Golf Editor

JGAA junior golfer Ashley Shaw accomplishes quite the feat as she became the youngest player to win the John Shippen Cognizant Cup and youngest overall winner in tournament history. The 15-year-old out of Litchfield Park collected three birdies and minimized damaged throughout her round to put together a 1-over-par 73 to win by two strokes, despite being the only amateur in the field. Shaw will play in the LPGA Tour Cognizant Founders Cup this week at Upper Montclair in New Jersey on a sponsor’s exemptions.

On May 4 & 5, the 23rd annual Quintero Cactus Cup was held at Quintero Golf Club, one of the top-ranked public courses in Arizona. The Founder’s team won for the 4th consecutive year, beating the Charter team in an extra-hole playoff.

In the Boys Championship division, the first round belonged to Owen Greenough who put on a clinic and flirted with a 59. The Chandler resident rattled off six birdies and an eagle on the back nine to shoot 28 en route to a first-round 61, his lowest score ever recorded. The win marks his first of the season. Riding the hot hand after last week’s victory at the Betsy King IMG Junior World Qualifier, Charlene Lamb caught fire on the final day. She recorded five birdies in the final round to one-up her score from Saturday to conclude the tournament at 5-under par (69-68).

Whirlwind Golf Club’s Cattail Course hosted the Boys Championship division, with the first qualifier Landon Ashcraft of Scottsdale earning top medalist honors after two red-hot rounds of 67-66. The Girls Championship division squared off at Ahwatukee Country Club and Arizona Golf Resort with two qualifiers and two alternates heading to San Diego. Charlene Lamb of Scottsdale fired 72-74 to squeak past the rest of the leaderboard in first place at 2-over par.

Future Marquette golfer Vincent Cervantes put together two strong performances over the weekend as he wound up the only player in the Boys Championship division to finish in red figures. 2023 Player of the Year Vakasiuola won the Girls Championship division by three strokes at 2-over par (75-71-146). This season, she has notched three top-5s and five top-10s.