Just about every day for the past year when the weather was good, 10-year-old Karley Whittington got off the school bus and walked over to Clear Creek Golf Course in Bovina to work on her game.

And she has got serious game.

This weekend, she’ll join Warren County’s three better-known junior golfers — Parker Rutherford, Nick Mekus and Chris Ingram — at Madison’s Lake Caroline Golf Course for the Mississippi Junior Golf Organization’s Cup matches, an event better known as the Junior Ryder Cup. The matches will pit juniors in various age groups in teams of 12 against the Arnold Palmer team.

For Rutherford, 16, this will be his fourth time to play on the Jack Nicklaus Cup team. For Mekus, 15, this will be his third time to play in the event while Ingram, 18, and Whittington will make their debuts.

Rutherford says Whittington is the real deal.

“She can out-putt any of us,” Rutherford said.

The Bowmar Elementary fifth grader took up golf in the past year. She was a softball player for three years.

“I quit softball. Golf is more fun,” Whittington said.

Being able to play as an individual seems to suit her, even though she’ll be on the same Nicklaus team as Rutherford, Mekus and Ingram, albeit with 10 to 12- year-old girls.

“It’s fun to play by myself,” Whittington said.

This summer, she played in 10 junior girls events and won the Randy Watkins Tournament in Jackson.

“I came in second and third a lot,” Whittington said.

According to the MGO’s youth rankings, Whittington finished No. 1 in points in her 10 to 12-year-olds age group. More distance off the tee has been a key, but Whittington likes the short game better.

“Probably irons is what I like best,” she said. “I just got some USGA kid series irons. I love my irons.”

Clear Creek golf pro Kent Smith said Whittington is hitting the ball better.

“She’s gone from hitting about 150-yard drives to now 175,” Smith said.

Whittington also credits the three guys for her improvement.

“They’ve been really nice,” she said. “They let me play with them in the putting contest. Chris Ingram has helped me a lot in practice and in the tournaments, too.”

For Ingram, it was all about helping his game, as well. Two weeks ago, he, Rutherford and Mekus played in the junior pro-am at the Viking Classic at the Annandale Golf Course. Though he ranked 13th and just outside the top 12 qualifying level, he got in because one of the 12 qualified in his 16-to-18 age division dropped out. Ingram will play again at the MGO’s Cup matches.

“Who did you take out?” Rutherford quipped.

Ingram could only smile.

“I credit my hard work and determination,” Ingram answered.

The three guys are no strangers to team golf. Mekus and Ingram are staples in the St. Aloysius golf program while Rutherford is the mainstay at Warren Central.

All four players have played at Lake Caroline, but Rutherford and Mekus know it best.

“It’s kind of long in spots, a couple of long par 4s,” Rutherford said.

Mekus said just the oppposite in that Lake Caroline has plenty of opportunities.

“It has some short par 5s. No. 11 and 12 are really short,” Mekus said.

Rutherford, who in July played in the Warren County Cup for the Vicksburg Country Club, has gotten a lot of experience playing in these Ryder Cup style events.

“On Saturday, it’s a four-ball, and on Sunday, it’s single play,” Rutherford said. “I still like the singles matches better.”

Rutherford finished sixth this summer in the MGO’s 14 to 15-year-old boys standings. Like Whittington, he won the Randy Watkins Tournament in Jackson. Mekus was 10th in the 14-15s standings.