Hometown Hitter: Alexander Randolph Impressive at Bridgeport Country Club
By Michael Minnich on July 19, 2026
It was the dream scenario before the WVU Medicine United Hospital Center Junior Championship teed off at Bridgeport Country Club: Locals in contention with a local winning.
“That’s always the hope, right?” Bridgeport Country Club head golf professional Mike Gervais said on the first day of the tournament. “The opportunity for these kids to play on their home course, there’s pressure in that. There’s definitely pressure when you have a lot of people that are supporting you and you want to do well.
Enter Alexander Randolph.
The Bridgeport native won with a -9 204 over three days.
“I was able to putt well. I had a couple of long putts fall, which was great,” Randolph said. “I really drove the ball well, which is key out here. If you get off track on the fairway, you’re most likely going to be in the trees. I hit irons well. Everything was good. I was able to put myself in good scoring positions.”
Doing this on his home course carried extra gravity, too.
“It means a lot. It’s huge. These AJGA events are really big, especially for us West Virginia kids. We don’t have a whole lot of tournaments that are this big that come around often. It’s a really big opportunity to be able to play in it,” Randolph said.
Randolph grew from his debut in this event last year.
“It definitely helped,” Randolph said. “I came out last year and didn’t play too well, so I knew what to expect this year. I’m trying to keep it more low-key. I try to just go out there and have fun, enjoy the moment and enjoy that course. It’s such a great course. It’s in really good condition right now.”
It’s part of a busy stretch for Randolph, who is entering his sophomore year.
“I played in the West Virginia Junior Amateur and was fortunate enough to play in the Future Masters down in Alabama a few weeks ago,” Randolph said. “I feel like golf really grows you as a person. You go through so many challenges and you have to overcome them. You’re the only one out there. You can’t lean on anybody else. It makes you a problem solver.”
Next is the West Virginia Open at Glade Springs in about two weeks, an event that Randolph qualified for at The Pines last week.
“The greens are really big, so if you get on the wrong side, you could have a pretty big putt in front of you. You have to drive it well out there. It can get pretty tight and there’s trees lining most of the fairways,” Randolph said. “It helps keep my competitive edge sharp, which you really need out here. There are great players out here. You can’t slack off.”
The high school season looms in a few weeks.
“I hope to make it to states again. I was able to win Big 10 Conference Player of the Year, so hopefully I’ll be able to do that again. There’s great players in our conference, including my teammate (and 2024 player of the year) Audrey Kerr,” Randolph said.
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