WOODBURN, ORE. – Spencer Tibbits (Vancouver, Wash.) and Victoria Gailey (Tigard, Ore.) earned titles in their respective divisions on Thursday during the final day of the 19th Oregon Junior Stroke PlayChampionship, held July 5-7 at the OGA Golf Course in Woodburn, Ore.

For Tibbits, the win marked his second-consecutive Oregon Junior Stroke Play Championship win, after earning a victory in 2015. TIbbits also won last week’s Oregon Junior Amateur Championship. Gailey won the Championship Consolation Bracket at last week’s Oregon Junior Amateur, and this week’s win marks her first major OJG win of the year.

Tibbits battled back and forth with Craig Ronne (Klamath Falls, Ore.) all day. Going into the final day ahead by one shot, Tibbits was down by two at the turn on Thursday, as Ronne shot a 3-under par 33 on the front nine to move to 6-under par. On the back nine, both players were tied at 6-under going into the 16h hole. Tibbits birdied the difficult par-4, and Ronne bogeyed it, his only bogey of the day. Tibbits gave one back on the 17th hole, but both players parred the final hole, as Tibbits held on for the one-shot victory.

Tibbits and Ronne have battled before, but staying focused down the stretch was the key to Tibbits’ win.

“We’ve done it since we were eight years old, so just like old times,” said Tibbits of his and Ronne’s golf battles of the past. “Just battling it out.”

“You just have to stick to your routine and keep playing like it’s the first couple holes of a tournament. It was fun.”

Gailey began the final round one shot behind defending champion Ellie Slama (Salem, Ore.). The two played together in the final group, with Slama taking a two-shot lead into the back nine. However, after three bogies by Slama, Gailey found herself one shot ahead going into the 17th hole. Slama birdied the short par-3 to tie it up, and both players parred the final hole to send it into a sudden-death playoff.

In the playoff, both players two-putted for par on the first hole. On the second playoff hole, Gailey hit her approach shot just over the green, while Slama also hit her second shot over the green. In a battle of up-and-downs, Slama missed her 8-foot par attempt, while Gailey tapped in from a foot for the win.

Afterward, Gailey explained her mindset going into the playoff with Slama.

“I don’t know if it was the right mindset, but I was going to be happy with even getting second, and I think that helped me stay not so nervous,” explained Gailey. “I just played like I was playing again, and it worked out, I guess!”

For complete scoring from the 19th Oregon Junior Stroke Play Championship, click here.

The 2016 Oregon Junior Stroke Play Championship also serves as the last opportunity for Oregon Junior Golfers to earn points for Junior America’s Cup teams, one of the most prestigious honors a junior player can achieve.

Following completion of today’s play, Team Captains Steve Hagen and Mary Harrington announced the teams for the 2016 Junior America’s Cup and Girl’s Junior America’s Cup.

Team Oregon players named to the 2016 Junior America’s Cup are:
Craig Ronne, 16, from Klamath Falls, Ore., who finished second in this week’s Oregon Junior Stroke Play Championship, and won the 2016 Centennial Junior and 2016 Peter Jacobsen Junior earlier this summer. He also qualified for the 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship through the qualifier held last month.
Spencer Tibbits, 17, from Vancouver, Wash., who won this week’s Oregon Junior Stroke Play Championship and won the Oregon Junior Amateur Championship last week. He also qualified for this year’s U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, and finished T-3 at the 2016 Peter Jacobsen Championship.
Samuel Pyon, 15, from Happy Valley, Ore., who earned a T-5 finish in this week’s Oregon Junior Stroke Play Championship. Earlier this summer, he finished second at the Peter Jacobsen Challenge and was runner-up in the Boys Division at the Oregon Junior Amateur Championship.
Nate Stember, 15, from Portland, Ore., who won the Boys Division at the Oregon Junior Amateur Championship last week. He earned medalist honors at U.S. Junior Amateur qualifying last month, and finished T-7 at the Centennial Junior.

The Junior America’s Cup Team Matches will be held July 24-29 at Guadalajara Country Club, A.C. in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Established in 1973 in Pebble Beach, Calif., the Junior America’s Cup is held annually on a rotating basis throughout the western United States, Canada and Mexico.

Team Oregon players named to the 2016 Girl’s Junior America’s Cup Team:
Ellie Slama, 17, from Salem, Ore., who finished second in this week’s Oregon Junior Stroke Play Championship. She finished runner-up in last week’s Oregon Junior Amateur Championship, qualified for the2016 U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur, won the 2016 Peter Jacobsen Junior Challenge and finished second at the Centennial Junior.
Madalyn Ardueser, 17, from Eugene, Ore., who finished third at this week’s Oregon Junior Stroke Play Championship. Earlier this summer, she won the Centennial Junior, and last week she advanced to the semifinals of the Oregon Junior Amateur Championship.
Haley Greb, 16, from Pendleton, Ore., who won last week’s Oregon Junior Amateur Championship. She finished third at the Peter Jacobsen Challenge, and earned a fifth place finish at this week’s Oregon Junior Stroke Play Championship.
Victoria Gailey, 16, from Tigard, Ore., who won this week’s Oregon Junior Stroke Play Championship. She finished third at the Centennial Junior earlier this summer, also finishing T-4 at the Peter Jacobsen Challenge.

The Girl’s Junior America’s Cup (GJAC) is held on a rotating basis throughout the western United States, Canada and Mexico. This year’s event, which hosts an international field of the finest junior girl golfers from each region, will be held July 24-28 at Del Rio Country Club in Modesto, Calif. The first GJAC tournament was held at Tumwater Valley Golf Course in Olympia, Wash.

For more information about Junior America’s Cup Team’s and the upcoming matches, visit www.gjac.org and www.junioramericascup.org.