By HARRIET PROTHRO PENROD, Journal Sports
When Benton golfer Noah McWilliams was recently named the 2022 Louisiana Boys’ Player of the Year, he became the first back-to-back winner in the junior division.
“I’m very honored because there are a lot of good junior players who have come through Louisiana,” said McWilliams, the Benton High School senior who will be playing golf for LSU next year.
Also taking home Player of the Year in the Boys’ 11-13 division is Hudson Greene of Bossier City.
Winning the Louisiana Golf Association’s Player of the Year just runs in the McWilliams family. In fact, winning back-to-back honors has now become commonplace in the Benton household.
Robby McWilliams, Noah’s father, has won the Louisiana Golf Association Senior Player of the Year for three straight years.
Noah McWilliams was a runaway winner in the boys’ division, finishing over 300 points higher than the second-place winner. And he defended his title in dominating fashion, winning three out of the five Louisiana Junior Golf Tour events in which he participated.
In addition to his three wins on the Tour, McWilliams finished tied for 6th in the LJGT at Squire Creek and 7th in the Sam Burns Junior Four-Ball with his partner, Brown Snyder of Benton. He was also runner-up in the 65th Louisiana Junior Amateur Championship.
The LGA Player of the Year award earns McWilliams an exemption into the 51 Southern Junior Amateur that will take place June 14-16, 2023, at the Baton Rouge Country Club.
“This gives me confidence going into my senior season,” said McWilliams, who will go down in history as one of the most decorated LJGT players of all time.
Shreveport’s Sydney Moss, who plays for the University of Memphis, finished tied for second for Player of the Year in the girls’ division. Abigail McWilliams, Noah’s younger sister, finished fourth.
Moss and Mattie Purgahn of Lake Charles finished just 15 points behind Girls’ Player of the Year Samantha Schultz of Mandeville.
For the second year in a row, the Boys’ 11-13 Player of the Year race came down to the LJGT Tour Championship. Greene won the season race by 20 points over Noah Chauvin of Broussard and Slayte Guidry of Logansport.
Greene competed in six LJGT events – finishing top three in all – and won the LJGT at Querbes Park. He also finished as the runner-up in the 11-13 division of the 65th Louisiana Junior Amateur.
In the boys’ division, Shreveport’s Ryder Briggs finished seventh in the Player of the Year standings.
Contact Harriet at sbjharriet@gmail.com
