5th Annual Challenge Cup
Pairings/Results
January 4, 2020
The Junior Tour of Northern California won the Cup and took the lead in the overall series. All in thrilling fashion.
The JTNC’s Madelyn Gamble won her Singles match, 1-up, thanks to a par on the closing par-5 18th hole at Poppy Hills, helping the JTNC emerge with a 12 1/2- 11 1/2 victory over the PGA Southern California Junior Tour in what was the fifth edition of the Challenge Cup. It was the first time the Cup matches were decided in the last group of Singles play.
The Challenge Cup is a two-day competition featuring 12 of the best JTNC players (eight boys, four girls) taking on 12 of the best from the PGA Southern California Junior Tour in a Ryder-Cup like format.
“This was the best Challenge Cup yet,” said JTNC Director Aaron Hartesveldt. “What a great finish.”
At the conclusion of Friday’s opening rounds of play–Four-Ball and Foursomes–the two squads were tied 6-6, setting the stage for an exciting Singles matches finish. It lived up to the billing.
Neither team held more than a two-point advantage during play.
The big difference would be the JTNC eventually winning five of the last six Singles matches, including Gamble’s. Other winners were Jackson Koivun (5 and 4), Dylan McDermott (4 and 3), Andrea Gomez (2 and 1) and Kiara Romero (5 and 4). Other members of Team JTNC were Ryan Meyer, Sam Sommerhauser, Ben Soicher, Baron Szeto, Zachery Pollo, Paramdeep Sodhi and Vani Karimanal.
Held each winter, the event has become a favorite of the players due to its format.
“It’s awesome,” Meyer said. “The whole team atmosphere, we don’t get that very often. Plus, you get to play with your friends and some of the best players around. It’s really cool.”
Participants are selected based on their performance during the Tour’s Fall Series.
The Cup has also become a hotbed for college coaches looking for talent. Among the schools in attendance were USC, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Pepperdine and Loyola-Marymount.
Both teams entered this year’s Cup matches tied at two wins apiece.
Photo Gallery
January 3, 2020
Neither team broke away after day one of the fifth annual Challenge Cup at Poppy Hills Golf Course.
Both the JTNC and PGA Southern California Junior Tour finished Friday’s opening rounds of Four-Ball and Foursomes tied at six points apiece.
The Challenge Cup is a two-day competition featuring 12 of the best JTNC players (eight boys, four girls) taking on 12 of the best from the PGA Southern California Junior Tour in a Ryder-Cup like format.
Ironically, the two squads entered this year’s match tied at two wins. Everything will come down to Saturday’s 12 Singles matches.
On what was a spectacular day at Poppy Hills, the PGA Southern California Junior Tour jumped out to a 4-2 lead in morning Four-Ball action.
Helping build the lead were a pair of wins by the tandems of Kylee Choi and Jasmine Koo (3 and 2) and the tandems of Timothy Jung and Greyson Leach (3 and 2) and Patrick Hong and Hogan Park (3 and 2).
The JTNC kept things close by getting a point apiece via wins by the teams of Baron Szeto and Jackson Koivun (1-up) and Paramdeep Sodhi and Dylan McDermott (2 and 1).
The JTNC managed to flip the script and tie things up by winning the afternoon Foursomes matches, 4-2.
Getting victories for the JTNC were the tandems of Vani Karimanal and Kiara Romero (2-up), Baron Szeto and Jackson Koivun (2-up) and Zachery Pollo and Sam Sommerhauser (3 and 2).
Getting halves for the JTNC were the tandems of Ryan Meyer and Ben Soicher and Paramdeep Sodhi and Dylan McDermott.
The Socal’ers got a win from the team of Jordyn Parr and Nicole Neal (2 and 1) to keep the total score knotted at six.
The Singles matches will begin at 8 a.m.