JGAA Alum returns to the winner’s circle after 11 years.
Way to go, Chez! After 11 years of hard work, you’re back where you belong. For those of you who didn’t have a chance to witness Reavie’s win a couple Sundays ago at the Travelers Championship, the JGAA alum posted his second PGA TOUR victory by a four-stroke margin.
In the final round, Reavie watched his comfortable six-shot lead tighten up to just one stroke thanks to a hard-charging Keegan Bradley, but on the 17th hole Reavie closed the door with a birdie at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. His last win came in 2008 at the RBC Canadian Open – 250 tournaments earlier.
“Had long years there in the middle,” he after the Travelers. “It was great because it gave me good perseverance and good perspective of what life is and what golf is.”
The 37-year-old Arizona resident grew up playing in JGAA tournaments, wining several championships along the way. He also played prep golf for Dobson High. Reavie moved on to play for the Sun Devils from 2001 to 2004 with 14 tournaments entered, eight top-10 finishes and second-team All-American honors before turning professional in 2004.
Check out this video of Chez and other former JGAA players looking back on their time in the Junior Golf Association of Arizona:
Over the past two years, Reavie had opportunities to win at home at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. In 2018, he was out-dueled in a playoff by Gary Woodland, and he finished T4 this year.
“I carried the sign board here growing up when I was in high school and junior high and to have a chance to win the tournament this week was a lot of fun,” Reavie said after the 2018 event.
No doubt Reavie’s proficiency off the tee helped break the drought. In fact, he is currently ranked No. 1 on the PGA TOUR for Driving Accuracy Percentage at 75.44 percent, hitting 727 of 977 fairways so far this season.
Although Reavie’s plan always included playing professional golf, he had the good sense to return to ASU to pick up his degree in 2010. Of all the accomplishments he has achieved on the golf course, his dedication in the classroom truly captures the essence of the JGAA mission to educate, motivate and inspire tomorrow’s leaders through the game of golf.
