Stanford III, Singh are OGA Junior Stroke Play champions
Complete Stroke Play Results and Match Play brackets here:
By Ken MacLeod
Ainslee Stanford III pulled off two amazing shots on the pair of back nine par-5s at KickingBird Golf Course in Edmond, resulting in a birdie and an eagle that powered his second-round 4-under 66 and led to a two-shot victory over Reed Higgins in the Oklahoma Golf Association Junior Stroke Play Championship.
Both players are from the golf talent mecca of Edmond will take the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds into match play beginning Wednesday and concluding Thursday.
Stanford III finished at 10-under par with rounds of 64-66 while Higgins was 8-under with rounds of 67-65. Ty Netherlin, also of Edmond, was third at 7-under (68-65).
On the par-5 12th hole, Stanford III pushed his tee shot to the right, hitting a tree, then a cart path and finally coming to rest on the tee box for the par-3 16th hole. That actually gave him an opening to the green but the pin was 271 yards away tucked in the back right corner of the green over a large bunker. Ainslee III took out his 3-wood and smoked a shot that covered the greenside bunker at about 248 yards and came to rest 15 feet from the pin. He missed that eagle putt and tapped in for birdie.
Reed Higgins
On the par-5 15th, his second shot came to rest about 46 yards short of the pin cut on the right front of the green and again with a greenside bunker to clear. Instead of playing conservatively, Ainslee III nipped a pitch just over the bunker and bounded down the hill and rolled into the cup. That put him at 11-under and three shots clear of his nearest competitor. A bogey on 18 dropped him back to 10 under.
“That was a great moment,” Stanford III said. “I kind of pictured it in my mind and was able to pull it off. A little bit of luck involved for sure. I hit a high flop and it spun a little right and went right in.”
The rising junior at Oklahoma Christian School continued an outstanding spring in which he shot under par in every high school event. He has grown considerably in the past year, now 6-feet tall and able to drive the ball well over 300 yards.
Stanford III lost on the final hole of the championship match of the boys 12-15 division two years ago and made it to match play in the senior division in 2025.
“I love this event,” he said “It’s a great field and always great to be able to come out to KickingBird and compete against all the guys I know from across the state.”
Highly-ranked players such as Chase Hughes and Emerson Majma are in the talented field of 16 that will compete in match play. The biggest name who didn’t make it was Oklahoma State signee Ben Lathrop of Oklahoma City, who missed out in a playoff for the final spot, as did Baylor signee Cooper Watson.
The Girls Division was one by 13-year-old Dia Singh of Bixby with rounds of 71-72 for a 3-over total of 143, two shots better than Kate Moore of Tulsa (71-74). Defending stroke play champion Juliana Hong of Norman was third at 147 (74-73), Moore is the defending champion in the match play.
Singh shot even-par 35 on the back nine, with one birdie and one bogey, to keep her competitors at bay. At age 13, she is the youngest ever champion in the event.