Introducing the 2025 Mid-America Junior Cup Team Metropolitan
St. Louis, MO - As we grow closer to the conclusion of another year, it is once again time to gather some of the Metropolitan’s best junior golfers to compete as Team Metropolitan at the Mid-America Junior Cup. This is a Ryder Cup style competition where eight of the Metropolitan’s best will compete against Team Central Links Golf in Kansas City. Each team is composed of four girls and four boys with two of each being aged 15 and under. The selections for Team Metropolitan have been made, so now it is time to introduce the 2025 Mid-America Junior Cup Team Metropolitan:
18U
Sarah Hyten returns to the team after a year hiatus to be the veteran on the girls side of the team. This will be her second time on the team. Sarah is a senior (Class of 2026) at Father McGivney Catholic High School and practices out of Sunset Hills Country Club. She is verbally committed to play at Florida Gulf Coast next year. Sarah continues to improve her game and just successfully accomplished her goal for the year of winning the Illinois State High School 1A Girls’ Golf Championship as an individual. She says her favorite club in her bag is her putter and that putting is the strongest part of her game. Sarah brings a competitive experience to the team, having been the 2024 Metropolitan Girls’ Junior Amateur Champion and having played in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball this past spring. Sarah is looking to improve upon her Mid-America Junior Cup record of 1-2-0.
Rachel Johnson is a rookie for Team Metropolitan, who is a senior (Class of 2026) at Edwardsville High School. She practices out of Sunset Hills Country Club like her teammate Sarah. Rachel has verbally committed to playing collegiate golf at Butler University. She has been training hard and finished tied for 19th in the Illinois State High School 2A Girls’ Golf Championship. She is proud of winning her conference to get to state twice. Rachel says the strongest part of her game is her driving, but her favorite club in her bag is her 5 iron.
Cole Packingham is the team veteran for the boys, returning for a second year. He is a senior (Class of 2026) at Liberty High School and practices out WingHaven Country Club along with training at ELV8 Golf. Cole has verbally committed to play collegiate golf at the University of North Georgia Cole continues to show his ability on the golf course, having finished as runner-up the past two years in the Metropolitan Junior Amateur. He also accomplished his golf goal of the year by playing the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship this summer. Cole’s proudest accomplishment has been winning the stroke play portion at the International Future Masters in June. He also made it to the semifinals in the match play part of the competition. Cole finished in solo third at the Missouri State High School Class 5 Boys’ Golf Championship last spring. He says the strongest part of his game is his iron play and his favorite club is his 58 degree wedge. Cole is looking to redeem his Mid-America Junior Cup record of 0-2-1.
Hudson Shy joins the team as a rookie this year. He is a junior (Class of 2027) at St. Charles West High School and plays out of Bogey Hills Country Club. Hudson has had a successful season. He finished tied for 17th in the Missouri State High School Class 3 Boys’ Golf Championship last spring and tied for 4th in the Metropolitan Junior Amateur in the summer. He was also the only junior golfer to make the cut at the Metropolitan Amateur, finishing tied for 20th. Hudson has proven himself a worthy competitor by highlighting his past two summers with consecutive St. Louis District Golf Association Junior Championship victories. Hudson’s favorite club in the bag is his driver, and he says his short game is the best part of his game.
15U
Emilia Brown is a first time team member for Team Metropolitan. She is a sophomore (Class of 2028) at Visitation Academy, who practices out of Crescent Farms Golf Club. Emilia continues to work on her game and is proud to be a part of the winning Missouri State High School Class 4 Girls’ Golf Championship team last year. She finished tied for 25th last year and has officially qualified for the high school state championship again with her team, looking to run it back again. Emilia is confident around the greens with her favorite club being her pitching wedge and putting being the strongest part of her game.
Isaah Kandula joins the team as a rookie this year. He is a sophomore (Class of 2028) at Parkway West High School and practices out of The Quarry at Crystal Springs. Isaah continues to improve upon his game and prove his talent. He qualified for the Missouri State High School Class 4 Boys’ Golf Championship last spring, finishing in 35th place as a freshman. This summer, he won the Boys’ 14-15 and overall division of the Gateway PGA Junior Tour Championship. Isaah also earned enough points to punch his ticket to the Junior PGA Championship. He hopes that his favorite club and skill of hitting long drives will help his team to victory.
Caden Kite is a newcomer to Team Metropolitan. He is a freshman (Class of 2029) at Waterloo High School, who practices out of Annbriar Golf Club. Caden entered high school golf off the back of a successful junior high run, where he was tied for first in the Southern Illinois Junior High School state championship, but settled for runner-up in the playoff for the trophy. So far, Caden’s proudest accomplishment has been shooting a round of 67 to win the Cardinal Creek Classic in September. He says the strongest part of his game is his solid ball striking and his favorite club in the bag is his 50 degree wedge.
Charlotte Stafford comes into this team as a rookie this year. She is a sophomore (Class of 2028) at Lafayette High School and practices out of the Country Club of St. Albans. Charlotte works hard each day and successfully accomplished her goal of shooting an even par round of golf before the year ends. She qualified for Missouri State High School Class 4 Girls’ Golf Championship as an individual last year, where she finished tied for 32nd. She has officially qualified for the state high school championship as an individual again in 2025. Charlotte’s favorite club is a toss up between her driver and her putter, while she says the strongest part of her game is her short game.
This team is looking to bring the Mid-America Junior Cup trophy back to St. Louis. Team Metropolitan last won in 2021 and then retained in 2022. The last two years, Team Central Links has won. The Mid-America Junior Cup will be played at the Nicklaus Golf Club at Lionsgate in Kansas City on October 25-26. Though we are going to be on away turf, this team is excited and ready to add a sixth away win to the Metropolitan record books.
Mid-America Junior Cup Record:
10 Metro - 11 Central Links - 5 Ties