Junior Golf Tour of Northern California Crowns Winners at Fall Series IV Championship at Haggin Oaks Golf Course in Sacramento
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (September 12, 2022) –The 2022-2023 Junior Tour of Northern California (JTNC) crowned champions Sunday at the Fall Series IV Championship at Haggin Oaks Golf Course in Sacramento.
Christopher Bettencourt shot 7-under par 137 and Cathy Zhang shot 5-under par 139 to win their respective divisions at the Fall Series IV Championship at par-72 Haggin Oaks GC.
Bettencourt picked up his first win of the 2022-23 season thanks in part to a final round 68 that included three clutch birdies on the back-nine on Sunday. A pair of birdies on No.15 and No.17 helped Bettencourt hold off co-runners-up Julian Monas and Hartej Grewal.
Over his 36 holes, Bettencourt posted 11 birdies. Monas and Grewal came in at 138 after final rounds of 68 and 71, respectively. Monas was awarded second place in a card-off. Both Monas and Grewal made late charges to try and catch Bettencourt, as each went birdie-birdie to finish their rounds.
Garrett Harrison and James Watney finished T-4 at 140 after final rounds of 70.
In the Girls’ Championship, Zhang got her first win of the 2022-23 season thanks to a stellar final round 68. Zhang would post five birdies to go against just one bogey to defeat a trio of players by three shots.
Over her 36 holes, Zhang carded eight birdies. She had recently finished third at another JTNC event.
Three players—Erica Villegas, Haley Wong and Amelia Garibaldi—finished T-2 at 142. Villegas had the low final round (69) of the three and was awarded second place. Wong was next lowest of the three with a 71 and earned third place.
Keira Howard was fifth at 143.
In the Boys’ First Flight Championship, Brandon Yeh shot a final round 70 to come in at 145 and defeat runner-up Ethan Cheng by a shot. Cheng had a final round 75.
Third place went to Amaan Khan at 147. Alexander Thu was fourth at 149 and Dylan Hidayat was fifth at 152.
In the Girls’ First Flight Championship, Nailah Jackson shot a final round 72 to come in at 152 and defeat runner-up Alyssa Quilao by 14 shots. Quilao had a final round 80.
Danica Hidayat was third at 177.
The next event on the JTNC calendar is the Fall Series V Championship, to be held Sept. 17-18 at Bay View Golf Club in Milpitas.
Junior Golf Tour of Northern California Crowns Winners at Fall Series III Championship at Baylands Golf Links in Palo Alto
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (September 6, 2022) –The 2022-2023 Junior Tour of Northern California (JTNC) crowned champions Sunday at the Fall Series III Championship at Baylands Golf Links in Palo Alto.
Joshua Galindo shot 3-under par 141 and Lily Peng shot 1-over par 145 and defeated Abigail Lin in a playoff to win their respective divisions at the Fall Series III Championship at par-72 Baylands GL.
Galindo picked up his first win of the new season thanks in part to a stellar second round bogey free 5-under 67 that included five birdies. In Saturday’s opener, Galindo posted a 74.
Adithya Venkataraghavan and Sam Baumuller tied for second at 144 after final rounds of 69 and 72, respectively. Venkataraghavan earned second place in a card-off (lower score on the day).
Ryan Pupach and Chase Kacher tied for fourth at 146 following final rounds of 70 and 74, respectively.
In the Girls’ Championship, Peng made a final round move in regulation with a solid 70 that featured five birdies. Peng was clutch coming in, playing her final seven holes at 3-under par. Lin, who had rounds of 72-73, had a clutch moment herself, making birdie on the 18th to get into the playoff.
Kara Lee and Cathy Zhang finished tied for third at 149 after final rounds of 74. Lee was awarded third place after a card-off.
Emily Luo and Claire Zhang came in tied for fifth at 152 after final rounds of 75 and 78, respectively.
The next event on the JTNC calendar is the Fall Series IV Championship, to be held Sept. 10-11 at Haggin Oaks Golf Course in Sacramento.
September 6, 2022
Champions were crowned Sunday at the JTNC First Flight Championship held at par-72 Shoreline Golf Links in Mountain View.
Justin Hu and shot 1-under 71 and Hailey Li shot 12-over 84 to win the Boys’ and Girls’ titles, respectively.
Hu posted three birdies to go against two bogeys. Dev Malik placed second with a 74.
Daniel Doan was third at 75. Amo Wehle, Logan Song and Jacob Vierneza all finished T-4 at 76.
Li defeated runner-up Danica Hidayat by four strokes.
Parker Parry was third at 95.
Junior Golf Tour of Northern California Crowns Winners at Fall Series II Championship at Chardonnay Golf Club in Napa
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (August 29, 2022) –The 2022-2023 Junior Tour of Northern California (JTNC) crowned champions Sunday at the Fall Series II Championship at Chardonnay Golf Club in Napa.
Will Hoff shot 1-under par 143 and defeated Kailer Stone and Mario Stump in a playoff and Asterisk Talley shot 2-over par 146 to win their respective divisions at the Fall Series II Championship at par-72 Chardonnay GC.
Hoff picked up his first win of the 2022-23 season in dramatic fashion, as he’d knock off Stone and Stump in a sudden-death playoff. During regulation, Hoff carded rounds of 71-72. He’d play his final four holes at 1-under par to finish tied with Stone and Trump.
Stone had a final round 69 with three birdies to get into the playoff. Stump shot a first round 68 that featured a back-nine 31 with an eagle on the par-5 18th.
Kyle Krupp and Ian Vodopich also nearly joined the playoff. The two finished T-4 at 144 after final rounds of 74 and 75, respectively.
In the Girls’ Championship, Talley notched her first win of the 2022-23 season and 13th of her JTNC career. The defending Girls’ Player of the Year had a second round 70 that featured four birdies and just two bogeys.
Abigail Lin came in second at 148 after a final round 70. Third place went to Gianna Singh at 149.
Sophie Lee was fourth at 150 and Millie Wang was fifth at 151.
In the Boys’ First Flight Championship, Jayden Jew shot a final round 75 to come in at 144 and defeat runner-up Sahil Nathoo by five shots. Nathoo had a final round 77.
Third place went to Jack Gladys at 151. Caleb Ma was fourth at 152 and Alexander Thu was fifth at 155.
In the Girls’ First Flight Championship, Hayley Fong shot a final round 76 to come in at 148 and defeat runner-up Sai Kaneshiro by two shots. Kaneshiro had a final round 72.
Cynthia Liu was third at 155. Kayla Corcoran was fourth at 156 and Nailah Jackson was fifth at 158.
Julian Koehler had the shot of the weekend, acing the par-3 3rd.
The next event on the JTNC calendar is the Fall Series III Championship, to be held Sept. 3-4 at Baylands Golf Course in Palo Alto. Also the First Flight Tournament, Sept. 4 at Shoreline Golf Links in Mountain View.
Junior Golf Tour of Northern California Crowns Winners at Fall Series I Championship at Cypress Lakes Golf Club in Vacaville
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (August 22, 2022) –The 2022-2023 Junior Tour of Northern California (JTNC) crowned champions Sunday at the Fall Series Championship at Cypress Lakes GC in Vacaville.
Jaden Dumdumaya shot 5-under par 139 and Erica Villegas shot 2-under par 142 to win their respective divisions at the Fall Series I Championship at par-72 Cypress Lakes GC.
Dumdumaya won the first event of the 2022-2023 season, and made history in the process. With the victory, Dumdumaya tied PGA Tour member Justin Suh’s record for most career JTNC Boys’ wins (11).
In Saturday’s opener, Dumdumaya caught fire, carding eight birdies to go against just one bogey for a 65. A day later, he posted three birdies to go against five bogeys, defeating runner-up Brandon Torres by four shots. Torres had rounds of 73-70.
Third place went to Sean Kwok at 146 after a final round 76. Tim Daugherty and Aditya Das tied for fourth at 147.
In the Girls’ Championship, Villegas also was solid in the opening round, posting a 4-under 68 that included six birdies and just two bogeys. On Sunday, Villegas shot 74 to beat runner-up Asterisk Talley by three shots. Talley, last year’s Girls’ Player of the Year, had rounds of 71-74 to come in at 145.
Cathy Zhang was third at 146. Elizabeth Hang and Darla May DelaTorre finished T-4 at 148.
In the Boys’ First Flight Championship, Drue Henry Sanchez shot a final round 74 to come in at 145 and defeat Hayden Thill by six shots. Thill had a final round 74.
Three players—Inho Park, Jason Lee and Dylan Thomas Castillo—tied for third at 156. Park won the card-off.
In the Girls’ First Flight Championship, Paavni Behl shot a final round 76 to come in at 150 and defeat runner-up Nailah Jackson by 12 shots. Jackson had a final round 87.
Teresa Ho was third at 163, while Cytnhia Liu was fourth at 165. Kate Lippert finished fifth at 195.
The next event on the JTNC calendar is the Fall Series II Championship, to be held Aug. 27-28 at Chardonnay Golf Club in Napa.
Chowchilla resident Asterisk Talley already had an impressive list of accomplishments.
Among them, a title at the U.S. Kids Championship and an appearance at Augusta National for the Drive, Chip and Putt Finals.
Now, Talley also boasts a JTNC Girls’ Player of the Year title.
And she’s still only 13 years old.
Talley, who began playing golf at age 3, won Girls’ Player of the Year honors by racking up 4,318 points over the season. Second place went to Cathy Zhang with 2,133 points.
How good was Talley’s year? She set a record for wins in a season with nine. The previous mark was eight, set by Sabrina Iqbal in 2013-14. Talley’s victories also moved her to No.4 on the all-time JTNC Girls’ win list.
“It’s all pretty cool,” said Talley, whose first name means “Little Star” according to her mom. “It means a lot being so young.”
Along with her victories, Talley was also runner-up five times. She also reached the Round of 16 at the U.S. Girls’ Junior, which featured players as old as 18.
“My game is a lot better from where it was a year ago,” Talley said. “It takes a lot of practice. But I also have a lot of fun.”
When he was a junior, Tiger Woods had a list of goals taped next to a poster of Jack Nicklaus.
We don’t know where 16-year-old Turlock resident Clark Van Gaalen keeps his list of goals, but he has one. And one more thing is now scratched off.
Van Gaalen won 2021-2022 Boys’ Player of the Year honors, finishing the season with 2,748 points. Jaden Dumdumaya, who won POY honors in 2021, placed second with 1,863 points.
“It’s a good accomplishment. It was on my checklist,” said Van Gaalen, a junior at Turlock High. “JTNC Player of the Year is something I’ve wanted.”
Van Gaalen would collect five wins, including a cherry-on-top win at the Tour Championship in July in a playoff. He also had four runner-up finishes. His five victories tied Dumdumaya’s JTNC record for most wins in a season.
“I feel pretty successful. I scored the way I wanted to during the season,” said Van Gaalen, who first started playing at age 9. “For the level of competition we have out here, I think I played well.”
Junior Golf Tour of Northern California Crowns Winners at Summer Series III Championship at Spring Creek Golf Club in Ripon
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (July 18, 2022) –The 2021-2022 Junior Tour of Northern California (JTNC) crowned champions Monday at the Summer Series III Championship at Spring Creek Golf Club in Ripon.
Justin Rodriguez shot 8-over par 150 and Haley Wong shot 13-over par 155 to win their respective divisions at the Summer Series III Championship held Sunday and Monday at par-71 Spring Creek Golf Club.
Rodriguez notched his first win of the 2021-22 season thanks in part to a solid second round 73 that included birdies on the 15th and 17th holes. They’d come in handy. Cru Sullivan, who finished as runner-up, had a chance to force a playoff but ended up making bogey on both the 17th and 18th holes for a final round 77.
Third place went to Julian Galindo at 152 after a final round 73. Connor Peters was fourth at 153, with Aidan Sweeney placing fifth at 158.
In the Girls’ Championship, things were also tight. Wong would card a final round 76 to hold off runner-up Gabriella Illardi by a stroke.
Wong was clutch down the stretch, making pars on her final five holes. Illardi had a chance to tie but bogeyed the 16th for a 78 to finish one behind.
Third place went to Netra Kumar at 160. Erin Lee was fourth at 162 and Meghan Paracuelles was fifth at 164.
In the Boys’ First Flight Championship, Arden Xu shot a final round 74 and defeated Karl Besinga in a playoff to win the title. Besinga had a final round 78. Both players finished regulation at 150.
Third place went to Jayden Jew at 151. Brian Yu was fourth at 152 and Elias Moncrief was fifth at 154.
In the Girls’ First Flight Championship, Cynthia Liu shot a final round 79 to come in at 158, defeating runner-up Melody Chen by 13 shots. Chen had a final round 80.
Third place went to Emily Shi at 174. Suri Lau was fourth at 179 and McKynlee May was fifth at 180.
The next event on the JTNC calendar is the JTNC Tour Championship, set for July 26-27 at Poppy Hills.
Junior Golf Tour of Northern California Crowns Winners at First Flight Tournament at Coyote Creek Golf Course in San Jose
Ryan Pupach and Erin Le Nguyen won titles at last weekend’s JTNC First Flight Tournament at Coyote Creek.
Pupach shot a round of 2-under 70 to win the Boys’ flight by three strokes over co-runners-up Jared Roy and Jack Wang. Pupach had five birdies on his round, including one on the closing 18th.
Roy and Wang each shot 73. Aston Lim and Arden Xu finished T-4 at 74.
Le Nguyen shot 75 to edge runner-up Melody Chen by two strokes. Le Nguyen had five birdies on her round.
Three players–Saisha Vibhute, Paavni Behl and Teresa Ho–finished T-3 at 80. Behl won the ensuing card-off.
The next event on the JTNC calendar is the Summer Series III Championship, set for July 17-18 at Spring Creek GC in Ripon.
Junior Golf Tour of Northern California Crowns Winners at Summer Series II Championship at Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (June 17, 2022) –The 2021-2022 Junior Tour of Northern California (JTNC) crowned champions Thursday at the Summer Series II Championship at Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore.
Matthew Almajano shot 1-under par 143 and defeated Nathan Lee in a sudden-death playoff and Cathy Zhang shot 3-over par 147 and defeated Sarah Yeh in a sudden-death playoff to win their respective divisions at the Summer Series II Championship held Wednesday and Thursday at par-72 Poppy Ridge Golf Course.
With their wins, Almajano and Zhang earned spots into this year’s PGA Junior Championship and PGA Junior Girls’ Championship, respectively.
A runner-up over the weekend, Almajano notched his second win of the 2021-22 season with solid play both days. In Wednesday’s opener, he’d post four birdies to go against three bogeys. On Thursday, Almajano had two birdies on the back-nine to help get him in the playoff.
Lee in the first round had a front-nine 33 that included four birdies through his first five holes. He’d get into the playoff thanks to a clutch birdie on the 18th in regulation.
Chad Flory was third at 144 after a final round 69. Leland Tsai was fourth at 145 and Jayden Lizama was fifth at 146.
In the Girls’ Championship, Zhang earned her third win of the season with solid play. In Wednesday’s opener she’d card a back-nine 34 that included a run of four birdies in a row. A day later, Zhang was steady posting 15 pars to go against three bogeys.
Yeh made a move in the final round with two birdies on her front-nine. She’d post a 73.
Third place went to Lily Peng at 148 after a 76. Selena Tang and Michelle Ho tied for fourth at 152.
Three players—Darla May DeLa Torre, Abigail Lin and Petra Yee—all finished T-4 at 149.
In the Boys’ First Flight Championship, Reagan Baker carded a final round 73 to come in at 150 and defeat runner-up Max Canny by two. Canny had a final round 75.
Luke Swanson was third at 153. Three players—Ryan Pupach, Christopher Chang and Aiden Lew—finished T-4 at 154.
In the Girls’ First Flight Championship, Jayleen Sito had a final round 87 to come in at 162 and defeat runner-up Cynthia Liu by a stroke. Liu had a final round 82.
Hayley Fong was third at 170. Riley Jiang was fourth at 182.
The next event on the JTNC calendar is the First Flight Tournament to be held June 26 at Coyote Creek Golf Course in San Jose.