WEST END, NC (6/8/09) -- The 42nd North Carolina Junior Championship of the Carolinas Golf Association, a competition for golfers ages 18 and under, will be played June 16-19 at Henderson Country Club in Henderson, NC.

A new champion will be crowned in the girls' division since Hayley Hammond of Mooresville who won the title last year, has moved on to college. In the boys' division, Justin Clement of Lexington, who won the championship in 2008 at Bradford Creek GC in Greenville, NC, is expected back to make another run at the title. A year ago, Clement scored a 3 & 2 victory over Mitchell McGlamery of Morganton in the championship match.

Also among the boys and girls who entered this year's championship are Michael McGowan of Southern Pines, the top-ranked junior boy in the Tar Heel state; Bo Andrews of Raleigh, who is ranked No. 3; and Andy Knox of Cary, the 2007 runner-up who is ranked 7th. Among the girls hoping to succeed Hammond as champion are Katie Kirk of Davidson, ranked No. 5 in the state; Sarah Bae of Raleigh, No. 6; and Kayla Sciupider of Etowah, No. 7

The CGA accepted 269 entries for the championship, with exemptions granted to the boys who finished among the top 32 in the boys' division at last year's championship, to the top four in the 2008 Boys' 13-and-under Championship, to the top 100 ranked players in the Tarheel Youth Golf Association rankings as of May 4, and to all 2009 N.C. High School State individual champions. The non-exempt boys will compete for championship berths in 18-hole qualifying rounds at either Cardinal CC in Pine Level or Sapona CC in Lexington on June 11. There is no pre-tournament qualifying for the girls.

Henderson CC's Gene Hamm-designed course will play 6,436 yards and have a par of 70 for the boys, while the girls will play it to a par of 72 at 6,040 yards.

The N.C. Junior is a match play competition, with an 18-hole qualifying round on June 16 determining the field for the head-to-head matches.