Port Ludlow, Wash. – Nathan Yocam of Sammamish, Wash. shot an even par 72 to narrowly beat out his colleagues for medalist honors in U.S. Junior Amateur qualifying today at Port Ludlow (Wash.) Golf Course.
Brock Maulding, Nathan Yocam and Baylor Larrabee
Click here to view full results It didn’t take long for Yocam to catch fire as he went 2-under through his first six holes, and bogeying just the par-4 seventh as he was out in a 1-under 35. The back nine immediately became an uphill battle after Yocam bogeyed the 10th and 11th holes, but was able to squeeze out one more birdie, on the par-4 16th, for a 37 on the back and a score of even-par 72. Out of a field of 39, the two other available spots at this Qualifier were claimed by Brock Maulding of Lake Tapps, Wash., who shot a 1-over 73, birdieing three of his final four holes; and Baylor Larrabee of Ferndale, Wash. who also shot a 1-over 73. Yocam, Maulding and Larrabee will now advance to the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, which will be held July 19-24 at The Country Club of North Carolina in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C. Yocam, currently ranked 1,828
th in the AJGA’s rankings, played four events in 2020, grabbing his first win at the District 2 Championship at the Coyote Creek Course at Willows Run in Redmond, Wash. He has played four events so far in 2021, with his best finish being a T11 at the Washington Junior Golf Association’s School Team Championship at Tumwater Valley in Olympia, Wash. in May. In eight events over two years, Yocam has never missed a cut as he looks to keep his streak alive at the championship proper in North Carolina. Yocam expects to graduate high school in the spring of 2023. Maulding is recently coming off a dominant performance last month as he tied for first at the 2021 WJGA School Team Championship, posting his only sub-70 score with a second round of 69. He also finished T3 in the WJGA Players Open and a fifth-place finish in the WJGA Eastern Open. Maulding expects to graduate high school in the spring of 2024. Larrabee is also coming off a strong performance at the WJGA School Team Championship, where he tied for first, and also posted a second-place finish at the WJGA Western Open in March. Larrabee expects to graduate high school in the spring of 2024. First alternate from today’s Qualifier is Jahan Bains of Olympia, Wash., with the second alternate being Burly Hildreth of East Sound, Wash.
Washington Golf (WA Golf) is the local representative of the United States Golf Association (USGA) and conducted this Qualifier for the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. To be eligible, golfers must not have reached their 19th birthday by midnight of July 24, 2021, and have an up-to-date Handicap Index not exceeding 4.4.
