Brown, Hilger win U.S. Girls Jr. berths
PRATTVILLE – Another player showed the depth of junior golf in the state at the Alabama State Amateur Championship.
Vinemont’s Bailey Sutter, who will be a senior at West Point High School in Cullman County, went wire-to-wire to claim the overall title, firing a 72-hole total of 17-under 271 to claim a four-shot victory. The victory on the Senator Course at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Capitol Hill follows on the heels of Tyler Watts, who was 15 when he became the youngest state am winner in 2023.
Sutter shot rounds of 65-68-68-70 to beat Huntsville’s Charles Warren by four shots. Warren closed with a 67 in the final round to overtake Chris Devlin and recent high school graduate Jon Ed Steed of Enterprise. Devlin and Steed were a shot further back at 276.
Sutter, who comes from a golfing family, was coming off a five-shot victory in the Alabama High School Athletic Association Championship, firing 64-70 to win the Class 5A title by five shots over brother Rawlin. His sister, Brooklyn, tied for third place in the state high school tournament in the Class 4A-5A division.
Bailey Sutter finished tied for sixth in the 2024 Alabama State Am, eight shots behind Tom Fischer.
Sutter’s father caddied for him during the state am.
“Family first. They mean everything to me; they don’t have to caddie for me, but they choose to and I am so appreciative,” he said.
Sutter’s win secured his spot in the 2025 U.S. Amateur Championship at The Olympic Club in San Francisco August 11-17, 2025.
Mobile’s Frances Brown claims U.S. Girls Junior berth
Mobile’s Frances Brown and Aubrey Hilgers advanced from a four-way playoff to claim the two available berths in the upcoming U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship in Georgia.
Brown, Hilgers, Isabella Coughlin and Abby Vernier each shot 70 at Valley Hill Country Club to tie for medalist honors. Brown, who is headed to Auburn University, and Hilgers won their spots in the Girls Junior on the second hole of playoff. Coughlin and Vernier earned alternate spots in the tournament.
The 2025 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship wis set for the Atlanta Athletic Club (Riverside Course) in Johns Creek, Georgia, July 14-19.
Gregg Dewalt is the editor of Alabama Golf News
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Featured image Bailey Sutter courtesy of the Alabama Golf Association
