Ginnity headed to US Junior Am.
St. Bernard's golfer punches ticket at Oak Hill
Playing on a course he knows very well, Patrick Ginnity took full advantage of his knowledge.
The St. Bernard’s rising senior carded 1-under 69 at Oak Hill Country Club to earn one of five spots in the U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifying on Monday.
Ginnity, who golfs out of Northern Spy Country Club in Townsend, was the first player to post a score under par with a large gallery following him. Though Oak Hill isn’t his home course, Ginnity golfs there with the Bernardians during the high school season and has put in work at the Fitchburg course with the outside operations team.
““So I work here. (Oak Hill head pro
Bucky Buchanan) is awesome,” Ginnity told Mass Golf. “The membership is awesome. I can come and play sometimes. And my high school team plays here in the fall. So I’ve played here a lot.”
Upon hearing that his score of 69 earned him one of the five spots into the U.S. Junior Am, Ginnity high-fived and embraced Buchanan.
“Just unbelievable. Not only to qualify for a USGA event, but to do it at a course that I’m very familiar with makes it even more special.” said Ginnity
Weston Jones (Sudbury), Justin Hastings (Cayman Islands), and Aidan Leblanc (Beverly) each qualified with a 3-under 67 on Monday. John Broderick (Wellesley) came in at 2-under to qualify, followed by Ginnity.
Aidan Odonovan (Somerville) and Aiden Azevedo (Haverhill) will serve as alternates, playing should one of the qualifiers not be able to make the tournament.
This year’s Junior Championship will take place at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Oregon, from July 25-30. The championship proper consists of 264 golfers, which cuts to 64 for match play. The championship match is contested over 36 holes.
The Junior Amateur Championship was established by the USGA in 1948 to pit the best junior golfers in the country head to head. In 2017, the age limit of the championship was altered to allow anyone age 19 or younger to compete.