Mesa’s Cameron Barzekoff and Michelle Nguyen of Phoenix took top honors at the BMO Invitational, the second Junior Masters Series tournaments of the season, held February 18-19 at Raven Golf Club Phoenix.
left to right: Noah Robinson, Tucker Clark, Cameron Barzekoff
Barzekoff started out with a 1-under-par 71 in the first round before posting a tournament-low, 5-under-par 67 in the second round to seal the win by five strokes over Tucker Clark of Paradise Valley (73-70–143). Noah Robinson, Glendale, finished third, two strokes behind Clark (75-70–145). This is Barzekoff’s second win of the 2017 season and his first Junior Master Series victory.
left to right: Michelle Nguyen, Brooke Veres, Julie Ju
On the girl’s side, Nguyen, class of 2018, wins her first JGAA event of the 2017 season at the BMO Invitational. She outlasted Brooke Veres (77-70–147) of Goodyear with a 2-over-par, 75-71—146 performance. Alexandra Quihuis (77-74–151), Tucson, tied for third place with Julie Ju (74-77–151), West Vancouver, BC, at 7-over par.
“The Junior Masters Series gives our top-ranked junior golfers an opportunity to compete locally without need for travel,” said Scott McNevin, Executive Director of the JGAA. “Michelle and Cameron are two good examples of top-ranked junior golfers from Arizona that benefit from this hotly contested tournament series.”
The Junior Masters Series are an invitation-only events that are tailored towards junior golfers who want to compete against top-ranked peers and earn college scholarships. It consists of seven regular tournaments and one Series Championship at some of the most prestigious courses in Arizona.
“Our goal is to provide a competitive place for aspiring players to play,” said George Getz, Chairman of the Board of the JGAA. “This tournament series will allow kids to earn national-level points and will serve as a launching pad into nationally chartered events.”
Each Junior Masters Series event will be limited to approximately 72 players, and invitations will be extended based on national Junior Golf Scoreboard rankings as well as past performances at JGAA events. All male players will be required to carry a national ranking of 3,500 or better, while all female players will be required to carry a national ranking of 1,500 or better. Openings for junior players from neighboring states will be dependent on availability at each event. Qualified junior players can sign up for the Junior Major Series by visiting www.jgaa.org.
