August 24, 2020 – Lake Charles, Louisiana
The inaugural Crawfish Classic at Lake Charles Country Club is the final stop on the 2020
Louisiana Junior Golf Tour (LJGT) schedule and it is sure to provide an exciting finish to this
memorable season. The top junior players in Louisiana will compete over 36 holes, Saturday and
Sunday, with major implications. Following the conclusion of this event, the Louisiana Junior
Players of the Year will be announced. Riley Hnatyshyn of Abita Springs leads Eli Ortego of
Broussard by 16.67 points in the Boys’ Junior POY standings heading into the Crawfish Classic.
100 points are awarded to the winner of this tournament. Ortego must finish at least two spots
ahead of Hnatyshyn in order to overtake him and earn the Junior Player of the Year. Live scoring
will be available at www.LGAgolf.org/ljgt so visitors to the LGA website can follow the action.
Noah McWilliams of Benton (76.67 points behind the lead) has an outside shot of making it
inside the top three Junior POY standings if he plays well this weekend. Reeves Pullin of
Choudrant will also be on hand and is expected to contend for the Crawfish Classic title, having
posted two top 5 finishes this season. In the Girls’ Division, Sarah Knight of Sterlington trails
Kaitlyn Montoya of Shreveport by 90 points in the Junior Player of the Year standings. Montoya
has reported to the University of Louisiana Monroe where she will play college golf beginning as
a freshman this semester. Since Montoya will not be competing in this event, if Knight can
capitalize and win, she will earn Junior POY honors by a slim ten-point margin.
Coveted spots on Team Louisiana in the 2020 Junior River Cup are also on the line and the
results of the Crawfish Classic could have an impact on those selections. The Junior River Cup is
a Ryder Cup style event between the top junior golfers in Mississippi and Louisiana. It is
conducted in Mississippi in even years and Louisiana in odd years, and this year it will be held at
famed Old Waverly in West Point, Mississippi, September 12-13. The Invitational field is made
up of 20 players per team. Four players are selected from each age group: Boys 10-11, Boys 12-
13, Boys 14-15, Boys 16-18, and Girls 13-18. The Louisiana Golf Association (LGA) selects its
Junior River Cup members by utilizing the Player of the Year points list.
The LJGT was established in 2019 by the Louisiana Golf Association (LGA) and Gulf States
Section PGA to promote junior golf in Louisiana. The mission of the LJGT is to create more
playing opportunities for all junior golfers in Louisiana and to do so at an affordable rate. The
LJGT provides a first-class experience and fosters the valued traditions of the game through character development, self-reliance, and sportsmanship. LJGT membership is open to juniors of
all skill levels, ages 11-18.
Lake Charles Country Club celebrated its centennial year last year, and the historic club is a
founding member of the Louisiana Golf Association. The golf course is in excellent condition for
this championship. The course will play to a par of 72 at approximately 6,500 yards for the
Overall Boys’ Division and 5,800 yards for the Girls’ Division and 11-13 Boys’ Division. Click
here to view first round pairings and starting times.