Harrison Bridges of Columbus was the only player to finish under par and took a wire-to-wire victory at the 60th Georgia PGA Boys Championship at Jennings Mill in Bogart.
Bridges, a senior golfer at Brookstone School, entered the final round at 3-under-par and held the tournament lead throughout Thursday’s final round. He closed with an even-par 72 to finish at 3-under-par overall, five strokes clear of the field after rounds of 71-70-72.
Harrison relied on consistency throughout the final round, carding 14 pars and avoiding costly mistakes through the narrow holes of Jennings Mill.
“I focused on eliminating the left side of the golf course, kept the ball moving from left to right, and hit a lot of fairways, which is key out here,” he said.
Despite carrying a sizable lead into the final round, Bridges felt the pressure playing alongside 2024 champion Mackinnley Yarbrough in the lead group. Harrison described how there was an added level of competition with Yarbrough entering the final round in second place.
“Oh, there definitely was,” Bridges said. “I know Mackinnley is a great player, and he started making some birdies and getting close on my tail.”
While his solo lead brought nerves early on, Bridges settled into his round and maintained control of the championship.
“It was a little bit of pressure. I was a little shaky at first, but once I got settled in, I started hitting the ball where I wanted to and making lots of pars,” he said.
Bridges’ victory earns him a spot in the 2026 Junior PGA Championship at Fields Ranch East in Frisco, Texas, on July 28-31. He also qualifies for the North American Championship at Streamsong Golf Resort in Bowling Green, Florida, as part of the NXXT Faldo Junior Tour this December.
The race for the second exemption into the Junior PGA Championship came down to a playoff on the 18th hole, where defending champion Mackinnley Yarbrough defeated Austin Blackburn. Yarbrough secured runner-up honors at 2-over-par and joins Bridges in securing his place in Texas.
With the championship title, Bridges also qualifies into the 2026 Georgia Open at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Valdosta on Aug. 6-9.
