Former JGAA standout and Brophy Prep golfer Charlie Palmer recently completed his first year of college golf at Princeton University. In his inaugural year at Princeton, Charlie Palmer made a statement, earning the postseason title of Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Notably, Palmer secured two impressive top-12 finishes during the season.
The 50th edition of the Thunderbird Collegiate teed off at Papago Golf Club last weekend, with Arizona State University junior Preston Summerhays earning his second-straight individual title, while the Sun Devils successfully defended home turf to win the team title.
We’re thrilled to announce that our esteemed JGAA alumna is gearing up for her third consecutive appearance at the prestigious Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Hailing from our junior ranks, she’s made a noteworthy mark on the golfing world since her early days. Menne is currently one of the top ranked collegiate golfers in NCAA Women’s Golf and looks to improve upon her 29th place finish in 2022.
The LPGA Tour returns to the desert for the inaugural Ford Championship presented by KCC. The field will showcase the brightest stars in ladies’ professional golf. In fact, a couple players are representing the JGAA as former Arizona junior golfers Sarah Schmelzel and Lindsey Weaver-Wright will tee it up at Seville Country Club in Gilbert.
JGAA Alum Jack Snyder receives his U.S. Air Force Pilot Wings. Currently, 2nd Lt. Jack Snyder is stationed at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma. Jack also recently completed his first phase of Undergraduate Pilot Training where he earned his pilot wings this past February flying a Texan single engine turboprop Aircraft at Vance Air Force Base, Jack is entering his second phase of pilot training while flying a T-1 Jayhawk twin-engine jet for advanced pilot training, which he hopes to complete this June.
Mason Andersen joins the winner’s circle for the first time on the Korn Ferry Tour. Mason Andersen defeated two-time winner Kris Ventura on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff at the 117th Visa Argentina Open presented by Macro. The former ASU Sun Devil put on a clinic in the final round after firing off a seven-under-par 63. Through the Visa Argentina Open’s partnership with The R&A, Andersen’s victory also earned him an exemption for the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.
Ashley Menne, an alumna of JGAA and standout of the Sun Devil Women’s Golf team, has been invited back to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. This marks her third straight appearance in the prestigious event as a senior at Arizona State University. In her debut in 2022, she made it to the final round, securing a 29th place finish.
Coming off his best finish since The Open Championship in 2017, JGAA alum Chan Kim is making his third PGA TOUR start this season at the Farmers Insurance Open. The former Sun Devil had an exceptional outing in the desert at The American Express where he placed T-14.
Former JGAA golfer and current Virginia Tech Hokie Kobe Valociek made it to the winner’s circle for the first time in his collegiate career. The Virginia Tech senior carded an 11-under 205 (70-69-66) to become the first Hokie golfer to win an individual title since 2021.
Class of 2022 JGAA Alum Makenzie Cooper fired off three rounds in the 60s at the Evie Odom Invitational to secure her first collegiate victory. Cooper is a recent transfer from the University of Colorado and is off to a hot start with her new program (University of Chattanooga Mocs). The Litchfield Park native posted a school-record total of 203 (68-68-67), including a career-low three-under par 67. She captured the individual title by two strokes over host Old Dominion’s Puneet Bajwa in second (205).
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