Alabama Top Juniors, All-state Golf Teams Named

Michaela Morard, Gordon Sargent Named Top AGA Juniors

Alabama Men’s Amateur Championship winner Gordon Sargent and Girls Junior Championship winner Michaela Morard are the Alabama Golf Association’s junior player of the year, the organization announced. The AGA also released its boys and girls all-state golf teams.

The AGA began selecting the teams four years ago.

Leading the way for the boys team was Sargent, a Vanderbilt commitment who’s record-shattering win at the state amateur was his only AGA start of the season.

The Mountain Brook High School senior also finished second at the Bobby Chapman, made the cut at the Southern Amateur Championship and had multiple top-10 AJGA finishes. Sargent has two career AGA State Titles – Alabama Boys State Junior Championship (2019) and Alabama State Amateur Championship (2020).

Morard, a recent Randolph High School graduate who is beginning her freshman year at the University of Alabama also won her only AGA start – capturing the Alabama Girls State Junior Championship for the fifth time. That win surpassed Martha Lang for the most all-time victories She followed that performance up with a victory at the Tennessee Women’s Open and advanced to the Round of 64 at the US Women’s Amateur Championship. Morard owns nine career AGA state titles:

All-State teams are awarded based on the Alabama State Junior Golf Rankings System, which awards points per event based on the number of participants in the event combined with overall strength of field. These tournaments must also meet additional requirements to be a sanctioned rankings event. Teams are annually based on the player performance over the past 12 months from Sept. 1 through Aug. 31. Due to COVID-19, ranking points were suspended on March 15, 2020 through June 1, 2020.

All-State team members, the Junior Boys Player of the Year and the Junior Girls Player of the Year winners will be honored with other Alabama State Players of the Year in early 2021.

2020 Girls Alabama All-state Golf Teams, First Team

Michaela Morard, 2020, of Huntsville (see above) has nine career AGA state titles: Alabama Girls State Junior Championship (2015, 2017-2020), Alabama Women’s State Amateur Championship (2019), Alabama Womens Stroke Play Championship (2016, 2018) and the Alabama Women’s Four-Ball Championship (2015 with Michaela Williams). She is the 2020 Alabama Girls State Junior Player of the Year.

Lauren Thompson, 2021, of Midland City is a senior at Providence Christian School. She finished third at both the Alabama Girls State Junior Championship and Alabama Womens Stroke Play Championship. Thompson was also a quarterfinalist at the Alabama Womens State Amateur Championship and had multiple SJGT top five finishes. She is verbally committed to play golf at Lipscomb University.

Morgan Jones, 2021, of Auburn is a senior at Auburn High School. She finished seventh at the Alabama Womens Stroke Play, ninth at the Alabama Girls State Junior Championship and advanced to the Round of 16 at the Alabama Women’s State Amateur Championship. Jones also had multiple AJGA top ten finishes. She is verbally committed to play golf at Auburn University.

Emilia Smith, 2020, of Enterprise is a graduate of Enterprise High School and a freshman at the University of Alabama – Birmingham. Smith finished fifth at the Alabama Girls State Junior Championship, sixth at the Alabama Women’s Stroke Play Championship and was a quarter finalist at the Alabama Women’s State Amateur Championship. Smith has also had success on the SJGT circuit.

Ashley-Sinclair Curtis, 2020, of Enterprise is a graduate of Enterprise High School and a freshman at Auburn University. Curtis finished fourth at the Alabama Girls State Junior Championship, had a top 15 finish at the Alabama Women’s Stroke Play Championship and made the round of 16 at the Alabama Women’s State Amateur Championship. She also has multiple top 10 finishes on the SJGT circuit, including one win.

Girls All-state Golf Teams, Second Team

Emma Pittman, 2020, of Pike Road is a graduate of Trinity Presbyterian High School and a freshman at Lee University. Pittman finished second in the Alabama Girls State Junior Championship, made the round of 16 at the Alabama Women’s State Amateur Championship and had a top 20 finish at the Alabama Women’s Stroke Play Championship. Her season also includes multiple top 10 finishes within the SJGT.

Erika Allen, 2021, of Berry is a senior at Northside High School. She claimed multiple SJGT wins, finished seventh at the Alabama Girls State Junior and finished top 15 at the Alabama Women’s Stroke Play Championship.

Molly Brown Davidson, 2025, of Birmingham is an eighth grader at Hewitt Trussville Middle School. She finished sixth at the Alabama Girls State Junior Championship, had multiple wins on both the Birmingham Golf Association and Alabama Junior Golf Association tours.

Lauren Gilchrist, 2020, of Spanish Fort is a graduate of UMS – Wright Preparatory School and a freshman at Middle Tennessee State University. Gilchrist finished eight at the Alabama Women’s Stroke Play Championship, ninth at the Alabama Girls State Junior Championship and had a top 15 finish at the Tommy Moore Memorial in New Orleans, LA.

Sara Utley, 2020, of Owens Cross Roads is a graduate of Huntsville High School and a freshman at Belmont University. She finished seventh at the Alabama Girls State Junior Championship. Utley also had multiple top 10 finishes on the SJGT circuit, including one win.

Girls All-state Golf Teams, Third Team

Hannah Dees, 2021, of Fairhope is a senior at Fairhope High School. She had multiple top 10 SJGT finishes, placed 12th at the Alabama Girls State Junior Championship and finished top 25 at the Tommy Moore Memorial in New Orleans.

Taylor Trible, 2022, of Birmingham is a junior at Spain Park High School. Trible had multiple SJGT top 10 finishes, including one win. She also finished top 15 at the Alabama Girls State Junior and claimed a win on the Birmingham Golf Association Junior Tour.

Reagan Waggoner, 2022, of Mountain Brook is a junior at Evangel Christian School. Waggoner finished top 15 at the Alabama Girls State Junior Championship, while achieving top 10 in multiple SJGT events. Waggoner also claimed four top 5 finishes on the Birmingham Golf Association Junior Tour.

Yvette Gordon, 2023, of Pike Road is a sophomore at Pike Road High School. She finished top 15, had multiple top 10 SJGT finishes and finished second at the HJGT Birmingham Junior Championship.

Virginia Anne Holmes, 2022, of Montgomery is a junior at Trinity Presbyterian School. She finished 11th at the Alabama Girls State Junior Championship and has a top-five finish on the SJGT circuit.

2020 Boys All-State Golf Teams, First Team

Gordon Sargent, 2021, of Birmingham is a senior at Mountain Brook High School. He won his only AGA start in 2020 – This included his record-breaking performance at the Alabama State Amateur Championship. He finished second at the Bobby Chapman, made the cut at the Southern Amateur Championship and had multiple top ten AJGA finishes. Sargent has two career AGA State Titles: Alabama Boys State Junior Championship (2019) and Alabama State Amateur Championship (2020). He is the 2020 Alabama Boys State Junior Player of the Year and a verbal commit to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.

Nick Dunlap, 2022, of Huntsville is a junior at home school. He finished fifth at the Alabama Boys State Junior Championship, seventh at the Southern Junior Championship and seventh at the Maridoe Junior Invitational. Dunlap has one career AGA State Title: Alabama Boys State Junior (2018). Dunlap was the 2018 Alabama Boys State Junior Player of the Year, and he is a verbal commit to The University of Alabama.

Max Johnson, 2020, of Fairhope is a graduate of Fairhope High School and a freshman at Auburn. He won the Alabama Boys State Junior Championship and has multiple SJGT top 15 finishes, including one win. Johnson has one career AGA State Title: Alabama Boys State Junior Championship (2020).

Cole Davidson, 2021, of Birmingham is a senior at Hewitt Trussville High School. He finished fifth at the Future Masters, seventh at the Alabama Boys State Junior Championship and had multiple top-five SJGT finishes. He is a verbal commit to Auburn University.

Justin Olive, 2021, of Florence is a senior at Brooks High School. Olive finished fourth at the Alabama Boys State Junior Championship, made the cut at the Southern Junior Championship and has multiple wins on various junior golf tours.

Ryan Eshleman, 2020, of Birmingham is a graduate of Vestavia Hills High School and a freshman at Auburn University. He finished fourth at the Future Masters, made the cut at the Alabama State Amateur and had an AJGA top ten finish.

Boys Second Team

Jones Free, 2021, of Selma is a senior at Morgan Academy. Free finished seventh at the Alabama Boys State Junior, 14th at the Alabama State Amateur Championship and made the cut at the Southern Junior Championship. He has multiple SJGT top ten finishes. Free is a verbal commit to The University of Alabama.

Chase Kyes, 2025, of Birmingham is an eighth-grader at Berry Middle School. Kyes won the AJGA Junior All Star at Grand National, finished top 20 at the Alabama Boys State Junior Championship and has multiple SJGT top-three finishes.

Ward Harris, 2023, of Vestavia Hills is a sophomore at Vestavia Hills High School. Harris finished ninth at the Alabama State Amateur Championship, had multiple top 10 finishes on the SJGT circuit and won the BGA Junior Championship.

Gregory Jones, 2020, of Mobile is a graduate of UMS-Wright Preparatory School and a freshman at University of Montevallo. He finished tied for second at the Alabama Boys State Junior Championship and had a top 15 finish in an SJGT event.

Boys Third Team

Davis Aaron, 2020, of Northport is a graduate of American Christian Academy and a freshman at Wallace State Community College. He finished tied for second in the Alabama Boys State Junior Championship.

Paul Bruce, 2021, of Guntersville is a senior at Guntersville High School. He had a top 15 finish at the Future Masters, a top 25 finish at both the Alabama Boys State Junior and Southern Junior Championships. He also had a top 30 finish at the Alabama State Amateur and multiple top-three finishes at the SJGT. Bruce is a verbal commit to the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

Harrison Davis, 2020, of Fort Payne is a graduate of Fort Payne High School and a freshman at Mississippi State. Davis finished 10th at the Alabama Boys State Junior, top 20 at the Jones Cup Junior and made the cut at the Future Masters.

Will Patrick, 2020, of Oneonta is a graduate of Oneonta High School and a freshman at Louisiana Tech University. He finished seventh at the Alabama Boys State Junior Championship, made the cut at the Alabama State Amateur Championship and multiple top-ten finishes at the SJGT.

Kenneth Okins, 2021, of Anniston is a senior at White Plains High School. Okins finished fifth at the Alabama Boys State Junior Championship and has multiple top 20 SJGT finishes, including a fourth-place finish at TPC Sawgrass.

By Alabama Golf News Staff