’re getting a lot of new faces and new golfers from around the region.”
The series will continue with tournaments in Henderson and Madisonville this week before going to Santa Claus, Ind., on Monday. It will then return to Owensboro on June 27 for a full day of action at Ben Hawes Golf Course.
Local finishers by division (Top-3 results noted):
Boys 8-under (3 holes)
Jax Hadyen, 24 (T-3rd)
Cade Kasey, 24 (T-3rd)
Boys 9-10 (6 holes)
Andrew Powell, 39 (1st, won playoff)
Girls 9-10 (6 holes)
Riley Hayden, 37 (3rd)
Ryann Kasey, 41
Boys 11-12 (9 holes)
Jax Malone, 41 (2nd)
Luke Estes, 57
Mack Burton, 60
Jackson Powers, 61
Ethan McPherson, 69
Girls 11-12 (9 holes)
Alexa Salamah, 48 (1st)
Hannah Robins, 56 (2nd)
Boys 13-15 (9 holes)
Seth Moore, 41 (1st)
Nolan Warren, (2nd)
Grayson Powers, 49
Brody Holbrook, 48
Aiden Watson, 59
Girls 13-15 (9 holes)
AnnaLee Yager, 61 (2nd)
Mary Ann Lyons, 63 (3rd)
Olivia McPherson, 70
Boys 13-15 Championship (18 holes)
Braden Whistle, 78 (1st)
Girls 13-15 Championship (18 holes)
Holly Holton, 85 (1st)
Kirsten Henderson, 100
Conleigh Osborne, 108
Randi Carol Porter, 114
Boys 16-18 Championship (18 holes)
Chris Salamah, 77 (1st)
Jesse Holton, 79 (T-2nd)
Nathaniel Payne, 98
