JGAA Celebrates Junior Golfers at 2024 Award Event Presented by TROON

The JGAA announced the 2024 Player of the Year Awards and Sportsmanship Awards across five age divisions at the awards banquet presented by Troon at Papago Golf Course, December 2. Thanks to Troon’s support, the special night included a guest speaker-former Sun Devil standout and JGAA alum Ashley Menne with JGAA Executive Director Scott McNevin as the moderator.

“Congratulations to everyone who earned a spot on the list,” said Scott McNevin, Executive Director of the JGAA. “The 2024 season was truly outstanding with so much local talent to showcase. We honor not only the award winners, but also every junior golfer who competed and made this year one to remember.”

Future Washington State University golfer Dylan Boenning of Phoenix won 2024 Boys Championship division Player of the Year, with four victories, two top 5s and finished inside the top 15 in his eight JGAA tournaments entered. In all, he fired 6 of 16 rounds in the 60s for a top-ranked 69.81 scoring average. His impressive three-straight wins propelled him to the No. 1 spot in the season-long Player of the Year race. Boenning won the Antigua Milt Coggins Junior World Qualifier, a PING Junior Masters Series event and the Chandler City Junior Championship in a span of three months. The Brophy senior started the year with a bang, winning the New Year Classic at Arizona Biltmore Golf Club-Estates Course.

The Phoenician competed in four AJGA events and made a statement on the national stage. Top AJGA performances for Boenning included two top 10s at the Mizuno West Coast Classic and Visit Pullman Junior Championship at Palouse Ridge. The top 10 finish in Pullman likely helped him get noticed by the men’s golf program and ended up coming full circle. Boenning has his sights set on making an impact to the Cougars golf program in 2025 once he arrives on campus.

Alexis Vakasiuola of San Tan Valley goes back-to-back with Player of the Year honors in the Girls Championship division. She picked up right where she left off in 2023 and continued to dominate JGAA events. Vakasiuola won four of 14 tournaments entered and finished inside the top 10 at every event but the Fisher-Bryan Invitational (T12). She separated from the pack with three wins in her last five starts to cap off the season with Player of the Year honors. Her top JGAA victories include the Thunderbird Junior Classic, Bryce Molder Invitational-PING Junior Masters and the USGA Girls Junior Qualifier. The San Tan Valley native played a key role for Team Arizona at the 2024 Girls Junior America’s Cup, helping the squad take home its first-ever team title. Her stats speak for themselves on how consistent she stayed throughout the year: a 73.43 scoring average in 28 rounds and ranked No. 1 in total eagles on the season with three.

Nationally, Vakasiuola made waves on the AJGA Tour with a breakout season. The best outing took place at the Jim Click Automotive/ HSL Properties Championship with a runner up, followed by two top 10s. Vakasiuola’s success led her to compete in the USGA Girls Junior Championship at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, California.

JGAA 2025 membership opens this Thursday, December 5 at 9 a.m. and tournament registration for January and February events will open on Thursday, December 12th at 7:00 p.m. JGAA membership also includes enrollment into Youth on Course, a money-saving program that allows JGAA members to play more than 30 local golf courses (2,137 worldwide) for as little as $5.

To register or learn more, visit www.jgaa.org, or contact Scott McNevin (smcnevin@jgaa.org), 602-944-6168.