Every year since 1999, the Davis family has made a summer pilgrimage to Quincy, Illinois, a city of 40,000 situated on the Mississippi River. The family’s oldest son, Tyler, started playing in the Pepsi Little People’s Championship that year, and as soon as he was old enough, it was little brother Chandler’s turn.
Chandler Davis, who graduated high school this spring and is headed to Texas Tech in the fall, has hazy memories of his first Little People’s at 3 years old. One of the first things he remembers clearly is making a par on the par-3 course that hosted the youngest competitors using each of the three clubs in his bag: driver, 7-iron, putter.
“It all blends through ages 3 and 6,” Davis said.
More: Pepsi Little People’s goes virtual in 2020
This year included, Davis has played the Little People’s 14 times. It’s just that this year, he didn’t go to Quincy. Tournament founder Nan Ryan reorganized this year’s 47th annual event into a virtual competition earlier this spring out of concerns about the coronavirus. Players all over the country (and a few from other countries) logged their competitive rounds at their home course from June 18-24 then sent in their scorecards. Ryan applied the USGA’s course handicap calculator to level the playing field.
Davis, for example, fired rounds of 83-82 at the Rawls Course at Texas Tech in his hometown of Lubbock, Texas. That translated to rounds of 77-76 in the boys 16-18 age division, which landed him in 11th.
Usually, the trip to Quincy includes stops at the Davis family’s favorite restaurants, including the Pier, which overlooks the Mississippi River. The miniature golf course at the Quincy Park District is also a favorite.
“It was definitely a unique experience,” Davis said of competing remotely this year, “because this was the first time I’ve ever done something like that in my lifetime.”
Davis logged his two rounds alongside Alex Bateman, a friend and teammate from high school. Davis noted as a highlight the 50-foot birdie putt he drained in competition.
Ryan received sign-ups from a total of 113 boys and girls, coming from 22 states, Barbados, Bermuda, British Columbia, Ontario and Latvia, and 101 turned in scorecards.
The winners of each age division are listed below with the course they played and their adjusted score:
Boys 16-18
Jacob Stewart (Willow Run GC/Spring Creek GC, Sioux Falls/Harrisburg, South Dakota), 65-69
Girls 16-18
Katie Ruge (Grand Lake GC, Grand Lake, Colorado), 70-70
Boys 14-15
Happy Gilmore (Country Oaks GC, Montgomery, Indiana), 71-72
Girls 14-15
Hallie Yates (Willow Creek GC, West Des Moines, Iowa), 81-80
Julia Imai (Acushnet River Valley GC, Achushnet, Massachusetts), 80-81
Tierney Baumstark (CC of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri), 80-81
Boys 12-13
River Stilley (Rend Lake GC – East/West, Whittingten, Illinois), 70-64
Girls 12-13
Jules Mahan (Alamo City Golf Trail – Willow Springs, San Antonio), 69-67
Boys 10-11
Anson Munzlinger (Club at Old Hawthorne, Columbia, Missouri), 66-73
Dexter Zimmerman (Northwood Club, Dallas), 68-71
Girls 10-11
Ella June Hannant (Walnut Creek CC, Goldsboro, North Carolina), 69-73
Boys 8-9
Patrick Kittivat (Bloomingdale GC, Bloomington, Illinois), 46-45
Girls 8-9
Zada Hannant (Walnut Creek CC, Goldsboro, North Carolina), 45-45
Boys 6-7
Blaine Munzlinger (Club at Old Hawthorne, Columbia, Missouri), 29-28
Girls 6-7
Ari Brock (Knights of Columbus, Quincy, Illinois), 52-53
Boys 3-5
Dacio Diaz (Dye’s Walk CC, Greenwood, Indiana), 22-22
Maximo Iribar (Langley Golf & Banquet Centre, Langely, British Columbia), 22-22
Girls 3-5
Avery Brunick (Elmwood GC – Fast Five, Sioux Falls, South Dakota), 49-40
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