July 29, 2020

Kiara Romero, Baron Szeto 2019-2020 Players of the Year

San Jose resident Kiara Romero already has aspirations of someday playing on the LPGA Tour.

Still only 14, she’s still a bit away from that. But her amateur career is off to a promising start.

Romero joined Sabrina Iqbal as one of the youngest winners of the prestigious JTNC Girls’ Player of Year award for the 2019-2020 season.

She’d finish the season with 1,955 points thanks in part to victories at the Fall Series IV and VI Championships and the Summer Series II Championship. Romero also had runner-up finishes at the Holiday Series III Championship and Tour Championship and a third place finish at the Fall Series III Championship.

Selena Tang finished in second place with 1,548 points.

“It means a lot to me to win Player of the Year,” said Romero, a freshman at California Connections Academy. “It means that all of my hard work is paying off.”

According to Romero, one of the secrets to her success was to keep things in perspective.

“During the season I wasn’t really chasing birdies,” she said. “I just go for pars. It ended up saving me a lot of strokes.”

Among those who’ve won JTNC Boys’ Player of the Year honors are six-time PGA Tour winner Bryson DeChambeau and former No.1 world-ranked amateur Justin Suh.

Moraga resident Baron Szeto’s name is now part of the list.

Szeto, a 17-year-old senior at Campolindo High School, captured the 2019-2020 season title with 1,333 points. Along with a win at the Fall Series VIII Championship, he’d also have two runner-up finishes (Holiday Series III and Summer Series I Championships) and a third place finish at the Fall Series II Championship.

Paramdeep Sodhi finished in second place with 1,128 points.

“Winning the award means a lot,” Szeto said. “It means I was consistent throughout the season. I played pretty well in all of the events.”

Needing a strong finish at the season-ending Tour Championship to wrap up the crown, Szeto responded by placing fourth.

“I didn’t try to think too much about where I was in the points standings,” he said. “I just focused on my game.”

May 14, 2020

Junior Tour of Northern California 2020 COVID-19 Tournament Guidelines

The Junior Tour of Northern California is looking forward to the resumption of our season and having a great second half of the year.  We want everyone to have a great time at our tournaments and certainly will do our best to make them as safe as possible.   It is very important for all of us to follow these rules so that we will be able to continue to run events during these trying times.

Please Note – These guidelines are subject to change at any time.  It is extremely important to read through the Player Information sheet and Local Rules for each event.

General Sanitation Guidelines for Participation in JTNC Events

• Absolutely no gathering or loitering at any location on the property before or after a round.
• Players must always maintain at least a six-foot distance minimum from other people (except for household members) while on property.
• Mask/facial coverings should be worn as required by government guidelines when a six-foot distance cannot be met.
• There will not be an awards ceremony. Players are required to leave as soon as possible after completing their round.
• Please do not arrive to the course more than 30 minutes prior to your tee time.
• Players need to arrive at their starting tee on time, however, please do not go to that tee until the group in front has cleared.

Scorecard procedures

An electronic scorecard will be used for JTNC Tournaments, no paper scorecards will be available.  Procedures:

• Starter will have a list of Golf Genius ID numbers for groups. Group ID numbers for scoring will also be sent out with the pairings.
• Golf Genius Live Scoring Tutorial
• At least two players in each group must enter scores using mobile scoring.
• The full leaderboard will be available online for all players to check their hole by hole scores. This can and should be done during the round, but at a minimum upon completion of the round.
• After the marker has completed entering all 18-hole scores, the player has until one hour after the last group has completed their round to make any changes to their scores by contacting the tournament staff. Otherwise, the scorecard will be considered officially returned.
• All ties will be determined by USGA recommended method for matching scorecards.

Flagstick and Hole

• Touching of the flagstick is prohibited. The following Code of Conduct provision is in effect for JTNC events:
  • The flagstick must not be removed or deliberately touched by hand during the round, including with a gloved hand or a towel wrapped around the flagstick. Any player who deliberately ignores this code of conduct policy will be considered guilty of Serious Misconduct (see Rule 1.2b), the penalty for which is disqualification.
• Working in concert with each individual facility, a device will be used to ensure players can retrieve the ball from the hole without touching the flagstick or hole. This may include:
  • A foam insert allowing the ball to fall only part way into the hole,
  • A hole with the liner turned upside down so the ball can fall only part way into the hole; or
  • An approved flagstick attachment that allows a player to lift the ball from the hole with their club.
• When a device that does not allow the ball to fall fully into the hole is used, the device is treated as being attached to the flagstick and thus is part of the flagstick. Per Rule 13.2c and the Definition of Holed, if any part of the ball is below the surface of the putting green and is leaning/resting on that device the ball is treated as holed. A ball that hits the device and does not come to rest with any part of the ball within the hole is not holed.

 Bunker Rakes

• Bunker Rakes will be removed from the course. Players are encouraged to smooth the surface of the bunker with their foot or club before exiting the bunker.
• JTNC will play Preferred Lies in Bunker: When a player’s ball lies in a bunker, the player may take free relief once by placing the original ball or another ball in and playing it from this relief area:
  • Reference Point: Spot of the original ball
  • Size of Relief Area Measured from Reference Point: One club-length from the reference point, but with these limits:
  • Limits on Location of Relief Area:
    • Must not be nearer the hole than the reference point, and
    • Must be in the same bunker.

Starter Interaction and Material Distribution

• No starter box, only a clock. No markers for marking golf balls and tees no longer distributed
• Local Rules, Pace of Play, Hard Card, Hole Locations, and other paperwork will be emailed to players the evening before the event. No paperwork will be available at the starting hole.
• Hand sanitizer will be made available at the starter table.
• Starter directions given while spread 6 feet apart.

Social Distancing Policies for Practice/Warm-Up (When available)

• Practice range set up for safe distancing and request players arrive no earlier than 20 minutes prior to starting time and limit range time to 10 minutes to allow others the opportunity. Any stretching or other warm-up activities should be done beforehand at their car.
• The practice putting green is only available to players 10 minutes prior to their starting time. No holes will be available.
• All facilities will be different individual guidelines per facility will be given in the player information sheet. Some facilities will not have practice of any kind available.

Food and Beverage

• Food issued in accordance with county guidelines which includes consideration for touch points and social distancing guidelines.
• In some cases, food and beverage options may not be available.
• We will continue to try to provide JTNC water. These will be available only at the beginning of the round and will be handed out by our starter.  Note: it is extremely important that players and spectators realize they will have water needs that JTNC cannot meet, they need to be responsible for this.
• We will do our best to make everyone aware of what food and beverage availability will be at each site.

Spectators

• Spectators must maintain at least six-foot distance minimum from people while on property. See individual tournament policies for additional guidelines. We request players to limit spectators to one person, preferably a household member.

Players or spectators that deliberately or repeatedly disregard these rules will be disqualified and or asked to leave property. 

Please Click Here For a Printable PDF of the Guidelines 

June 2, 2020

Given the COVID-19 pandemic, in an abundance of caution, the JTNC previously made the decision to suspend all scheduled competitions and events through June 1, 2020. While the safety and well-being of our players, volunteers and staff is always of the utmost importance to us, we will be resuming the season June 6. with the Summer Series I Championship at The Reserve at Spanos Park. 

The season will resume with new guidelines and tournament procedures. You’ll want to know those procedures, which can be found here. 

We thank you for your patience and support during this unprecedented time and will keep you informed on any further updates. 

March 1, 2020

JTNC’s Emily Hou Wins San Francisco City

Junior Tour of Northern California member Emily Hou is a champion of the annual San Francisco City Championship.

The No.12 seeded Hou, a Junior Tour of Northern California member from San Ramon, got the win via a 3 and 2 victory over No.14 Andrea Gomez. Hou would follow in the footsteps of Dougherty High teammate Danielle Suh, who won the title in 2019.

“Danielle was one of the first people to text me after the match,” a smiling Hou said.

2020 JTNC Challenge Cup Roster Named

Nov. 7, 2019

For Pairings and live results use the following link: Challenge Cup Results

One of the two teams will walk away with a lead in the overall series.

Come Jan.3-4, what will be the fifth annual Challenge Cup will get underway at Poppy Hills GC. 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.

The series is tied at two wins apiece following the SCJT’s 14-10 last January, but it’s about more than just the scores. For the juniors, the Cup is a rare opportunity to not only play match play, but to compete as a team.

It’s the team component—along simply with the talent—that has made the Cup a hotbed for college coaches looking for their next stars.

“The Challenge Cup only just keeps growing in stature,” said JTNC Director Aaron Hartesveldt. “Now in its fifth year, it generates more and more excitement among the players, both from the North and South.”

Who’ll be representing the JTNC: (Stats as of Nov. 7)

Girls: 

Madelyn Gamble: The 2018-2019 Girls’ Player of the Year, Gamble had three wins, at the Fall Series IV, Spring Series II and Summer Series I Championships. The Pleasant Hill resident also had two runner-ups (Summer Series II, Holiday Series II) and was third at the Fall Series VI Championship.

Kiara Romero: Romero is a two-time winner already this season (Fall Series IV and VI Championships). Also has a third place finish at the Fall Series III and T-9 at the Fall Series V.

Andrea Gomez: Gomez won the Fall Series V Championship. She also was T-7 at the Fall Series IV and IX Championships.

Vani Karimanal: Karimanal has five top 5 finishes this season. She has two runner-ups (Fall Series II and III), a third at the Fall Series VI and fifth place finishes at the Fall Series VIII and IX Championships.

Boys: 

Dylan McDermott: The 2018-2019 Boys’ Player of the Year posted wins at the Fall Series II and IV Championships and later added a runner-up place finish at the annual NCGA Junior Championship. For extra measure, McDermott also had three third place finishes—Spring Series VI, Summer Series III and the Tour Championship.

Sam Sommerhauser: The winner of the Boys’ title at the PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Te, Sommerhauser has two wins this season, at the Fall Series IV and IX Championships. Was runner-up in last year’s Player of the Year race.

Paramdeep Sodhi: The current leader in the 2019-2020 Player of the Year standings, Sodhi has a win at the Fall Series VI Championship. He also has two runner-ups at the Fall Series I and VII Championships. Also a T-3 (Fall Series IX) and a fifth (Fall Series IV).

Zachery Pollo: Pollo has a win at the Fall Series II Championship, and a pair of runner-up finishes at the Fall Series I and Fall Series VI Championships. Other highlights include a T-7 finish at the Fall Series IX and a T-9 at the Fall Series IV.

Ben Soicher: Soicher’s season includes a win at the Fall Series V and a T-6 at the Fall Series VI. He also reached the quarterfinals of the 2019 NCGA Amateur Match Play Championship.

Baron Szeto: Szeto’s season features a win at the Fall Series VIII Championship and a third place finish at the Fall Series II. He also has a fifth place finish at the Fall Series I and a T-7 finish at the Fall Series IV.

Jackson Koivun: Koivun has a pair of runner-up finishes at the Fall Series II and III Championships.

Ryan Meyer: Meyer’s season includes a T-3 finish at the Fall Series IV Championship. He also placed T-2 at the NCGA Valley Amateur Championship.

Who’ll Be Representing the PGA Southern California Junior Tour

November 4, 2019

Concord resident and former JTNC Girls’ Player of the Year Yealimi Noh is now living the dream.

Still just 18, Noh, the winner of the 2018 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship at Poppy Hills, earned her 2020 LPGA Tour card by finishing third at the recent LPGA Qualifying Tournament. Noh shot 15-under 557 (69-69-66-77-67-69-71-69) in the grueling, eight-round event.

Having turned pro in 2019, her best finish this season was a second at the Cambria Portland Classic, where she Monday qualified as a non-member.

“I’m just really happy that I’m finally done and will get to play next year,” Noh said.

JTNC Members Qualify for Drive, Chip and Putt Finals

October 11, 2019

A  pair of JTNC members will be at famed Augusta National Golf Club come April 5, 2020 for the Finals of the annual Drive, Chip and Putt Championship.

Both Howard Shu, of Saratoga, and Ethan Lien, of Cupertino, earned spots by winning at the Regional qualifier held at Chambers Bay. Shu won the Boys’ 14-15 Division with 155 points. Lien, meanwhile, won the Boys’ 12-13 division with a score of 156 points.

The two could end up being joined by yet another JTNC member. Riley Yang, of San Jose, was the first alternate in the Girls’ 14-15 division.

September 30, 2019

JTNC member Sam Sommerhauser has joined the likes of Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as a champion at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Sommerhauser, a 17-year-old senior at Whitney High in Rocklin and member of The First Tee of Greater Sacramento, won the Boys’ Pro-Junior title at the PGA Tour Champions PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee on Sunday with pro partner and winner Kirk Triplett after coming in with a 54-hole score of 23-under 192 (63-66-63).

Ashley Menne, a member of The First Tee of Phoenix and Youth on Course, won the Girls’ title with partner Tom Lehman with a score of 18-under 197 (64-68-65).

Fittingly, Sommerhauser finished with a tap-in in birdie on the par-5 18th after a huge drive.

“It was a great experience,” said Sommerhauser, who’s committed to University of Arizona. “I’m just thankful I got to play and played well.”

“What didn’t impress me about Sam?,” replied Triplett when asked about his partner. “He’s a fabulous player with a fabulous swing. He’s also got tremendous poise and has the ability to bounce back.”

Sommerhauser joins a list of other JTNC players who’ve captured the title: Matthew Sutherland (2018), Jack Avrit (2015), Michelle Xie (2013) and Casie Cathrea (2011).

Other JTNC members who made the cut at the PURE were Lauren Garces (T-9), defending Player of the Year Dylan McDermott (T-12) and Jasmin Krishna (T-14).

September 16, 2019

JTNC alum John Scott Senz won the Special Olympics of Northern California (SONC) 2019 Folsom Golf Regional Tournament on Sunday, Sept. 15 at Empire Ranch Golf Course.

Senz, who has now won this event three years in a row, shot a 75. Congrats John!