Category: Juniors

Mara King, Junzhe Wang finish atop crowded leaderboard at Golfweek International Junior

Mara King and Junzhe Wang leaned on their putters to win at Celebration Golf Club.

A year ago at the Golfweek International Junior Invitational, Mara King took the first-round lead and, despite being outplayed in the second round, still finished in the top 5. Those memories were still fresh enough in King’s mind that when she made the return trip to Celebration Golf Club in Celebration, Florida, this week, she was able to use them for motivation.

“I think I’ve put myself in the position to be in contention enough that this year I kind of was calm enough to know I was capable of doing it,” said King, who lives in nearby Lake Mary, Florida. “Last year I placed well, and I’ve played a lot of tournaments here and I’m comfortable here so, played well.”

For the second year in a row, King opened the tournament with even-par 72. But on Sunday, she came back with a 2-under 70. That was good for a two-shot victory over Sahana Chokshi of Jacksonville, Florida.

Scores: Golfweek International Junior

Even better, King birdied her final two holes Sunday to create that margin of victory. It’s a testament to the focus she displayed in a close competition. Despite knowing scores were tight, King tried to focus on herself and ignore the leaderboard.

“I just know the best I can do is all I can do,” she reasoned.

King’s card was a bit colorful in the first round, and it included two bogeys and a double-bogey on the back nine. Still, King did more than enough to make up for it – she had nine birdies on the weekend.

King credits her putting, but also noted she scrambled well.

“If I missed a green or hit a bad tee shot I could recover well and I think that saved me from a lot of bogeys happening,” she said.

King, a senior at Lake Mary High School, has been committed to Penn State since last October. She’s in the thick of her high school golf season and hasn’t competed in a national event since August, when she played the AJGA Junior at Toftrees and placed third.

She has a Florida Junior Tour event coming up next month and hopes she’ll earn a spot in the Sally, a prestigious women’s amateur event, in January.

Junzhe Wang after winning the boys' title.
Junzhe Wang after winning the boys’ title.

In the boys division, Junzhe Wang prevailed in a similarly close competition. Wang, who attends the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, finished 36 holes at 3 under, which was one shot better than both Haikal Putera and Nathan Le-Nguyen.

Wang fired rounds of 70-71. He began his weekend with back-to-back birdies on Saturday and he ended the first round with a birdie, too. The second round began a little slower – with Wang making three bogeys in his first four holes, but he played the rest of the round in 4 under to win the tournament.

“Just kind of like play it one shot at a time, try my best,” Wang said. “If I won or would not, it doesn’t really matter to me. Just try my best is all that matters.”

After his victory, Wang noted that he had made some clutch putts and that his iron play helped him considerably.

In September, Wang won a Florida Junior Tour event at Duran Golf Club in Viera, Florida. Wang, who will graduate high school in 2027, hopes to play college golf in the U.S. but hasn’t made any commitments.

Watch: PGA Jr. League participant makes a slam-dunk ace and his reaction is perfect

Let’s just call it the shot of the day and you can check it out for yourself.

Emery Johnson’s uniform number is four for Team Utah in the PGA Jr. League National Championship but he’s No. 1 in our hearts after recording an ace on Friday with a 6-iron from 132 yards in the 2024 13u National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship at PGA Frisco’s Fields Ranch West in Frisco, Texas.

Twelve All-Star teams of 96 junior golfers ages 10-13 have trekked to the home of the PGA of America to compete for the Championship title, broadcast live on ESPN platforms.

Johnson’s tee shot at the par-3, fifth flew straight into the hole for the slam-dunk ace and his reaction was priceless. Or shall we say disbelief. The 12-year-old put his right hand on his head as if to say, “Did it do what I think it did? No way…Oh, man, I think it did.”

Jraice Finau, the son of PGA Tour star Tony Finau, was standing behind his teammate on the tee and started the celebration, which soon included Tony too. (We previously told you about Finau’s role as an assistant coach of the Utah team here.)

“I’ve never had a hole in one before,” Johnson told ESPN. “The wind was into us so I clubbed up a little and hit a little draw in there. I knew I hit it good, but I heard it hit the pin and I couldn’t see it. I saw my other teammates on the next hole and they ran toward me. Jraice [Finau] picked me up and everyone was giving me high fives.”

“I was really surprised,” said Jraice Finau, 12. “I thought it hit the cameraman behind. It ended up being perfect. It was instinct to pick him up like that.”

Johnson’s teammates came rushing over from the next tee to congratulate their teammate.

“To have your first hole in one on ESPN? Come on, now. That’s what dreams are made of,” Tony Finau said. “He deserves all the hype he gets for that.”

Let’s just call it the shot of the day, and you can check it out for yourself here:

Nicklaus Miller, Johnny’s grandson, qualifies for Drive, Chip & Putt at Augusta National

“My wife texted me ‘YES,’ with about five exclamation points.”

Nicklaus Miller has a name with 20 major championships between them.

The grandson of World Golf Hall of Famer and two-time major champion Johnny Miller also has a first name for World Golf Hall of Famer and 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus.

“We named him Nicklaus, not Nicholas, but Jack Nicklaus, and Miller, so he’s got, I’m always behind Jack so I’m 2nd place but the bottom line is, he’s got the right stuff,” said Johnny to the local ABC affiliate in Utah two years ago.

The 12-year-old from Provo, Utah, is proving to be a chip off the old block and living up to his lofty pedigree — he’s already a scratch golfer. He’ll have a chance to do something his grandfather never could quite do: win at Augusta National. Nicklaus recently qualified for the National Finals of the Drive, Chip & Putt the Sunday before the Masters gets underway in April after winning the Boys 12-13 Division in the Pacific Northwest at Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington.

Nicklaus’s father, Todd, the director of golf at Brigham Young University, said his son has been trying to qualify since he was seven or eight years old and had made it to the finals at Chambers Bay, where the winner advances to the National Final, before but this will be his first appearance at Augusta National.

An Augusta National spokesperson said that in 2023, Tony Finau’s cousin, Nelson Manutai, became the first relative of a Masters competitor to compete in the DCP and this April, Flynn Lewis, the grandson of 1987 low amateur Bob Lewis followed suit. Johnny Miller finished second four times at the Masters, including in 1975 to Jack Nicklaus, who won the Green Jacket a record six times. But that didn’t prevent Johnny from counting the Golden Bear as one of his closest friends.

Todd’s wife, Shannon, accompanied Nicklaus to the competition and was texting him videos while he hosted a recruit at BYU. Nicklaus didn’t get off to a promising start in the driving portion, which is usually his strong suit.

“He kind of hit a heel push, and it went out by like a yard,” recalled Todd of the first of three attempts to stay within the grid. “And so you could see in the video he kind of just dropped his head.”

But Nicklaus rallied to finish in the top three, chipped well enough, putted even better and when the scores were added up, he did just enough to eke out the victory.

“My wife texted me ‘YES,’ with about five exclamation points,” Todd said.

Nicklaus calls his grandpa after every competitive round for a debrief. “I’ll call him up and tell him how my game is going, and he’ll give me some suggestions over the phone,” he said, according to a story posted on the Drive, Chip & Putt website.

Imagine the call after advancing to Augusta was a pretty special one.

And Todd says a little bit of Johnny has rubbed off on his son.

“The cool thing about Nick is he’s got a lot of the characteristics of my dad. He he has a ton of confidence in what he’s doing, and got a great personality and quick wit. You know, sometimes he jabs the older guys at our home course at Riverside a little too much, and I have to tell him to back off a little bit. And that’s definitely a trait he gets more from my dad than he does me or my wife. And so it’s just kind of fun to see that. It’s fun to see him have a little bit of Johnny in him.”

Johnny Miller gives a swing tip to grandson Nicklaus Miller. (Courtesy Bill Servis)

Expect the whole Miller clan to make the pilgrimage to Augusta National, a place that always meant so much to Johnny during his career but sadly proved to be unrequited love.

“My wife hasn’t been to the Masters, and neither has Nick,” Todd said. “Even before he qualified [for the DCP], I kind of wanted to take my family out. My dad’s getting a little older, and so wanted to try to take my family out with my dad, if he can make it. And it was just great to have Nick qualified so we can, so we can all go out there and watch him.

“My dad doesn’t like to travel that much anymore since he retired,” Todd added, noting it’s been at least a decade since Johnny last attended the Masters. “I think he really wants to come out.”

Golfweek New England Junior Open: Lillian Guleserian, Hongtao Gu rise to the top at Ledgemont Country Club

To win, Lillian Guleserian and Hongtao Gu had to survive one brutal, marathon day in the heat.

To win at Ledgemont Country Club, Lillian Guleserian had to survive one brutal, marathon day in the heat. Luckily for Guleserian, a native of Westwood, Massachusetts, her group kept a quick pace on a 36-hole opening day at the Golfweek New England Junior Open.

“It was tough,” she said. “We played fast so it wasn’t as bad as I thought.”

Coming up the 18th hole in the second round, Guleserian felt the fatigue hit. Still, she had done the work for opening rounds of 74-73. She started Wednesday’s third and final round at Ledgemont, a picturesque private course in Seekonk, Massachusetts, at 3 over, but steadily chipped away.

Her final-round 3-under 69 was the best score of any competitor in the women’s division and left her at even par and with a seven-shot victory.

Scores: Golfweek New England Junior Open

Mekhala Costello of Canton, Massachusetts, was runner-up at 7 over with Adriana Eaton of Greenville, Rhode Island, right behind her at 8 over.

“Yesterday, honestly my driver wasn’t feeling great but I was able to get on in regulation and make some putts and then I came out today, I knew what I needed to work on,” Guleserian said of her game. “Needed to work on some chips and obviously putting and I just started to see more of them fall, definitely on the front nine was pretty good today.”

Guleserian also played this event two years ago and felt a marked improvement in her game – particularly around the greens – between the two starts.

Normally, when Guleserian plays a 54-hole event, it spans three days. But the Golfweek New England Junior Open will be good preparation for what is to come at Penn State. Guleserian, who is entering her senior year in high school, has committed to the Big Ten school and will sign in the fall Originally, she hoped to play college golf in the south, but once she saw the Penn State facilities and met the coaches, she was sold.

The Golfweek New England Junior Open is included in the United States Challenge Cup lineup. Guleserian has already won a tournament on that circuit and come in second in another this summer.

“I have been playing a lot this summer, so my game felt pretty good,” she said. “I knew I could put in a few good rounds here.”

Hongtao Gu won the New England Junior Open for the second consecutive year. (Golfweek photo)
Hongtao Gu won the New England Junior Open for the second consecutive year. (Golfweek photo)

Hongtao Gu knows that feeling well. The 16-year-old from Zhuhai, China, defended his title on Wednesday after putting together rounds of 69-71-71 at Ledgemont. His 2-under total was for shots better than his winning score from 2023 and left him feeling confident with his game.

“I’m familiar with this course and everything is good,” he said of Ledgemont. “I love this course and I wanted to come again.”

Gu finished seven shots ahead of Savar Bhasin of Millbury, Massachusetts, and John Scully of Winchester, Massachusetts, who tied for second at 5 over.

New England is a long way from Gu’s hometown, near Hong Kong, and after flying to California for a pair of tournaments, Gu will be on his way back home. He has begun the process of reaching out to college coaches in the U.S., hoping to play college golf here.

The layout of Ledgemont is certainly different from what he is used to back home, but Gu loved the look of things – particularly off the tees.

“I think the courses here are wide open and there are some trees on both sides,” he said. “It’s a different kind of course, new style for me.”

Entering his title defense at the New England Junior Open, Gu felt his irons needed a little work, so he made a few changes and they paid off in a big way.

“My driver and my putting was also great,” he said in assessing his game.

Yana Wilson, 17, winner of last year’s Mizuho junior title, will head to LPGA Q-School this summer

Yana Wilson returns to Liberty National this week looking for her own repeat.

Rose Zhang won’t be the only defending champion on hand at this week’s Mizuho Americas Open. Yana Wilson, winner of the inaugural junior edition of the Mizuho Americas Open, run by the AJGA, returns to Liberty National looking for her own repeat.

One of the most unique aspects of the Mizuho, hosted by Michelle Wie West, is the interaction junior players enjoy with LPGA pros. They share the same dining room, locker room, range and tee times as the junior event runs concurrently. Pros and juniors even exchange phone numbers as part of a big sister program.

Wilson, 17, of Henderson, Nevada, has taken the opportunity to ask a number of players about their decisions to play college golf or skip that step and go straight to the pros.

In the end, Wilson finds herself leaning toward what she’s long thought.

“It’ll be very last minute if I do go to college,” said Wilson, who is committed to Oregon, “but my mind is pretty much set on turning pro straight out of high school, and it’s always been like that. College is kind of plan B for me, and I told my coach that when I first committed to college.”

Wilson, who has NIL deals with Lululemon, TaylorMade and Transcend Capital, said her parents support the decision to turn professional, and she doesn’t feel pressured.

“Honestly, for me personally, because I’m not as disciplined as Rose or Michelle that went to college,” she said, “for my type of personality, it’d be probably best for me to spend a year on tour taking those first bumps and bruises, and then going up and improving along the way.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6MZtBmvtg8/?img_index=1

Wilson plans to attend Stage I of LPGA Qualifying School August 22-25 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California. But first, after the Mizuho, she’ll compete in the Amundi Evian Championship and U.S. Women’s Amateur. Wilson also took part in a practice session for the 2024 Curtis Cup earlier this year.

The 2023 AJGA Player of the Year, Wilson won the 2022 U.S. Girls’ Junior over another hotshot junior, Gianna Clemente, 3 and 2. One of Wilson’s most dramatic victories came at the 2022 Hilton Grand Vacations Annika Invitational when she defeated Anna Davis in playoff by holing a 75-yard wedge shot for eagle on the first extra hole.

While this week’s LPGA event in Jersey City, New Jersey, features an elite field of 120 pros, the AJGA invitational boasts 24 of the best junior girls in the world. It was a thrill for Wilson to win the title alongside Zhang, who’s not long removed from the junior scene and a close friend.

It was also a full-circle moment for Wilson, who grew up attending the LPGA Kia Classic in the San Diego area where she would always follow her favorite player: Wie West.

“I was Michelle’s No. 1 biggest fan growing up,” said Wilson, whose father hails from Wie West’s home state of Hawaii. Wilson even has photos with Wie West from a decade ago and recently shared them with her over dinner. Wie West said she remembered her from all those years ago.

“You know, it’s all about paying it forward,” said Wie West during Mizuho media day. “It’s all about the next generation.”

Wilson won her first professional title earlier this year on the Cactus Tour and missed the cut at the Chevron Championship while playing sick.

When asked what her time alongside the pros has taught her, she pointed to course management.

“I think our swings are not that much different,” she said. “I mean, you walk up and down the range and some junior’s swings look really similar to some of the pro’s swings. Nobody’s swing is perfect set, except maybe Nelly Korda’s.

“Honestly, I think it’s all about how you play the course. You know, they don’t really make big mistakes out there, and that’s why they’re so good. They make pars, occasional birdies, and maybe an occasional bogey sometimes, because, you know, everyone’s human. I think that’s probably the biggest thing I took away. I know I can hit my golf shots just as good as the pros can. I know I can work the ball if I need to just as well as they can. So I think it’s really all about where you place the shots, and just minimizing mistakes is, I think, what they do best.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C4WOvbdvmKb/?img_index=1

Earlier this spring at the Epson Tour season opener, Wilson found herself in contention even after tragedy struck. Her caddie Rick Evans, a Liberty National looper who was on her bag for the win at Mizuho, collapsed during a practice round in Winter Haven, Florida, and later died.

Wilson wrote in a touching Instagram post that she would do her best to make him proud. She stayed in the tournament, recording three eagles in Saturday’s round to sit only two strokes back of the leaders but fell ill on Sunday and was forced to withdraw.

The caddie known as “Goose” will no doubt be in her mind all week at Liberty National as she aims to win one more junior crown.

Junior Yana Wilson’s caddie dies on eve of Epson Tour opener

Wilson wrote in a touching Instagram post for the man many called “Goose.”

Yana Wilson will never forget the 2024 Epson Tour season opener. It started out as a reunion of sorts as Wilson met up again with Rick Evans, the longtime Liberty National caddie who was on her bag for the win at the AJGA Mizuho Americas Open last summer. Wilson, 17, won the junior event right alongside Rose Zhang.

Evans collapsed on Tuesday during a practice round at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic in Winter Haven, Florida. On Thursday evening, the night before the start of the 54-hole event, Wilson’s family learned that the caddie known as “Goose” had died.

Wilson, who was playing in the event as an amateur, wrote in a touching Instagram post that she would do her best to make him proud. She stayed in the tournament, recording three eagles in Saturday’s round to sit only two strokes back of the leaders.

But Wilson fell ill on Sunday, and as she tried to warm up for the final round, she was too dizzy to compete and withdrew from the tournament.

“I have never met a caddie better than you,” Wilson wrote. “Your ability to guide and encourage was unmatched.”

Last year’s AJGA Player of the Year, Wilson won her first professional title last month on the Cactus Tour, playing alongside 2020 AIG Women’s British Open champion Sophia Popov, who is coming back from maternity leave.

Wilson had set a goal of winning a professional title before she graduated from high school. Such lofty goals are often placed on her annual vision boards. The first year she won the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta National, for example, Wilson had the Masters leaderboard on her board.

Two years ago when she won the U.S. Girls’ Junior, she’d posted a picture of Minjee Lee hoisting the Girls’ Junior trophy.

Like many junior players, Wilson tries to emulate 2023 Augusta National Womens Amateur champ Zhang as much as she can. For example, her mindset coming into this week’s Epson Tour event was quite different compared to her first sponsor exemption on the developmental tour.

“I thought I’d kind of have it in the bag back then,” said Wilson, “which obviously isn’t the best mindset to walk into a tournament with.

“This time I have no expectation. … That’s also kind of what Rose talks about all the time – having no expectations.”

Yana Wilson and Rose Zhang imitate a “selfie” with their trophies after the final round of the 2023 Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo: Elsa/Getty Images)

Last summer, Wilson played in her first LPGA major at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach. She recently received an invitation to compete in the Amundi Evian Championship this July.

Her favorite pro, Minjee Lee, won that one as well.

Wilson, who was born and raised in Henderson, Nevada, went out to watch her favorite LPGA players as a youngster at the Kia Classic near San Diego. She was 8 years old the first time Lee caught her eye and gave her a golf ball.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C4WOvbdvmKb/

While winning the Girls’ Junior is the most obvious comparison between the two, there’s one more similarity that’s nothing short of shocking.

Wilson was out watching the LPGA at Aviara in 2016. She’d stepped back from Lee to watch Lydia Ko when she heard a tremendous roar coming from the 16th. Lee had holed out for an ace on the drivable par 4.

Two years later, Wilson did the same from 290 yards on the downhill dogleg as they chased a setting sun.

“It was such a crazy coincidence,” she said of her first ace.

Wilson, who was taught by her father, Jim, would like nothing more than to add something to her resume this spring that Lee doesn’t boast: a stroke-play victory at Augusta National.

One special caddie will be with her all the way.

Ann Sophie Bourgault continues winning fall with Golfweek International Junior title

Ann Sophie Bourgault is on a bit of a winning streak recently with the Golfweek International Junior Invitational being her latest victory.

Ann Sophie Bourgault has been on a bit of a winning streak recently. Two weeks ago, she topped the field in a South Florida PGA Junior event, firing a final-round 4-under 68 to wrap up the victory – which included playing her back nine in 5 under.

On Sunday, Bourgault did herself one better, using a final-round 67 at Celebration Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, to win the Golfweek International Junior Invitational by four shots.

“It’s definitely an important tournament,” Bourgault said when asked how her Golfweek victory stacks up with the others she’s amassed in a short but decorated career. “I think it’s the first invitational I’ve won so I’m definitely proud that I was able to win with such a great field and great people playing in this tournament. I think it’s definitely up there on the list for sure.”

After opening with 73, Bourgault managed the wind much better on Day 2.

“It was kind of a scrambling day,” she said of the first round, “saving par a lot of the times and just not how I would want to play. Today I just kind of woke up and just stuck with my gameplan, just focused each shot at a time and trust myself.

“Today I was able to hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens, and I converted some birdies so just kept the game simple.”

Scores: Golfweek International Junior Invitational

Bourgault’s final round was particularly big at Celebration, and it ties her personal best in competition. Earlier in the fall, Bourgault used a final-round 67 to win the Quebec Amateur Championship. In fact, she won all three divisions – amateur, junior and juvenile – to be named a Triple Crown winner in the event.

For the past four years, Bourgault, who goes by the nickname “AnnSo” and wears those letters in a necklace, and her family have lived in Naples, Florida, for six to eight months of the year. They return home to Quebec, where Bourgault plays out of Royal Ottawa Golf Club, in the summer months.

Bourgault was invited to Team Canada selection camp this year but didn’t make the final roster even though the experience helped move her game forward. The high school sophomore hopes to play college golf in the U.S. and is looking ahead to this summer, when coaches can begin communicating with her. Until then, she’s putting her energy toward keeping a list of where she’d like to play and improving her game to make sure she has that opportunity.

Photos: Golfweek International Junior Invitational, Girls

Consistency has always been a strong point of Bourgault’s game and as a self-described shorter hitter, she has needed her short game to be sharp. She recently started working with putting coach Derek MacDonald back home at Royal Ottawa and can see that paying off.

“Right now I think what I’m trying to improve is gain more distance, gain more strength, keep working out and getting stronger,” she said

Bourgault notes that she has begun working with a personal trainer and that outside of golf, CrossFit is another thing that occupies her time. Clearly, she doesn’t let anything remain a weakness for long.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 tag=1886]

Photos: Golfweek International Junior Invitational, Girls

Check out images from the 2023 Golfweek International Junior Invitational at Celebration Golf Club in Orlando.

The Golfweek International Junior Invitational, which has been played for more than 20 years, wrapped up at Celebration Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday.

Lucas Gimenez ran away with the boys competition, going 12 under to win by nine shots. Ann Sophie Bourgault won the girls division by four shots after finishing 36 holes at 4 under.

Add Gimenez and Bourgault to an impressive list of past champions that also includes LPGA players Annie Park, Stephanie Meadow and Bailey Tardy on the women’s side and Peter Uihlein, Morgan Hoffman and, more recently, U.S. Walker Cup team member Nicholas Gabrelcik on the men’s side.

Golfweek International Junior: Scores

Check out photos from the competition at Celebration:

Photos: Golfweek International Junior Invitational, Boys

Check out images from the boys competition at the Golfweek International Junior Invitational at Celebration Golf Club in Orlando, Florida.

The Golfweek International Junior Invitational, which has been played for more than 20 years, wrapped up at Celebration Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday.

Lucas Gimenez ran away with the boys competition, going 12 under to win by nine shots. Ann Sophie Bourgault won the girls division by four shots after finishing 36 holes at 4 under.

Add Gimenez and Bourgault to an impressive list of past champions that also includes LPGA players Annie Park, Stephanie Meadow and Bailey Tardy on the women’s side and Peter Uihlein, Morgan Hoffman and, more recently, U.S. Walker Cup team member Nicholas Gabrelcik on the men’s side.

Golfweek International Junior: Scores

Check out photos from the boys competition at Celebration:

Watch: 11-year-old Holden Bautista drops the mic on a speechless Tiger Woods during Q&A session

“I, mean, you’re the GOAT, I feel like it would be expected.”

Hats off to 11-year-old Holden Bautista.

It’s not every day a golfer makes two aces in the same round but that’s what Bautista accomplished on Oct. 8, during the second day of competition in the TGR Invitation, a junior tournament that lets kids play The Hay at Pebble Beach, a par-3 course that Tiger Woods redesigned in 2021.

But what Bautista did later that day may be even more remarkable: he dunked on Tiger Woods during a Q&A session with the 15-time major winner.

Bautista asked a simple question: “Have you ever gotten two hole-in-ones in one round?”

Laughter ensued.

“I, mean, you’re the GOAT, I feel like it would be expected,” he added.

Tiger just sat there speechless shaking his head

“But it’s OK,” Bautista continued, “I feel like I’m putting you under a spotlight right now.”

“He just mic dropped it on top of everybody, right?” Tiger said with a smile.

Indeed, he did. Check out the video below because this is a case where words don’t do it justice.