Green finishes in sixth place at Junior PGA championship

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 12 July 2019 at 6:02 pm

Contributed Photo – Melanie Green stands by the leader board at the conclusion of her final round at the Junior PGA championship this afternoon at Hartford, Connecticut.

An up and down even par final round of 70 today has earned Medina’s Melanie Green a tie for sixth place at the 44th Girls Junior PGA Championship held at Keney Park Golf Course at Hartford, Connecticut.

Three birdies offset three bogeys on the day for Green who finished with a four day total of 8 under par 272 six shots behind tourney champion Yuka Saso of the Philippines who finished with a 266.

Green did pull into second place just a shot off the lead at 9 under at the halfway point of today’s round after making birdies on the second and sixth holes which more than offset a bogey at No. 8.

However she could get no closer as the combination of bogeys at the 11th and 16th holes combined with a strong finishes by Saso (4 birdies on the back 9), runner-up Jensen Castle from W. Columbia, South Carolins (4 birdies) and third place finisher Amari Avery from Riverside, California (3 birdies, 1 eagle) prevented her from cracking the top five.

Saso finished with a winning total of 266, Castle 268 and Avery 269 as two players tied for fourth at 271 and Green finished tied with Megha Ganne from Holmdel, New Jersey for sixth place at 272.

Green also opened the tournament with an even par round of 70 but the vaulted into title contention with back-to-back four under par rounds of 66 on the second and third days of competition to go 8 under par.

Green, who successfully defended her Section VI and state high school championships this spring, qualified for the national championship by winning the Western New York Junior PGA title for the second year in a row.