The Junior Golf Association of Arizona family has plenty of reasons to celebrate this week. Former JGAA member Liam Allan, now a freshman on the Colorado School of Mines men’s golf team, secured the RJGA Palm Valley Classic individual title on April 7. And he did it the hard way, right here in his own backyard.
Allan sank a 15-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole to prevail over Chico State’s Naoki Easterday after a dramatic afternoon of leaderboard movement in Goodyear. He surged into contention with four birdies across a six-hole stretch around the turn, and what followed was the kind of nail-biter that every golfer dreams about; a four-way tie at the top, late bogeys from competitors, and a playoff forced when his opponent birdied 18 to match him at the clubhouse.
Allan didn’t flinch. He stepped up on the third playoff hole and drained the winning putt like a pro.
Rounds of 65 and 67 over the final two days powered his run to the title, and he became the first Mines freshman to win a tournament since Tim Amundson in the 2018 Bob Writz Invitational; a milestone that puts his performance in real perspective.
The JGAA exists to develop the whole golfer: the competitor, the character, the clutch performer. Liam Allan’s week in Goodyear is a reminder of what that development looks like when it reaches the next level. We couldn’t be prouder to call him one of our own.
Congratulations, Liam!
