Maverick Craig takes a practice swing at Red Bridge Golf Course in Locust. Courtesy Nate Craig

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LOCUST — Hosted at Pinehurst Resort from July 31 to Aug. 2, the 2025 U.S. Kids Golf World Championship is expected to showcase over 1,500 children ages 5 to 12, representing every U.S. state and more than 50 countries.

Two young golfers in the 26th annual USKGWC — 9-year-old Maverick Craig and 6-year-old Jennings Kinard — will represent the city of Locust in the tournament.

Regulars at Locust’s Red Bridge Golf Course, Craig and Kinard are soon headed to Pinehurst with their families as they get ready to compete in the competition organized by the U.S. Kids Golf Foundation.

Both golfers found out earlier in the year that they qualified for the USKGWC due to their strong performances in various local tournaments over the past year.

Maverick’s father, Nate Craig, said that his son has been interested in golf since he was a toddler, even whacking ping pong balls around the house with a broom stick handle as he watched golf on the television as a toddler.

Competing in golf events for the past three years, Maverick’s upcoming appearance at the USKGWC will mark his second time playing at the tournament after he played in last year’s event.

“For me and my wife, it’s just a matter of nourishing it at this point,” Craig said. “It’s making sure that he’s not getting burned out, keeping everything light, and making sure he knows it’s a game and not a job. It’s been a lot of fun.

Craig said that his son is “pumped up” about being able to go back to Pinehurst Resort, watching The Short Game — a 2013 documentary film about eight entrants in the 2012 USKGWC  — “five or six times a week” on Netflix.

“In golf, you want to make sure that your game is trending up going into the tournament, and his game is definitely trending in the right direction at the moment,” Craig added. “About a month ago, he was playing a tournament at Longleaf (Golf and Family Club) in Pinehurst and he shot 68. That’s four under through 18 holes and it was his personal record.”

Bo Kinard said his son, Jennings, was fascinated as a baby by watching him hit balls via a golf simulator in his garage.

By the time Jennings was old enough to stand, he too had a golf club in his hand and soon developed an appreciation for the sport. Kinard said that his son has always appeared confident and assured of his own skills when playing in local tournaments, no matter what the outcome might be.

“At this age, it’s trying to create the love for the game. For them to be process-driven and not results-driven,” Kinard said. “That’s a hard thing to fight, because especially as a parent, you want your kid to do the best they possibly can. There’s no hiding in golf. In baseball, you can stick somebody in certain positions where the ball doesn’t get hit too much, and same with football. But golf, man, it’s all on you.”

He noted that Jennings and Maverick have bonded over the sport and their shared skills: “They’re both pretty good for their age and they both seem to be obsessed with it. They love practicing with each other.”

The first round of the 2025 USKGWC is scheduled for Thursday, July 31, at 7:30 a.m.