By Barbara Palmgren
I wonder if Edgar Allan Poe would take up golf knowing there’s a course named for his famous poem, The Raven. Would he embrace the challenge—or find it as relentless as the raven at his chamber door?
We may never know, but the Raven course proved plenty challenging March 28–29 as it hosted the Emerald Coast Junior Golf Tournament. Younger players competed over nine holes Saturday, while older juniors played 18 holes Sunday, vying for spots in the Notah Begay III Junior Championship Regional Qualifier for ages 10–18. Three players in each age group advanced.
The NB3 Junior Golf National Championship is a two-stage qualifying series culminating in a 54-hole national championship broadcast on Golf Channel. In 2026, qualifiers advance to the Florida Regionals—June 8–9 for girls at Indian Springs CC and June 24–25 for boys at Mission Resort Club.
Top Performers
Girls 10–11: Mackenzie Brown (advances to regionals)
Boys 10–11: 1. James Goodman (77), 2. Luke Stuart (78), 3. Eli Woolsey (all advance)
Girls 8–9: Madelyn Morelock (low medalist)
Boys 8–9: Alden Marek (low medalist)
Spring Championship Winners (Day 2)
Boys 16–18: Bo Baxter (155)
Girls 15–18: Julie Waldo (137)
Boys 14–15: Benjamin Lebensburger (152)
Girls 12–14: Finley Jeter (206)
Boys 12–13: Matthew DeRoy (138)
Bounds, Inc. sponsored the Spring Championship. Additional tournaments this season were held at Hidden Creek, Baytowne and Stonebrook, with ECJGT events also serving as qualifiers for the Optimist International Tournament at Doral and the FCG Callaway World Championship and U.S. Wing Mojing World Championship at Torrey Pines.
Tournament Director Dennis Attaway, who has led the program since 2020, continues to inspire young golfers and grow the game across the Emerald Coast.
