West Washington 8-Year-Old Wins National Golf Tournament

A Washington County local is making a name for himself on the national golf scene — and he’s only in third grade.

Photos provided by Rachel Powers.

Remington Powers claimed the top spot at the Under Armour Junior Nationals Golf Tournament for 6- to 8-year-olds last week. The event was held at PGA National in West Palm Beach, Florida, where Remington finished 8 under par and won the tournament by four strokes.

Powers’ path to Nationals began much closer to home. This spring, he competed in six qualifying tournaments across southern Indiana, where he needed to average under 49 to advance to the national level. Remington blew past these expectations with an average score of 37.

His performance in Florida also earned him a place at the Under Armour Junior World Championship, which will be held at the end of July in Orlando.

According to his mom, Rachel Powers, Remington’s love for golf runs deep.

“He has been swinging a club since he was 1,” she said. “We started to take him to the golf course at age 4. He started in the Jr. PGA League at Old Capitol Golf Course in Corydon at age 5, and began playing competitively at 7 with the Junior Tour Powered by Under Armour, the Indiana Prep Tour, some U.S. Kids tournaments, and all of the junior programs at Old Capitol.”

At Nationals, Rachel served as her son’s caddy, as his father, Caleb Powers, couldn’t attend due to work.

“Caleb is the golfer and knows the ins and outs — ultimately, he’s where Remy learned the game and learned to love the game,” she said.“I am not a golfer, so I was intimidated by being his caddy on a bigger stage. But it was an incredible two days being on the course with him and watching him play golf nearly flawless. Dad was cheering him on from home, keeping a close eye on the live scoring and texting often with me. We both couldn’t believe he played so well two days in a row and won the national title with the best 6- to 8 [year-old] golfers in America.”

When he grows up, Remington has his sights set on the PGA Tour. It's a goal most golfers can only dream of, but if he keeps playing the way he has been, he might just have a swing at it.

Congratulations, Remington!