WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Lunden Esterline, an Andover, Kansas native who lives in Alexandria, Minnesota, in the summer and plays out of the Alexandria Golf Club, has won a lot of titles.
Esterline, who will be a junior in high school in the fall, has won three junior titles at the Resorters and the 2024 Kansas Class 3A State Championship as a freshman at Wichita Collegiate High School, just to name a few.
And on Friday at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Indiana, Esterline capped off a dominant win as he won the boys 2025 Junior PGA Championship at 19-under par (266) by six strokes.
“It means so much, it’s hard to even put into words,” Esterline said in a
PGA press release
. “I’m still trying to comprehend this whole thing. I didn’t putt quite as well as I had the last few days, but I’d also putted out of my mind the last couple of days, so I wasn’t expecting that again.”
Esterline got off to a hot start in the tournament on Tuesday, July 29, 2025. He shot 4-under par (67) at the Ackerman-Allen course on July 29. Esterline birdied the third hole (par 4, 390 yards), the sixth hole (par 5, 554 yards), the seventh hole (par 3, 180 yards), the 10th hole (par 4, 378 yards), and the 16th hole (par 5, 574 yards).
Esterline stayed red hot on Wednesday, July 30, as he shot 10-under par (62) at the Kampen-Cosler course (par 72). Esterline birdied the first hole (par 4, 393 yards), the second hole (par 3, 187 yards), the fourth hole (par 5, 537 yards), the fifth hole (par 3, 230 yards), and the sixth hole (par 5, 581 yards), then eagled the seventh hole (par 4, 314 yards). Esterline birdied the 10th hole (par 5, 558 yards), the 12th hole (par 4, 421 yards), and the 16th hole (par 5, 560 yards).
Esterline played bogey-free again on Thursday, July 31, as he shot 5-under par (66) at the Ackerman-Allen course. Esterline birdied the fourth hole (par 4, 375 yards), the fifth hole (par 3, 204 yards), the 10th hole (par 4, 378 yards), the 12th hole (par 4, 434 yards), and the 16th hole (par 5, 574 yards).
Playing alongside the likes of Tiger Woods’ son Charlie, Esterline sealed his title win by shooting even par on Friday, finishing with a round of 71 at the Ackerman-Allen course. He birdied the second hole (par 5, 603 yards), the seventh hole (par 3, 180 yards), and the 16th hole (par 5, 574 yards).
Lunden Esterline tees off from the No. 3 box at the Alexandria Golf Club during his semifinal match in the Junior 13-15 Division on Aug. 5, 2022 at the Resorters. Esterline, a 3-time Resorters champion, won the boys 2025 Junior PGA Championship on Aug. 1, 2025, with a four-day total of 19-under par.
Eric Morken / Alexandria Echo Press
Giuseppe Puebla of Royal Palm Beach, Florida, and Tyler Mawhinney of Fleming Island, Florida, tied for second at 13-under par (272). Charlie Woods tied for ninth at 9-under par (276).
“I kind of enjoyed [the crowd] because when you hit a good shot, it’s more rewarding and you hear all these claps,” Esterline said in a PGA press release.
With the win, Esterline locked up a spot on the 2025 U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team, which faces the European squad at Nassau Country Club and Bethpage Black in New York on Sept. 23-25.
Lunden Esterline putts on the 17th green at the Alexandria Golf Club on July 30, 2024. Esterline won the boys 2025 Junior PGA Championship at 19-under par.
Sam Stuve / Alexandria Echo Press
Sam Stuve covers a variety of sports in the Douglas County area. Sam is a December 2021 graduate from Iowa State University. Sam joined the Echo Press in January 2022 and became the Sports and Outdoors Editor in February 2023.
