April 10, 2017

JTNC Shines at Western Intercollegiate

The Junior Tour of Northern California had quite a weekend at April’s annual Western Intercollegiate at par-70 Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz.

Justin Suh, the only male to win JTNC Player of the Year honors twice (2013, 2015), shot 5-under 205 to not only win the individual title but also help USC win the team crown by a whopping 18 strokes.

Finishing in a tie for second at 209 was Pepperdine’s Joshua McCarthy, who won JTNC Boy’s Player of the Year honors in 2014.

The duo each beat Stanford’s Maverick McNealy, who placed fourth at 210. McNealy, the winner of the 2015 NCGA Amateur Match Play Championship and the No.2 ranked amateur in the world, was at the time aiming for his 12th collegiate win, which would’ve passed Tiger Woods for the most in Cardinal history.

March 27, 2017

At just 14 years old, Lucy Li of Redwood Shores has earned her way into her second LPGA major championship. This past weekend, Li held off some of the world’s top-ranked girls at the ANA Junior Inspiration, an American Junior Golf Association event held in conjunction with the LPGA Tour’s ANA Inspiration.

With a 3-under-par tournament total, the JTNC and Youth on Course member will head into the first LPGA major of the year with some serious momentum and comfort with the Dinah Shores Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club.

“I’m just so excited right now,” Li said. “I can’t wait to play next week. The greens are so pure and the rough is really thick; I have a lot of fun playing out here.”

Even though Li is still a few years out from being able to drive a car, she is already familiar with teeing up alongside the LPGA’s best. The Northern California native first erupted onto the national golf stage when she became the youngest player to ever compete in the Women’s U.S. Open at the age of 12.

Since her time in the spotlight at Pinehurst, Li has been proving to the golf world that her rise to stardom was no fluke. Li won the 2016 Junior PGA Championship and helped the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup team secure its fifth consecutive victory over team Europe with a dominant 6 & 4 win in Singles.

Li will not be the only Northern California Golf Association amateur taking on the pros. Olympic Club’s Hannah O’Sullivan and Stanford star freshman Andrea Lee will also be making their 2017 major debuts.

March 23, 2017

There’s no right age to start giving back. Redwood Shores resident Lucy Li and Concord resident Yealimi Noh are examples of that.

The 14-year-old Li and Noh, 15, recently were the catalysts in the NCGA receiving a $10,000 donation from ANA (All Nippon Airways) as part of this weekend’s ANA Junior Inspiration. The ANA Junior is run in conjunction with the ANA Inspiration, which tees next week at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage and is the LPGA’s first major of the year.

Each of the 40 juniors competing in the ANA Junior could designate a golf related organization to receive a $5,000 grant. Li and Noh, who are both members of the Junior Tour of Northern California, (which is co-jointly operated by the NCGA and Northern California PGA) and compete in NCGA women’s events, chose the NCGA as a benefactor.

“We are grateful for the generous gift from ANA, Lucy and Yealimi, which will go a long way in supporting junior girls’ golf.  Through Youth on Course, the Junior Tour of Northern California and hosting the 2018 USGA Girls’ Junior at Poppy Hills, the NCGA is very proud of our support for the game and the young players who benefit from our programs,” NCGA Executive Director Joe Huston said.  “It’s particularly special to be recognized by two of our outstanding junior members.”

Li, who garnered national attention in 2014 by qualifying for and playing in that year’s U.S Women’s Open at the age of 11, finished T-10 in last year’s NCGA Women’s Player of the Year points standings. Noh is currently in second place in the JTNC Girls’ Player of the Year standings, thanks to three wins including the 2016 NCGA/CIF Girls’ Northern California Championship.

The 54-hole ANA Junior will begin Saturday with the field playing 36 holes at on the Pete Dye Challenge Course. On Sunday, they’ll play 18 holes alongside LPGA legends on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course.

The winner of the American Junior Golf Association sanctioned event will receive a final playing spot in the ANA Inspiration. Li and Noh earned spots in the ANA Junior by finishing in the Top 40 in the Global ANA Priority Mileage Points standings.

March 20, 2017

A giant Junior Tour of Northern California broom showed up at the annual San Francisco City Championship.

Brian Ma and Sabrina Iqbal, both JTNC members, swept the Men’s and Women’s Championship divisions, respectively, following a long and cold Sunday afternoon at par-72 TPC Harding Park.

Men’s Championship

Ma, a 16-year-old sophomore at Archbishop Mitty, became the third youngest champion in the event’s 101-year history, defeating Seb Crookall-Nixon, 1-up, in the 36-hole final.

On the 36^th hole, Ma deftly got up-and-down for par from off the green. Crookall-Nixon, who was on the green in regulation, left his first putt short and couldn’t convert for par.

“I’m very relieved,” said Ma, who used a pack of hand warmers to beat off the cold. “This is the biggest win for me so far.”

Ma, who follows Carlos Briones (2009) and Ray Leach (1968) on the youngest champions’ list, appeared to be in good shape after taking a 2-up lead with a par on the 26^th hole. A Crookall-Nixon birdie on the 27^th and par on the 29^th holes, however, knotted things back up.

“The last nine holes my putting wasn’t on point. I thought he was going to take the advantage, but I didn’t let my emotions take over,” said the No.32 seeded Ma. “I just stuck with it.”

Crookall-Nixon, a 23-year-old recent graduate of University of San Francisco and former junior standout in England, could only lament lost chances while tipping his cap to Ma.

“I gave it my all. That’s all you can do,” said the No.6 seeded Crookall-Nixon, who was a four-year First Team All-Conference pick while with the Dons. “Brian played fantastic golf. He’s going to go a long way.”

Despite his youth, Ma, who joins the likes of George Archer and Ken Venturi as winners of the event, wasn’t just tired from the day. In getting to the title, he’d play six rounds in four days.

“It gets exhausting playing so many rounds in so short of time,” Ma said with a smile. “It’s definitely worth it. Knowing my name is now with all those great players, it gives me hope that I can move on to greater things.”

Women’s Championship

Iqbal, still just a 15-year-old junior at Pioneer High in San Jose, became the first female back-to-back champion since Casie Cathrea, rolling to a 10 and 9 win over Kiran Sangha.

How dominant was the No.1 seeded Iqbal’s run through the brackets? She’d only end up playing the 17^th and 18^th holes during the qualifying round.

“I was looking forward to this. I wanted to go back-to-back,” said Iqbal, who blitzed Sangha by going 5-under—including a stretch of four straight birdies–from holes No.9 through No.18 in the morning portion of the 36-hole finale.

The record three-time defending JTNC Girls’ Player of the Year, Iqbal didn’t want to just repeat. She also wanted some more match play experience. The only other match play events she competes in during the year are USGA championship and California Women’s Amateur Championship events.

Last year, she’d claim her first CWAC title in her debut in that event.

“I love match play but don’t play in it often,” Iqbal said. “Overall, my game is in a good place. But I still need to improve on everything. There’s always room for improvement.”

December 5, 2016

It’s the North vs. the South again.

A year after the South’s inaugural victory, the second annual Challenge Cup is set to tee off at Poppy Hills GC on January 3-4.

What’s the Challenge Cup? It’s 12 members of the CIG-sponsored Junior Tour of Northern California taking on 12 players from the Southern California Junior Tour in a Ryder Cup-like format.

It’s some of the best juniors in the Golden State all at one place. And for the players, it’s a blast.

At last year’s Cup, players raved about the event for a number of reasons including the camaraderie and format. The concept of the event began a few years ago when former NCGA executive director Vaughn Kezirian got the idea of bringing all of California’s best juniors together.

Sabrina Iqbal

“We’ve been looking forward to this for a long time,” said 2015 JTNC Team member Yoonhee Kim. “It’s fun playing with partners. We don’t get to do that very often.”

Representing the JTNC will be the top six boys and top three girls in the points standings as of the Fall Series IX Championship which took place Oct. 22-23 at Bidwell Park GC. Two boys and one girl were also added to the team as chosen by the JTNC committee.

Play on Tuesday the 3^rd will consist of nine holes of Foursomes and nine holes of Four-Ball. Wednesday’s final round will consist of Singles matches.

“We’re excited to have the second Challenge Cup. Last year went really well,” said JTNC director Aaron Hartesveldt. “This is an important event in regards to California junior golf.”

The eight boys who’ll tee it up for the JTNC are:

• Thomas Hutchison—The defending JTNC Boys’ Player of the Year is off to another great start. He’d set a JTNC record by winning the Fall Series II, III and IV titles in succession.
• Ashkaan Hakim—Winner of the recent AmateurGolf.com Christmas Classic, Hakim grabbed the title at the Fall Series VIII Championship.
• Brian Stark—Along with winning the title at the Fall Series V Championship, Stark also won the AJGA Junior All-Star at Morango.
• Justin Gums—Gums had it going in October. He’d win the Fall Series VII Championship and was runner-up at the Fall Series VI Championship.
• Ethan Chung—During the fall, Chung was always in the hunt. He’d rack up six Top 10 finishes, finishing T-4 at both the Fall Series V and IX Championships.
• Ryan Grauman—Grauman has been solid in three JTNC appearances this season. He’d finish T-2 at the Fall Series VII and was third at the Fall Series III Championship.
• Ryan Burnett—Burnett won the 2016 JTNC Tour Championship at Poppy Hills and qualified for the 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur.
• Jeremy Villafuerte—Villafuerte was the only JTNC player to reach the Round of 16 at this year’s NCGA Amateur Match Play Championship. He also finished T-3 at the Fall Series VIII Championship.

The four JTNC girls will be:

• Sabrina Iqbal—The record three-time defending JTNC Girls’ Player of the Year continues to be a dominating force. This season she has three wins and four runner-up finishes.
• Yealimi Noh—Noh has had a spectacular fall, collecting three JTNC wins and a victory at the NCGA/CIF NorCal Girls’ Championship. The victories have moved her to third on the all-time JTNC wins list.
• Bibilani Liu—Liu has had a solid fall, collecting four Top 10 finishes. She’d finish tied for second at the Fall Series III Championship.
• Sienna Lyford—Lyford has been stellar in her three appearances this fall. Along with a win at the Fall Series VII, she’d finish T-2 at the Fall Series IV Championship.

November 28, 2016

The junior All-Stars from Las Positas Golf Course in Livermore have done it again.

Playing as Team California, the All-Stars from Las Positas captured the 2016 PGA Junior League Golf National Championship, defeating Team Georgia 8-4 on Nov. 21 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Arizona.

Team California, which featured a number of regulars on the Junior Tour of Northern California, clinched the title when Alice Liu sank a 3-foot birdie putt on the 12^th hole. Team California had built a 3 point lead through the first three holes of the match.

“When I was setting up to the ball, I just wanted to make it,” Liu said. “When everyone started jumping and cheering, that’s when I realized it was the winning putt.”

It’s the second PGA Junior League National Championship title for Las Positas, who also captured the title in 2012.

“These kids fight,” said Team California Captain Jeff DeBenedetti, PGA Director of Golf at Las Positas. “They grind. They go after it.”

Cheers of “Go Las Po!” rang throughout the course all morning from the families of Team California. “They heard the cheering, and they kept going because they knew it was for them. It was fun to watch,” said DeBenedetti.

Team California’s two girls on the squad of 10 players—Madison Wu, 13, who fought off an illness and returned to compete in the National Championship, and Liu— shined throughout the competition, with both girls making key putts in match after match.

Drew Kim, 13—who sent Team California to the 2016 National Championship after sinking a make-or-break clinching putt during the PGA Junior League Golf Western Regional at Chambers Bay in September—played on the 2012 team at age 9. By the age of 13, he already has two national championships to his name.

“Drew has always been a solid player,” said DeBenedetti. “Drew’s golf age is about four-to-five years older than his actual age. He’s a competitor. It’s great for him to work for four years, and get back.”

Teams in the league were comprised of 80 top junior players from across America, each winning their Regional competition to advance to the PGA Junior League Golf National Championship presented by National Car Rental. A record 36,000 boys and girls participated in PGA Junior League Golf in 2016.

Here’s your 2016 National Champion Team California Roster

• Captain: Jeff DeBenedetti, PGA
• Coach: Becky Chin, LPGA
• Ian Gilligan, 13 – Corte Madera
• Darren Pang, 13 – San Ramon
• Drew Kim, 13 – Pleasanton
• Anay Roge, 14 – San Ramon
• Aidan Tran, 12 – Fresno
• Ethan Jaehn, 12 – Fremont
• Jacob Ponce, 12 – San Ramon
• Austin Tran, 14 – Fresno
• Alice Liu, 12 – Pleasanton
• Madison Wu, 13 – Dublin

July 27, 2016

What’s been an historic and memorable 2015-2016 Junior Tour of Northern California season culminates Monday and Tuesday with the Tour Championship at Poppy Hills Golf Course.

So who’s going to end up earning Boys’ and Girls’ Player of the Year honors? Well, we’re about to find out.

On the Boys’ front, recent NCGA Junior Championship winner Thomas Hutchison of San Jose will head into the championship leading in the points race at 2,293.

Ryan Grauman of Alamo is at 2,103, 2014 Player of the Year Joshua McCarthy is at 1,991 and Ahmed Ali of Palo Alto is at 1,842.

The JTNC Tour Championship is worth 500 points, so both Grauman and Ali will have a chance to pass Hutchison. McCarthy will not, since he recently turned 19 and is not eligible to compete in anymore events.

In the Girls’ division, meanwhile, it’s down to two familiar names.

Two-time defending champion Sabrina Iqbal of San Jose leads with 4,063 points. In second place is Yoonhee Kim of San Ramon at 3,549.

Again, the Girls’ Tour Championship is worth 500 points, so with a win, it’s possible that Kim could pass Iqbal. A lot in the Girls’ race will, however, also be determined by results from this week’s annual California Women’s Amateur Championship, which concludes on Saturday at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Should Iqbal finish better than Kim at the CWAC, she’ll more than likely have locked up a record third straight Player of the Year crown. Should Kim play well at the CWAC, the Tour Championship will decide Player of the Year honors.

Sabrina Iqbal

Not surprisingly, there’ll also be more history on the line at the Tour Championship.

With a win, Grauman, Ali or Hutchison would set a JTNC record for most wins in a season (four). The trio all have three wins this season, which tied the previous mark set by Alexander Lee and Joshua McCarthy during the 2013-2014 season.

Over on the Girls’ side, with another win Iqbal would add to her record total (20) for most NorCal Junior Girls’ “major” victories (JTNC wins, CIF High School State Championship, CWAC Junior, NCGA Junior, NCGA/CIF NorCal Championship). Just recently, Iqbal eclipsed the previous record of 18 career wins, held by former junior standout Casie Cathrea.

Others looking to add to their career win totals will be Kim and Concord’s Yealimi Noh, who are both at nine.

Should Kim win, she’d also finish with seven victories this season, which would be the second-most ever. Iqbal set the record for most wins in a season with eight in 2013-2014. An Iqbal victory, meanwhile, would be her fifth of the season—third most all-time.