Chase Cesarek And Kaitlyn Moreland Win Phoenix Metro Junior Championship

Last weekend, on February 24-25, the Phoenix Metro Junior Championship, proudly supported by Van’s Golf Shops, took center stage, welcoming a formidable lineup of Arizona’s finest young golfers. From talented boys to skilled girls, aged 8-18, the competition unfolded across five distinct age divisions, promising an exhilarating display of skill and determination.

In the Boys Championship division, the final round went right down to the wire with five players in the hunt for the top spot on the leaderboard. Brody Leid of Phoenix and Alec Hilgers of Litchfield Park ended day one tied for the lead after carding the only two scores in the 60s at three-under 69. Chase Cesarek of Tucson stole the show in the final round with a five-under 31 on the front nine, featuring a stretch of three-straight birdies, to gain strong momentum down the stretch. Cesarek managed to squeak by the rest of the contenders by a stroke and take home the hardware after a hard-fought finish, concluding with a clean, even-par back nine to secure the victory out at Legend at Arrowhead. The 16-year-old earns his first-ever JGAA victory of his career. Alec Hilgers of Litchfield Park ended up solo second at two-under par (69-73), while Ajay Morris of Avondale, Liam Allan of Scottsdale and Brody Leid of Phoenix all finished tied for third place at one-under par.

In the Girls Championship division played at Sun City Country Club, Kaitlyn Moreland of Scottsdale hung onto a one-stroke lead late with a one-under-par performance (70-73–143) and Julia Herzberg of Gilbert finished runner up after losing her first-round lead (68-76–144). Moreland led the field in scoring average after her steadiness and persistence on the course helped her prevail and come out on top of the leaderboard. Peyton DeCosta out of Glendale placed third in the contest with two scores around par (72-75–157).

Jack Abraham out of Paradise Valley won the Boys 15-18 division over at Legend at Arrowhead. Drake carded a six-over-par performance (77-73-150) to secure a one-stroke victory over Jack Brayman of Scottsdale. AJ Ramos of Tucson won the Boys 13-14 division at Junior National / Tres Rios Golf Course in dramatic fashion. Ramos persevered in a four-man playoff at even under-par (71-70–141). March Osland out of Paradise Valley took top honors in the Boys 11-12 division by a resounding six strokes at one-over par (35-36–71). And Maddux Zlotoff of Scottsdale won the Boys 10 and Under division after finishing the tournament even par (35-35–70).

In the Girls 15-18 division, Isabel Helgemoe out of Scottsdale led the field by three strokes out at Sun City Country Club with a 12-over-par scorecard for the event (79-77–156). Hayden Nguyen, based in Peoria, concluded with a demanding six-stroke advantage in the Girls 13-14 division after a eight-over-par performance (70-80–150) at Junior National / Tres Rios Golf Course. Phoenix local Kimsey Terrell shot five-over-par to dominate the Girls 11-12 division by 11 strokes (36-39-75). Harper Wojtcuk of Waddell got the victory at the same course with a 22-over-par 92 to clinch by two strokes.