Tice/Stilwell/Beaton Win SDGA Junior District Match Play Titles

Michael Stilwell (middle), the reigning Central New York PGA Junior Player of the Year, captured the Syracuse 18U Junior District Match Play Championship at Drumlins CC with a 3 & 2 victory over Emmet Kilmartin. 

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It was a week of pure dominance for Stilwell, who never went as deep as the 18th hole in all of his four matches. The Yahnundasis GC member defeated Andrew Banish, 6 & 5, on Monday to advance to the quarterfinals in what was his largest margin of victory. He would go on to beat Andrew Fox, 2 & 1, in what would be Stilwell’s most contested match of the week. 

In the semifinals, he bested the top-seeded Drew Mancini, 4 & 3, before defeating the second-seeded Kilmartin, who went to extra holes to punch his ticket into the championship match, to complete the sweep of four matches in three days. This victory comes on the heels of a top-20 finish at the Gerry Ashe Memorial earlier in June for Stilwell. 

In the 18U Girls’ Division, Chloe Tice (left) emerged victorious after a 2-up finish over Rachel O’Rourke. 

She was immediately put through to the semifinal match, where she faced Malia Works, thanks to a strong stroke play qualifying performance (-3) that gave her the No 1 seed and a quarterfinal round bye headed into match play. Tice won 10 & 8 to advance to the championship match against O’Rourke, who defeated her sister, Isabella, in the semis 6 & 5. 

Tice, who was the top Section III finisher out of Cicero-North Syracuse (CNS) HS at the 2025 girls’ state golf tournament, was also named to the 2025 All-Central New York girls golf team and earned player of the year honors at syracuse.com’s 2025 All-Central New York High School Sports Awards. She will be entering her senior year at CNS this fall. 

In the 14U Boys’ Division, it came down to one match between Charlie Beaton (right) and Jacob Koss, with Beaton winning 9 & 8. Beaton shot a 67 (-3) in the stroke play qualifying round to earn the No. 1 seed.