Kitsap County will send two junior golfers to the Kids World Championships in Pinehurst, NC, a tourney with hundreds of the best golfers ages 6 to 12 from over 25 countries.

Bainbridge Island’s Stephen Lavendoski will be one of seven golfers from Washington state in the Boys 10-year-old division. Stephen earned an invitation by shooting two rounds under par in qualifying events on the local junior tour.

One of Stephen’s local rivals, Noah Ahern of Poulsbo, also qualified. Noah tied for first in a district tourney at Oakbrook Golf Club with a score of 39 on nine holes and finished fourth in the McCormick Woods Golf Club tournament with an 88 over 18 holes.

Stephen was runner-up in the Wing Point Boys Junior Club Championship on Bainbridge Island July 15-16 against golfers up to age 16. He qualified for the Washington State Junior Championships after tying for second place in the district qualifying tournament at McCormick.

Stephen shot an 87 through two 9-hole rounds. He also finished 11th in another district tournament at Oakbrook with a 44 through one round. Lastly, Stephen represented Team Seattle in the 2023 Western Cup in January. He finished with a score of 70 and led Seattle to a third-place finish out of 10 teams along the West Coast.

Noah, meanwhile, has competed in a few other district tournaments throughout the year. He finished eighth at the Tacoma Country and Golf Club with a score of 50 and third in the Lakeland Village district tournament with a score of 49.

The pair will represent Kitsap County Aug. 3-5 at Legacy Golf Links.