Pennson Badgett burst into the junior golf spotlight last year by winning a high school title and qualifying for the U.S. Junior Amateur.
Pennson Badgett admits he hasn’t always kept his cool on the golf course. However, the East Surry High sophomore showed remarkable restraint and poise under pressure last year while winning a state high school title and qualifying for the U.S. Junior Amateur.
First came the Class AA state tournament at Longleaf Country Club in Pinehurst. Badgett opened with a 3-under-par 69 to stand three shots behind teammate Connor Key. During the final round, he struggled while shooting 38 on the front nine. After rallying with three birdies, he hit his tee shot on No. 16 out of bounds, a mistake that could have rattled him and cost him more than the two-stroke penalty. Instead, he kept his cool and hit a long tee shot. Then he drilled a 212-yard approach with a 5-iron over the green, leaving him with a tough chip to a putting surface sloped away from him. Feeling he needed to get up and down to stay in contention to win, he hit a deft chip to within 5 feet and made the putt for bogey.
At 17, he resisted the temptation of trying to drive the green on the short par-4, laid up, hit a short approach, and rolled in a tricky 12-foot birdie putt with multiple breaks. At 18, he punched a low shot from pine needles onto the green and saved par. “I just grind,” said Badgett, who acknowledges that he had to work on controlling his emotions after mistakes. “I’ve gotten real good over the past few years at keeping my composure.”
Badgett’s 71 was good enough to win medalist honors at 4-under 140, one shot ahead of Key and two other players. East Surry won the team title by a whopping 44 strokes. The team included senior Anderson Badgett, Pennson’s older brother. “Being able to share that with him was really amazing,” Pennson said.
Badgett showed the same poise a few weeks later while qualifying for the U.S. Junior Amateur. Breezing along at 2-under through eight holes at Salisbury Country Club, Badgett hit a shot into a water hazard and made a triple-bogey 8, a score that would normally end any chances of earning one of only a few qualifying spots. On the tee at No. 10, he remembers Anderson, who was caddying for him, offering some encouragement. “Anderson said, ‘You got nothing to lose. We can go out there and be aggressive. If you go out there and make some birdies, you can qualify.’ “That’s what we did.” Badgett shot 4-under on the back nine to finish second and avoid a playoff for the final spot by one stroke.
Pennson Badgett can hit drives that carry 280 yards hits a practice shot at Maple Chase Country Club.
The previous summer, Badgett shot 80 in the first round of an American Junior Golf Association All-Stars tournament at Tanglewood’s Championship Course and was frustrated because he felt he had played a solid round. Brad Luebchow, his instructor, advised him not to worry, that if he was playing well, the breaks would even. Badgett finished with rounds of 68 and 69, grabbing the attention of a TaylorMade rep. “The TaylorMade rep reached out to him and said that the thing that was most impressive was that the 80 and 68 looked the same,” recalled Luebchow, the director of instruction at Maple Chase Country Club. “What was most impressive was that he was able to bounce back. Unless you’re really tracking his shots, you don’t know whether he’s shooting 80 or he’s under par.”
Badgett already hits drives that carry 280 yards, though he said his biggest strength is his iron game. “His golf swing is beautiful,” said Luebchow. “He hits it a long way. He’s got good touch around the greens. He’s a good putter at times.”
On his way to the Daniel Island Club near Charleston, South Carolina, for the Junior Amateur event last year, Badgett made a pit stop in Raleigh. There, he showcased his skills in the Carolinas Golf Association’s Junior Dogwood at Bentwinds Country Club, securing an impressive top-five finish. This achievement not only highlighted his talent but also granted him an exemption into multiple AJGA events for the following year.
At Daniel Island, Badgett failed to qualify for match play but enjoyed playing the elite competition. “It was an experience like no other,” Badgett said. “It was easily the biggest tournament I had ever played in.”
Badgett began playing golf at an early age, swinging a plastic club given by his father, Charles, when he was 3 or 4 years old. Charles Badgett had played at East Surry and introduced his children to golf at Pilot Knob Park Country Club in Pilot Mountain. “I just fell in love with the game and played whenever I could,” said Badgett, whose parents drove him to nine-hole tournaments in Charlotte when he was in grade school.
Badgett remembers getting battle-tested in regular competition against Aston Lee, who won the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association state title last year as a freshman at Charlotte Latin. His younger sister, Colby, has also competed in high school and junior events. In fact, Colby was the first Badgett sibling to work with Luebchow, whose junior students have included Wake Forest’s Macy Pate and Virginia Tech’s Morgan Ketchum. About two years ago when Badgett was in search of a coach, his dad suggested Luebchow. They work together once every week or two.
This spring, Badgett hopes to lead the Cardinals to another state title. Though NCAA rules prohibit college coaches from contacting him until June, Badgett has attracted outside attention. He recently was added to Titleist’s Next Gen program, which provides him with balls, gloves, shoes, hats, and other accessories. He also gets a significant discount on clubs and apparel. This summer, Badgett expects to play in CGA majors and enter a few AJGA events. He also hopes to qualify again for the U.S. Junior Amateur to be played at Oakland Hills Country Club near Detroit. “Last year was a pretty big year for me,” Badgett said. “Winning the state title was amazing. Playing my first junior am, my first USGA tournament was a pretty big jump for me. Hopefully, I can continue it.”
