Even the summer heat doesn’t stop JGAA golfers from having a ball. The 2026 Thunderbird Junior Classic brought together more than 240 junior golfers at Camelback and Arizona Biltmore Golf Club, June 11-12. Alex Hanna’s spectacular low of the week 67 (-5) in the opening round proved enough to distance himself from the pack of contenders nipping at his heels at Camelback Golf Club’s Padre Course. The New Mexico native came out firing in the opening round and never looked back. Hanna shut the door after his outstanding final stretch of play, racking up three birdies on the last five holes to push ahead. A couple scares here and there, but Hanna kept his composure and maintained a two-shot advantage, capturing first place in the Boys Championship division at 5-under par. Grant Curtiss of California and Quinn Kribel of Phoenix each tied for runner up at 3-under par.
The Girls Championship division, contested at the Estates Course at Arizona Biltmore Golf Club, belonged to Gilbert’s very own Olivia Richardson. She officially won her season debut appearance after a lights-out comeback after trailing by five shots at the end of day one. Richardson seized the tournament shift and rattled off birdies left and right. Five total. The comeback peaked on Sunday’s back nine — a bogey-free eight-hole stretch that included two birdies, culminating in a 2-under 69. Her final round was the only sub-70 round in the championship division. Amelia Chen of Nevada concluded the event solo-second at 6-over par, while Bianca Goerke earned third place at 7-over par.
On the Padre Course, Neil Dave of India won the Boys 15-18 division by a comfortable six strokes after shooting even par (70-74-144). Yuer Li of Scottsdale narrowly inched past the competitors on the leaderboard at the Estates Course to wrap up the contest at 10-over par and clinch the Girls 15-18 division by a mere stroke (79-73-152).
The Boys and Girls 13-14 divisions both played 18 holes each day at Arizona Biltmore Golf Club, Estates Course, with Chance Ashcraft of Scottsdale claiming the Boys 13-14 title at 3-over-par 145. Leilani Herzberg continued her commanding win streak featuring strong performances and plenty of title hauls. The whopping nine-shot win at 3-over par (75-70-145) marked her third of the season and further evidence of her championship-caliber form.
Also contested at Arizona Biltmore, Jace Anderson of Mesa put forth a tournament to remember in the Boys 11-12 division. Not only did he record two of his lowest rounds in his JGAA tenure, but he did so through excellent golf on display to help him achieve one of his best showings at 7-under par to secure the win by five shots (31-34-65). Aviana Vilar of Peoria won the Girls 11-12 group by two shots at 4-over par (39-37—76). Both of these 11-12 age groups played the back nine at the Estates Course each day.
Sahir Nainwall of Gilbert prevailed in a sudden-death playoff against Jack Patel to emerge triumphant in the Boys 8-10 division, and Julee Diaz of Phoenix scored 6-over-par 78 (41-37) to win in the Girls 8-10 division.
A huge thank you to Thunderbirds Charities for sponsoring this tournament and their ongoing support toward the future of golf in Arizona. The Thunderbirds’ investment in junior golf continues to create opportunities for the next generation of players, leaders, and lifelong ambassadors of the game. We are incredibly grateful for their partnership and support of Arizona’s junior golf community.
