WORLAND - Promising young golfer Karsten Simmons continued his busy summer on Aug. 6-7 in Laramie at the Wyoming State Junior Golf Championship, taking fourth in the tournament.

Simmons shot an 80 in the first round and 79 in the second for a total of 159 on the tournament.

Two weeks before the tournament Simmons celebrated his 13th birthday, moving him into the 15 to 13 age division. Previously he had been competing in the 12-10 age division.

Facing older more experienced players and battling tough elements, Simmons endured and never let the obstacles sink his spirt. The first day of the tournament was rain delayed and due to the delay he was only able to complete 12 holes.

In order to finish the first round, Simmons' tee time was moved earlier to a 6 a.m. start on the second day. On that second day Simmons played a total of 24 holes of golf which makes his score all the more impressive.

As Simmons' father, Randy Simmons, said, "He just kept on grinding out very tough conditions and competition. His persistence, hard work and routine kept him in the hunt.  The greens were very tough to read and very tough to putt. We are so proud of him for never giving up."

"It was great for Karsten to compete with these kids," said Randy Simmons, "He knows what he needs to do to get to the level of play he is his looking for. Overall he shot pretty darn good, hitting a handful of greens that were tough to read and very difficult to chip and putt."

The next tournament for Karsten Simmons will be in Louisville, Colo., on Aug. 21-22 then Longmont, Colo., Sept. 3-4.