PINEHURST, N.C. — Miller’s Jayce Pugh will be a freshman this fall, already has two Class B individual medalist honors and recently added a national invitational to her résumé.  

Playing mostly on her home course, the 9-hole Miller Golf Course, Pugh stepped out of her comfort zone when she competed in the Girls High School Golf National Invitational at Pinehurst Golf Resort in Pinehurst, North Carolina, on June 27-29. One might think the shock and awe factor might creep into the mind of a teenager but Pugh says the experience made her actually quite comfortable. 

“It was kinda cool, and it felt like home because everyone was so nice and even strangers would talk to you,” Pugh said. 

This invite-only tournament field was made up of the top high school golfers across the country. The invitational is a 3-day, 54-hole stroke play event including team and individual competition. Competition rounds will take place on Pinehurst No. 1, No. 6, and No. 9 courses. The best high school golf teams and individuals receive invites based on state championship performance. The invitational featured a variety of golfers from nearly all 50 states.

Golfers were allowed three days of practice on three different courses with each course approximately 6,000 yards long with one hole featuring a 216 yard, par-3. All told, Pugh played 108 holes over a six-day period. Pugh was the lone South Dakota golfer in the field. 

Jayce Pugh stands in from of Pinehurst Resort during a recent trip to North Carolina - Courtesy photo

“She had a goal of placing in the top-100 but came up just outside that finishing in 132nd place,” Chelsea Pugh, Jayce’s mother said. “Can’t wait to see her work toward the same opportunity next year and go after it again.” 

While Pugh didn’t quite have the tournament of dreams, she did scald the hardest nine holes of the three-day tournament, shooting a 36, while the eventual overall champion carded a 37. 

While the mere mortal golfing world dreams of playing the hallowed courses at Pinehurst, Pugh gave us a preview of what it feels like to play a course of that level. 

“There is a lot more sand than here in South Dakota,” she said. “There is no rough, only difficult rough and a lot more trees you have to watch out for.” 

One of the courses featured bent grass (like in South Dakota). The others featured bermuda grass, unlike anything Pugh had ever seen. 

“It is a lot faster and you have different elevations on the greens, sometimes three-tiered levels,” Pugh said. 

Jayce Pugh sporting her Miller Rustlers gear at Pinehurst - Courtesy photo

A relative newcomer to the game of golf, Pugh said she picked up the sport at age 10 or 11, aided by the instruction of her dad Riley. She also said the experience of playing at these national championships will push her going forward.

“I think I improved a lot over the week,” she said. “It was a great experience to compete against girls that play year around and on longer courses than we have in the Midwest.” 

Pugh, who also plays volleyball and basketball, said she plans on competing in several junior golf tournaments in South Dakota to round out her summer.