06/18/2026
Fort Mill golfer Carter Smith closed out the 68th SCGA Junior Championship Presented by the Heritage Classic Foundation tied for seventh place, leading a group of York and Lancaster county golfers who competed in the three day event at the Country Club of Spartanburg.
Smith finished at two over par after a final round 76 capped a 54 hole total that included an opening 73 and a second round 68. He finished six shots behind tournament champion Erik Erlenkeuser of Anderson, who closed at 13 under par with a final round 66.
The championship ran Tuesday, June 16, through Thursday, June 18, and drew junior golfers from across South Carolina in one of the state’s premier junior tournaments.
Clover And Lancaster Golfers Finish Tied For Ninth
Clover’s Kyle Leary finished tied for ninth at four over par. Leary opened with a 76, followed with a 69, then shot 71 in the final round.
Lancaster’s Banks Steele also finished tied for ninth at four over par. Steele’s opening round of 67 stood among the best in the field, and he added rounds of 77 and 72 to close out the tournament.
Mills And McMaster Finish Tied For 16th
Connor Mills of Fort Mill finished tied for 16th at seven over par. Mills shot 75 and 72 over the first two rounds before a final round 71.
Rock Hill’s Douglas McMaster finished tied for 16th as well at seven over par, posting rounds of 71, 73, and 75 across the three days.
Tolentino, Lapointe, Rand And Lorimer Round Out The Finishers
Baker Tolentino of Fort Mill finished tied for 56th at 15 over par after rounds of 77, 76, and 70.
Oliver Lapointe, also of Fort Mill, finished tied for 59th at 17 over par with rounds of 74, 77, and 73.
Ethan Rand of Fort Mill finished tied for 47th at 13 over par, posting 74, 79, and 71.
Indian Land’s Julius Lorimer finished tied for 64th at 21 over par after rounds of 77, 76, and 79.
Several Local Players Missed The Cut
A handful of York and Lancaster county golfers did not advance past the 36 hole cut and did not play the final round Thursday. Fort Mill’s Walker Highfield finished at 12 over par, and fellow Fort Mill golfer Morgan Bayko finished at 14 over par. Rock Hill’s Griffin Golightly finished at 16 over par, and Indian Land’s Hudson Noll finished at 18 over par.
The 68th SCGA Junior Championship marked another strong showing for the region’s junior golf programs, with golfers representing Fort Mill, Rock Hill, Clover, Lancaster, and Indian Land in the field.
Source: 68th SCGA Junior Championship Presented by the Heritage Classic Foundation, official final results, June 18, 2026.
