by Garrett Johnston

Baylor Larrabee of Ferndale, Wash. shot consecutive rounds of 67 at iconic Congressional Country Club, not bad for the last two days of work. These 5-under scores came in his third and final rounds Thursday and Friday to capture the Boys Division of the Junior PGA Championship by three shots at Congressional just outside of Washington, DC.

Larrabee came into the final round tied for fifth after moving 12 spots up the leaderboard Thursday with a round of 5-under 67. The momentum carried over into the final round, with the 18-year-old matching his third-round score to finish at 10-under 277.

He was 1-under through six before the stretch from holes 7 through 10 that gave him a lead he never relinquished. He birdied the par-3, 169-yard 7th, eagled the par-4, 296-yard 8th, then added birdies on the 9th and 10th to give him a three-stroke lead, which he never surrendered, taking it to the clubhouse.

This major win adds to Larrabee’s already-impressive resume. In 2023, he won the WIAA High School 3A State Championship, and was named the WA Golf Junior Boys’ Player of Year.

Like many of the high school graduates in the field, Larrabee enjoyed this championship on a memorable course as the final event of his junior career. Many players mentioned how bittersweet this week became for them as they each closed a chapter in their lives. For Larrabee, it meant a great deal.

“What does it mean? I mean it’s my last junior event, it means the world to me,” Larrabee said. “It’s a memory I’ll always cherish. I’ve been playing junior golf my whole life. So, wow, this means a lot, and I’m just so happy to be here.”

As far as accomplishments go, Larrabee was quick to put this win at the top of his junior career list.

“It’s definitely the biggest thing in my career up to this point,” said Larrabee, who will play golf this fall at UCLA. “Definitely the biggest win, best performance I’ve had. It means a lot to come out on this stage and prove I can play with the best.”

Play with and beat the best, by three shots. An impressive bit of momentum to take with him to UCLA.

The Blue course at Congressional this week was firm and fast and is a special venue for many of these juniors who would have watched the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship a couple years back and maybe even had watched Rory McIlroy’s U.S. Open breakthrough in 2011 during a much more tree-lined Congressional back then. For Larrabee, the venue provided a great test of golf.

“The course was in great shape. Getting to play a championship-level course like this was just so special,” Larrabee said. “I feel like I was lucky to have my game the whole week. The first couple rounds my scores just didn’t reflect how well I was playing. And they didn’t put me in a great spot.”

The championship began on Tuesday and Larrabee shot opening rounds of even par 72 on the Blue course and even-par 71 on the golf course on Wednesday to find himself six shots back with two rounds to go. Then Larrabee found the accelerator.

“I knew my game was there and I just stayed patient and stuck with it and that really helped my attitude throughout the week,” Larrabee said.

Larrabee qualified for this championship locally in the Pacific Northwest and when asked what it meant to come through his local region and to get the win, Larrabee felt fortunate.

“It means a lot to get through and win. i played almost all of my junior golf there in the Pacific Northwest, with all my good friends there, so it means a lot to qualify out in Washington,” Larrabee said.

Larrabee heads to UCLA later this month, which figures to be an amazing new challenge ahead for the Ferndale native. So what insights from playing junior golf will he take to college golf, especially on such a  big stage?

“I think just learning to manage my game on tough courses is a big one,” he said. “This course is really a tough challenge and it’s hosted some of the best tournaments in the world, so learning how to manage my game on championship courses is what I’ll take to UCLA for sure.”

And he’ll take a shiny new trophy with him as well.

Garrett Johnston is a golf podcaster and journalist who hosts the Beyond the Clubhouse Podcast with tour pros, caddies and broadcasters. He lives in Washington, DC, and you can follow him on Instagram @garrettjohnstongolf.