Phil Mickelson rallied from six shots behind to win for the fourth time at Pebble Beach, a final round made even more memorable by the guy in a red shirt who was among the first to congratulate him Sunday on the 18th green.FORT WAYNE – Katie Sharp isn’t daunted by the challenge of tackling Sycamore Hills Golf Club today, when the Junior PGA Championship opens with the top players in the nation, 18 and younger, competing.
“I think it’s a very tough course,”said Sharp, a 15-year-old from Kendallville. “But I like that because it’s a good challenge for good players. And the greens are fast, which is nice because what I play is usually pretty slow.”
Sharp, a sophomore at East Noble, has proved to be one of the best talents in northeast Indiana. She is one of two area athletes at Sycamore Hills this week. Huntington North’s E.J. Tackett is playing in the boys’ portion of the tournament.
“Yeah, it is exciting playing so close to home,” said Sharp, whose East Noble teammates start the high school season today at the Homestead Invitational and play Wednesday at West Noble. “I get to sleep in my own bed, which is something other kids won’t be able to do. I like having the opportunity to play in this tournament.”
This is the 35th running of the Junior PGA Championship, but the first time it’s at Sycamore Hills, which played host for the United States Golf Association Women’s State Team Championship last year. The par-72 course will be set up to play at 6,400 yards for girls and 7,255 yards for boys, and the tournament concludes Thursday.
“This course is going to separate this field pretty quick, and I will be surprised if it doesn’t,” said Chris Childers, the PGA of America’s Junior Golf manager.
Sharp qualified for the Junior PGA by winning the sectional championship with a 6-over 148 at Honeywell Golf Course in Wabash, edging Columbus’ Erinn Sutton by one stroke.
“She put up a fight,” Sharp said, “but I’m glad I beat her.”
Now she’ll have to deal with nine of the top 25 juniors among Golfweek’s rankings, including No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn, No. 5 Kristen Park, No. 9 Emma Talley and No. 11 Mariah Stackhouse, who helped Georgia to the USGA Team title last year.
Sharp had her teaching professional, Jeff Huffman, who works at Cobblestone Golf Club in Kendallville, showing her around for a couple of recent practice rounds. Huffman is a former assistant pro at Sycamore Hills.
“He gave me a lot of good tips on where to miss the ball, should I happen to miss it,” said Sharp, noting how fast the greens are at Sycamore Hills.
Sharp excels with the short game, though.
“I’ve had a little bit of a struggle with (my game) because my swing hasn’t been top notch all season,” Sharp said. “My chipping and my putting has been helping me, though.”
The Junior PGA’s past participants have included Cristie Kerr, Grace Park and Dottie Pepper, who went on to successful pro careers.
Last year’s champion, Alexis Thompson, is already on the LPGA Tour.
