Wire-to-wire for Lynch; Ports post playoff win
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- (left to right) Alex Lynch, Beckett Carlson and Tyler Linam
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- (left to right) Raina Ports and Kendall Hayward
Alex Lynch of Scottsdale fired a first-round, 1-under-par 71 – the low round of the tournament – to open up a three-shot lead at the Bruce Brown Yuma City Junior Championship, held May 15-16 at Desert Hills Golf Course. He cruised to victory in the second round to finish at 1-over-par 145 (71-74) in the Boys Championship division, three shots clear of Beckett Carlson of Tucson (74-74—148, +4). Tyler Linam (77-73) of Sun City and Charlie Allen (75-75) of Scottsdale finished tied for third place at 6-over-par 150.
In the Girls Championship division, three competitors finished regulation play tied for first place at 6-over-par 150 – Raina Ports (78-72) of Oro Valley, Kendall Hayward (77-73) of Mesa and Makenzie Cooper (76-74) of Litchfield Park. Ports came out on top after the playoff.
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. Devyn Chavez of Yuma received the award on the boy’s side and Kendall Hayward of Mesa 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.”
Huey Thowson of Scottsdale won the Boys 15-18 division by six strokes with a 4-over-par performance (77-71—148). Alexander Kaufman of Scottsdale won in the Boys 13-14 division at 6-over-par 150 (71-79). And John Meza of Phoenix won in the Boys 11-12 division at 10-over-par 82 (40-42).
Nikki Bowen of Surprise won in the Girls 15-18 Division at 2-over par (72-74—146). Cynthia Lang of Chandler won in the Girls 13-14 division at 26-over par (84-86—170). And Hannah Nguyen of Phoenix won in the Girls 11-12 division at 23-over par (46-49—95).
