The Woodlands, TX — Grayson Baucom of Hickory, North Carolina, closed with a 5‑under‑par 67 to win the AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods at 12‑under-par 204 (70–67–67). Baucom’s final‑round 67 matched the low score among the leaders on Monday and delivered a three‑shot victory.
The AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods has showcased top junior talent since its inaugural event in 1987. Notable past champions include the first winner, Jim Furyk (1987); 13-time PGA TOUR winner David Duval (1989); 15-time major champion Tiger Woods (1992); Kyle Stanley (2005); Rickie Fowler (2006); Jordan Spieth (2011); Doug Ghim (2014); and Jackson Van Paris (2020–21), the event’s only repeat champion.
Baucom entered the day four shots off of the lead. He stacked birdies to move into the lead and never relinquished control, capping back‑to‑back scores of 67. The 2028 grad’s highlight came on the 13th hole where he finished with a hole-out eagle to take the lead by two shots. Baucom went on to finish one under-par through his final five holes.
A 2025 Rolex Junior All-American, Baucom is No. 32 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. The win is his first AJGA Invitational victory after he took home the trophy at the 2025 Visit Goldsboro NC Junior Championship and had two wins in 2024 at the Visit Owensboro Junior Championship and the AJGA Junior All-Star at College Station.
"It is pretty surreal. To win a tournament that has so much to do with the military and the armed forces, it’s just been such a cool experience. This tournament is very special to my heart and I really like this course. I am really excited to win here and I am very thankful."
Jackson Ormond of Webster, New York, Cameron Kuchar of St. Simons Island, Georgia, and defending champion Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach, Florida, finished T2 at 9‑under-par 207. Ormond matched Baucom’s pace with a 5-under-par 67 of his own, Kuchar closed with a 2-over-par 74, and Russell posted a 3-under-par 69 to share runner‑up honors.
Ronin Banerjee of Irvine, California, and Giuseppe Puebla of Royal Palm Beach, Florida, tied for fifth at 8‑under-par 208, each carding under‑par rounds (67 and 69, respectively) to finish inside the top five. Chase Bauer of Gotha, Florida, followed in seventh at 7‑under-par 209 after a bounce‑back 5-under-par 67. Connor Wolfe of Blythwood, South Carolina, was solo eighth at 6‑under-par 210 with a third straight 2-under-par 70.
Other notable closes included Lucas Gimenez (T9) with a 5-under-par 67 to reach 5-under-par 211, and Luke Ringkamp, who fired the round of the day with a 9‑under-par 63 to surge into a tie for 11th at 4-under-par 212.