Miller post two rounds in the 60s; Heinz pulls away with final round 68.
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- (left to right) Eva Heinz, Nikki Bowen, Allie Sullivan
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- (left to right) Kendall McCain, Adam Miller, Alex Lynch
Adam Miller of Phoenix edged out defending champion, Alex Lynch, of Scottsdale to win the Boys Championship division at the Bruce Brown Yuma City Junior Championship, held May 14-15 at Desert Hills Golf Course. Both came out firing with first round 66s: Miller with a bogey-free round, which included an eagle-3; while Lynch posted seven birdies and one bogey. Miller then pulled away in the second round. Fueled in part by a 5-under 31 on the back nine, he shot 3-under 69 to finish at -9 for the tournament, two strokes ahead of Lynch (66-71, -7). Kendall McCain of Flagstaff slid into third place, firing 72-75, 3-over par.
In the Girls Championship division, Eva Heinz of Goodyear took an early 5-stroke lead after a first-round 73. In the final round she widened the gap to 11 strokes, with a 4-under 68 to finish at 3-under par for the tournament. Nikki Bowen of Surprise came in second place at 8-over par (78-74), and Allie Sullivan of Peoria came in third place at +9 (76-77).
The annual event is played in honor of the late Bruce Brown, longtime PGA Southwest member and general manager of Desert Hills. His wife, Laura, and the JGAA established the Bruce Brown Memorial Scholarship in his name to award scholarship funds toward JGAA entry fees to deserving players. Chase Pickering of Tucson received the award on the boy’s side and Elizabeth Felix of Yuma on the girl’s side.
“Once again the Bruce Brown Yuma City Junior Championship turned out great,” said Scott McNevin, executive director of the JGAA. “We’re truly honored to host this event in Bruce Brown’s name. His commitment to the game of golf and community is an inspiration to us all.”
Wyatt Charnoki (75-74) of Tucson, Ross Kocsis (73-76) of Phoenix and Dominic Buck (76-73) of Chandler finished the Boys 15-18 division tied for first place at 5-over par, before Charnoki prevailed in a playoff. Hank Hubbard of Phoenix won in the Boys 13-14 division at 14-over-par 158 (78-80). Cason Dezzani of Scottsdale won the Boys 11-12 division at 10-over-par 82 (40-42), and Rydder Erbach of Scottsdale shot 44-39—83, +11, to win the Boys 10 and Under division.
Mackenzie Bream of Phoenix won in the Girls 15-18 Division at 13-over par (77-80—157). Peyton DeCosta (79-76) of Glendale and Kaitlyn Moreland (78-77) of Scottsdale finished tied for first place in the Girls 13-14 division at 11-over par, before DeCosta won in a playoff. Riley Schwanenberger of Mesa shot 46-52—98, +26, to win in the Girls 11-12 division, and Teria Williams of Avondale shot 46-44—90 to win the Girls 10 and Under division.
