Grayson Baucom didn’t begin the final round in front. He finished it there — and by a number.
The Hickory, North Carolina native closed with a 5-under 67 to win the AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods at 12-under 204 (70-67-67), pulling clear for a three-shot victory.
Baucom started the day four back. By the turn, he was charging. The defining moment came at the par-5 13th, where he holed out for eagle to grab a two-shot cushion. From there, he played his final five holes in one under, never giving the lead back.
It was back-to-back 67s when it mattered most — and the low round among the leaders on Monday.
For the 2028 graduate, ranked No. 32 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings and a 2025 Rolex Junior All-American, it was his first AJGA Invitational title. The résumé had been building. Last year, he played 17 ranked events, winning the NC Junior Championship, the Scott Robertson Memorial, and the CGA Dogwood State Junior Boys Championship, while adding four more top-10 finishes.
Behind him, the chase was tight. Jackson Ormond (Webster, New York), Cameron Kuchar (St. Simons Island, Georgia) and defending champion Miles Russell (Jacksonville Beach, Florida) shared runner-up honors at 9-under 207. Ormond matched Baucom’s closing 67, Russell shot 69, and Kuchar signed for 74.
Ronin Banerjee (Irvine, California) and Giuseppe Puebla (Royal Palm Beach, Florida) tied for fifth at 8-under 208, while Chase Bauer (Gotha, Florida) finished seventh at 7-under after a closing 67.
The AJGA Boys Championship has crowned its share of future stars since 1987. On this week, Baucom made sure his name felt worthy of that list.