Eight Teams Punch Tickets to National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championships

On Sept. 7-8, 60 PGA Jr. League teams from across the country competed in Regional Championships, a part of the National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship Season, with spots on the line for both the 13u and 17u National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championships.

The 13u Championship will take place at Fields Ranch West at PGA Frisco in Texas, Oct. 10-13, and be broadcast live on the ESPN family of networks. The 17u Championship is set for Nov. 14-17 at Twin Warriors Golf Club in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico.

Below is a roundup of recaps from the four Regional Championships that took place over Sept. 7-8, with final results, summaries and winning team photos included.

16 All-Star teams of junior golfers representing the Connecticut, New England and Metropolitan PGA Sections traveled to Bethpage for the National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Regional for two fun and exciting days of competition on the Yellow Course.

Split between two age divisions, eight 13u All-Star teams (players ages 10-13) and eight 17u All-Star teams (players ages 14-17) vied for the opportunity to advance to their respective National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship this fall.

Fairview Farm Thunder 13u All-Stars Coach Bob Sparks, PGA, and Assistant Coach Jim Bunel have led their Harwinton, Connecticut team back to a National Championship appearance with their 7.5-4.5 win over the Lyman Blue 13u All-Stars of Middlefield, Connecticut.

The Fairview Farm Thunder dominated Day 1 stroke play rounds at 28-under par to earn the top seed, with the Bethpage Red 13u All-Stars earning the second seed at -17. Three teams were tied at -12 vying for the remaining two final day match play spots: Lyman Blue, the Rotella Raiders 13u All-Stars of New York and the Timby 13u All-Stars of Connecticut. The first tie-breaker of taking the aggregate team total of all four 13u pair scores separated the pack, with Lyman Blue at -14, Rotella Raiders at -9 and Timby at -8. Lyman Blue took the third seed, and the Rotella Raiders secured the fourth seed to advance to the semifinals.

Day 1 play was highlighted with a hole-in-one by 13-year-old Christin Park of Norwood, New Jersey, and member of the Rotella Raiders 13u All-Star team. Park’s ace on Hole No. 14 with her 9 iron from 112 yards propelled the team to the No. 4 seed and the semifinals.

In Day 2’s semifinal match play, No. 1 Fairview Farm Thunder defeated No. 4 Rotella Raiders 7.5-4.5, and No. 3 Lyman Blue bested No. 2 Bethpage Red 8-4 to solidify the afternoon championship match against the two Connecticut teams.

The four 13u All-Star teams that did not advance to the match play semifinals were given the chance to compete in the optional 9-hole, two-person scramble shootout on Day 2, which included the Timby 13u All-Stars (-12), Norwood Select Gold 13u All-Stars of Massachusetts (-10), CPF @ Bally's Ferry Point 13u All-Stars of New York (-9) and Burlington Birdies 13u All-Stars of Vermont (-8). Timby teammates Marc Bayram, Jr., 11, and Tommy Sullivan, 11, won the shootout. 

Led by Coach Megan Younkman, LPGA, the Bethpage 17u All-Stars will return to represent New York in the second annual 17u National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship.

Day 1 stroke play qualifying saw Bethpage take the first seed with a 21-under-par performance, and the Lyman Orchards Blue 17u All-Stars of Connecticut on their heels in the second seed at 20-under. The First Tee Bronx 17u All-Stars of New York took the third spot at 18-under, followed by the Burlington Elite 17u All-Stars of Vermont in No. 4 at 16-under.

In Day 2’s semifinal match play, No. 1 seed Bethpage defeated No. 4 Burlington Elite 8-1, while No. 2 seed Lyman Orchards Blue defeated No. 3 seed First Tee Bronx 5-4 to set up the afternoon championship match. Bethpage bested Lyman Orchards Blue 5.5-3.5 to become Regional champions.

The four 17u All-Star teams that did not advance to the semifinals were given the chance to compete in the optional 9-hole, two-person scramble shootout on Day 2, which included the CPF @ Bally's Ferry Point 17u All-Stars of New York (-14), Timby 2 17u All-Stars of Connecticut (-14), Timby 1 17u All-Stars of Connecticut (-11) and Atkinson Team 1 17u All-Stars of New Hampshire (+4). Timby 1 teammates Tatum Struk, 17, and Ella Michaud, 14, won the shootout.

Eight 13u All-Star teams and six 17u All-Star teams representing the Middle Atlantic, New Jersey and Philadelphia PGA Sections competed in the PGA Jr. League Regional at Maple Dale Country Club in Dover, Delaware, for the opportunity to advance to their age division’s National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship this fall.

Coach Scott Holmes, PGA, and Assistant Coach Tim Brogan, PGA, and their 1757 Legends 13u All-Stars of 1757 Golf Club in Dulles, Virginia, will return to the 13u National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship for the second consecutive year.

The 1757 Legends 13u All-Stars secured the top seed with a solid 24-under-par performance in Day 1’s stroke play qualifying rounds. They were trailed by Haworth CC Augusta of New Jersey (-16) in the second seed; Fiddler's Elbow 13u All-Stars of New Jersey in the third seed (-8); and the MHSG Eagles 13u All-Stars of Virginia (-6) in fourth. The top four seeds advanced to semifinal match play on Day 2.

The semifinal match play saw the No. 1 1757 Legends defeat the No. 4 MHSG Eagles 7.5-4.5 to advance to the final round. The match between No. 2 Haworth CC Augusta and No. 3 Fiddler’s Elbow ended 6-6, and they remained deadlocked through the first tiebreaker of most holes won. The match was ultimately decided on the second tiebreaker, the top three of four scores from the Day 1 stroke play round, which went to Haworth at -16 over Fiddler’s Elbow at -8. Ultimately, the 1757 Legends marched to a 10.5-1.5 victory over Haworth to win the Regional.

The four 13u All-Star teams that did not advance to the semifinals were given the chance to compete in the optional 9-hole, two-person scramble shootout on Sunday, which included the No. 5 1757 Masters 13u All-Stars (-5), No. 6 Edge Golf Performance A 13u All-Stars of Maryland (-3), No. 7 ANCC 13u All-Stars of Virginia (-2) and No. 8 Delaware Beaches 13u All-Stars (-2). ANCC (Army Navy Country Club) teammates Nathaniel Miller, 11, and Connor Vaughan, 11, won with 5-under par.

They won the inaugural 17u Championship last year, and now they’re headed back to New Mexico to defend their title.

Like their counterparts in the 13u division, Coach Scott Holmes, PGA, and Assistant Coach Tim Brogan, PGA, successfully led the 1757 Dragons 17u All-Stars back to the 17u National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship for the second consecutive year.

Day 1’s stroke play saw the DuPont Diamonds 17u All-Stars of Delaware take the top seed with 15-under par, the 1757 Dragons just behind them in the No. 2 spot at -14, and the Haworth CC Troon 17u All-Stars of New Jersey in the third seed at -11. A tie for the fourth seed between the FT-PW9 Blue 17u All-Stars of New Jersey and the NWL Alpha 17u All-Stars of Virginia at -10 was decided by the aggregate team total of all pairs, with FT-PW9 Blue advancing by three strokes.

In Day 2’s semifinal match play, the No. 2 1757 Dragons held off the No. 3 Haworth team 6.5-2.5. The No. 1 DuPont Diamonds tied No. 4 NWL Alpha 4.5-4.5, and the DuPont Diamonds advanced based upon the first tiebreaker of most holes won (8-7). Ultimately, the 1757 Dragons edged the DuPont Diamonds 5.5-3.5 to win the Regional.

The remaining 17u All-Star teams that did not advance to the semifinals were given the opportunity to compete in the optional 9-hole, two-person scramble shootout on Day 2, which included the No. 5 NWL Alpha 17u All-Stars (-10) and the No. 6 1757 Storm 17u All-Stars (-6). The 17u shootout was captured with a 5-under-par performance by 1757 Storm teammates Johnny Huhn, 17, and Jake McCormack, 17.

14 All-Star teams of junior golfers representing Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, met at Paradise Pointe Golf Complex in Smithville, Missouri, for two fun and exciting days of competition at the National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Regional Championship. Teams from three PGA Sections—Gateway Section, Midwest Section and the South Central Section—participated in the weekend event. 

Day 1 of the Regional consisted of two, nine-hole rounds of stroke play qualifying for the teams, in which the top four were seeded to advance to match play semifinals on day two. 

Shooting 15-under-par on Day 1, the Oak Brook Orange 13u All-Stars, led by Coach Mike Suhre, PGA, headed into Day 2’s semifinal play seeded first. The team represents Oak Brook Golf Club in Edwardsville, Illinois. 

The Hallbrook Hackers 13u All-Stars and QC-OT 13u All-Stars ended Day 1’s stroke play qualifying round tied at 11-under-par. The Hallbrook Hackers of Leawood, Kansas, garnered the No. 2 seed after utilizing the first tiebreaker, which is the entire aggregate team total score rather than just the top three scores. 

The third-seeded QC-OT 13u All-Stars (-11) and fourth-seed 13u Goat Ranch Academy All-Stars (-4) rounded out the top four and joined Oak Brook and Hallbrook in Day 2’s semifinal action.

The remaining two teams, Missouri’s Eldon-Maroon 13u All-Stars (3) and Kansas’ Falcon Ridge KC1 All-Stars (13) finished in fifth and sixth, respectively.

In Day 2’s semifinal match play, the top-seeded Oak Brook Orange 13u All-Stars defeated the 13u Goat Ranch Academy All-Stars (No. 4 seed) 7-5. Meanwhile, the No. 2 seed Hallbrook Hackers 13u All-Stars faced off against the third-seeded QC-OT 13u All-Stars of Oklahoma, with Hallbrook besting QC-OT 8.5-3.5, setting up an afternoon championship match between Oak Brook and Hallbrook. 

Ultimately, the Hallbrook Hackers, led by PGA of America Golf Professional Liam Cahill, defeated Oak Brook in the championship match, 8-4. The Hallbrook Hackers 13u All-Stars will now represent Kansas in the 13u National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship.

All-Star teams that did not advance to the semifinals were given the chance to compete in the optional 9-hole, two-person scramble shootout on Sunday. In the 13u division, Toby Wagner, 13, of Lawrence, Kansas, and Jack Burke, 13, of Olathe, Kansas, both representing Falcon Ridge KC1 All-Stars shot 34 (-2) to win the shootout. Eldon’s Graham Henley, 13, and Cooper Frey, 12, both of Eldon, Missouri, were the runners-up with a score of 36. 

The KC1 Falcon Ridge 17u All-Stars notched a 5-4 win over NWA Red 17u All-Stars in Region 8 17u Championship match. The Falcon Ridge 17u All-Stars are led by Coach Courtney Mahon, LPGA. 

On Day 1, the KCCC 17u All-Stars of Fairway, Kansas, ended the stroke play qualifying round tied at an impressive 19-under-par with the NWA Red 17u All-Stars, hailing from Rogers, Arkansas. Utilizing the first tie-breaker (total team aggregate score), KCCC garnered the top seed, while NWA was seeded second. The Goat Ranch Academy Green 17u All-Stars (-16) were seeded third, while Kansas’ KC1 Falcon Ridge 17u All-Stars (-12) finished fourth. The top four teams advanced to Day 2’s semifinal play. 

The Goat Ranch Academy Yellow 17u All-Stars (-11) finished fifth, and the MHCC 17u All-Stars of Mission Hills, Kansas, were sixth (-9). Two Kansas-based teams, IHCC 17u All-Stars (-8) and Loch 17u (-7), finished seventh and eighth, respectively.

In Day 2’s semifinal match play, the fourth-seeded KC1 Falcon Ridge 17u All-Stars defeated the top-seeded KCCC All-Stars, besting them 5-4. In the other semifinal match, NWA also defeated Goat Ranch Green 5-4 to advance to the championship. 

As in the 13u division, all 17u teams that did not advance to Sunday’s semifinal action were invited to participate in an optional 9-hole, two-person scramble shootout. Wylie Curtis, 17, and Gavin Delzer, 17, both of Mission Hills, Kansas, won the 17u division with a score of 32 (-4) while McClain Smith, 15, of Overland Park, Kansas, and Andrew Gonzalez, 17, of Leawood, Kansas, were the runners-up with a score of 33 (-3). 

Eight 13u All-Star teams and eight 17u All-Star teams representing Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Washington, met at Meadow Lakes Golf Club in Prineville, Oregon, for two fun and exciting days of competition at the National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Regional Championship. Competing teams represented the Utah, Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain PGA Sections.

Both 13u and 17u All-Star teams from Thanksgiving Point Golf Club (Lehi, Utah), coached by Tele Wightman, PGA, won their respective championships and are headed to the National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship. They will both represent Team Utah.

Semifinal action on Day 2 was delayed by 40 minutes due to lightning in the area. When play resumed, the Thanksgiving Point All-Stars advanced to the championship match after a 10-2 win over the Glenmoor Gators. The Bend Bombers 1 All-Stars, led by coach Nate Kitt, PGA, and assistant coach Ryan Smith, advanced to the championship match after defeating the Spokane All-Stars, 7-5, in other semifinal action. The Spokane All-Stars, coached by Travis Huskisson, PGA, consisted of players from Kalispel Golf Club, The Creek at Qualchan and Esmeralda Golf Course. 

The Thanksgiving Point All-Stars (Lehi, Utah) led all teams after Day One with a -29 after completing the two nine-hole rounds of stroke play. Jraice Finau, the 12-year-old son of PGA TOUR Player and assistant coach Tony Finau, set the tone for his team chipping in for eagle on his first hole of the day.  

The Spokane All-Stars finished nine back for the second seed with a -20, followed by the Bend Bombers 1 (Bend Golf Club, Bend Oregon) with a -14, and the Glenmoor Gators (Glenmoor Golf Club, South Jordan, Utah) with a -11.

The Chambers Bay All-Stars (Chambers Bay Golf Course, University, Washington) finished fifth with a -5, followed by the Bend Bombers 2 (+1), the Glenmoor Masters (+7) and Canyon Springs All-Stars (Canyon Springs Golf Course, Twin Falls, Idaho) with a +9.

Teams not making the semifinals participated in a 9-hole, two-person scramble Shootout. Marissa Johnson (13, Uintah, Utah) and Jack Bowen (13, Herriman, Utah) of the Glenmoor Masters All-Stars captured the 13u title shooting a 33.

The Thanksgiving Point All-Stars defeated the Meadow Springs All-Stars, 5.5 – 3.5 in match play to advance to the 17u National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship.

They advanced to the championship match after a 6.5 – 2.5 win over the Glenmoor Goats (Glenmoor Golf Club, South Jordan, Utah) coached by Darci Dehlin-Olsen, PGA, in the semifinals. In other semifinal action, Meadow Springs defeated the Chambers Bay All-Stars on a third tiebreaker to advance to the championship. After the match was tied at 4.5 at the end of play, the teams were still tied after the first tiebreaker, holes won (6-6) and the second tiebreaker, Day 1’s team aggregate stroke play score (-20). Officials had to go to the third tiebreaker, three pair scores for 18 holes, to determine the winner of the match. The Meadow Springs All-Stars represent Meadow Springs Country Club in Richland, Wash., and are coached by Jason Aichele, PGA. 

All eight of the 17u All-Star teams shot even or under par in Saturday’s qualifying round led by Thanksgiving Point All-Stars with a -23, three strokes ahead of Meadow Springs and Chamber’s Bay, who both shot a -20. The Glenmoor Goats shot a -17 for the final spot in the semifinals.

The Glenmoor Albatross All-Stars finished fifth with a -8, followed by the Canyon Springs All-Stars (Canyon Springs Golf Course, Twin Falls, Idaho) led by Coach Zach Abels, PGA, with a -7 and the Glenmoor Bombs with a -5. The Glenmoor Linksters finished eighth, shooting an even par.  

Teams not making the semifinals participated in a 9-hole, two-person scramble Shootout. Brecken Ross (15, Herriman, Utah) and Trey Pehrson (16, Riverton, Utah) of The Glenmoor Linksters coached by Darci Dehlin-Olsen, PGA, captured the 17u Shootout title shooting a 29.