ROANOKE, Va. – The sixth annual Valley Girls Junior Open is in full swing at Hunting Hills Country Club with the first round in the books.
Kornchanok Triyakul from Thailand holds the lead in the Bell National Division with a score of 3 over par. Behind her, is a four-way tie for second place and a three-way tie for sixth place.
The trio that sit tied for sixth are rather familiar with each other. Caroline Gilreath, McKenzie Weddle and Macy Johnson will soon be teammates at nearby Radford University. Not only are the three friends and future teammates but they were also paired together during Saturday’s opening round.
“We don’t get a chance to play a local event,” Weddle said. “A lot of the tournaments we play are in North Carolina, about a 3 or 4 hour drive. So having a local tournament with people we know and have grown up with is really special.”
Weddle, Gilreath and Johnson were also three of the four scholarships recipients. The fourth was Abby Bradley of Castlewood, Virginia.
“It’s awesome, truly a blessing for me and my family,” Bradley said. “It was a surprise but it was also great.” She’ll be attending Emory and Henry University.
“It’s extremely important,” Gilreath said. “I’m lucky enough to have received a scholarship and I’m just so thankful for everything this tournament has done for me.”
“This has been a game we’ve all played for so long and just seeing it pay off in more ways than one,” Johnson said. “We all shot the same score today and played pretty well so it’s kind of a unique experience.”
To date, the Valley Girls Junior Open has awarded over $23,000 in scholarships.
The two-day tournament will wrap up on Sunday at Hunting Hills Country Club.
For a look at standings, tee times and more, click here.