The Tucson City Junior Golf Championship, founded and sponsored by the Tucson Conquistadores, returned May 27-28 and once again showcased some of Southern Arizona’s top junior golf talent. The field welcomed 200 junior golfers across five boys and girls age divisions from 8-18 years old representing 40 different Arizona cities, six different states and Mexico. Competitors battled for championship titles while continuing the long-standing rivalry between junior golfers from Tucson and the Phoenix metro area.
In the Boys Championship division at Randolph North, Hagan Lancaster of Anthem opened the championship with a 4-under-par 68 to claim the first-round lead. However, the leaderboard remained neck and neck after round one, with multiple players in the conversation. Among those in contention were Tucson’s very own superstars Chase Cesarek and AJ Ramos, who each had their sights set on defending home turf. Trailing Lancaster by two shots entering the final round, Cesarek quickly made up ground on the front nine and carded four birdies to move into contention. Ramos answered with a birdie and a hole-out eagle on No. 7 to remain firmly in the hunt. From there, the championship turned into a two-player battle. Cesarek maintained control down the stretch, carding a bogeyless back nine, 1-under 35. As a result, he ultimately edged Ramos by one stroke and the rest of the leaderboard to pull off the hometown victory at 6-under par (70-68). Ramos fell just short at 5-under par (70-69) to finish solo second; New Mexico’s Alex Hanna and Hagan Lancaster concluded the event tied for third at 4-under.
In the Girls Championship division at Dell Urich, Lauren Richardson of Gilbert displayed one of the steadiest performances of the week. Best defined as a wire-to-wire victory, she held the lead throughout and never slipped. Although Tucson native Ariela Trejo mounted a late charge, Richardson remained steady and produced the only under-par round in the division. Two birdies and a bogey-free back nine helped Richardson secure the title at 1-under par (70-69). She’s now a part of the winner’s circle. Trejo took second-place honors at 1-over par (71-70) and Natalia Fox of Peoria captured third place at 3-over par (72-71).
Other age division highlights included:
- Boys 15–18: Neil Dave (Gujarat) edged the field with an even par scorecard (71-73).
- Boys 13–14: Jackson Caldwell (Tucson) represents Southern Arizona nicely with a four-shot win at 3-over (72-71).
- Boys 11–12: Maddux Zlotoff (Scottsdale) recorded a five-stroke victory at even par (36-34).
- Boys 8-10: Jack Patel (Phoenix) finished 1-over par claimed the division title at 1-over par.
On the girls’ side:
- Girls 15–18: Tucson local Jayden Nester won on her home course and earned low-round honors after firing a 3-under-par 67 in the final round.
- Girls 13–14: Brianna Gibson (Gilbert) racks up her second-straight title of the season after she prevails in a sudden death playoff against Tucson’s Hadley Kester.
- Girls 11–12: Brooke Servoss (Tucson) defeated Alina Wang in a playoff.
- Girls 8-10: Julee Diaz of Phoenix put forth one of her best performances of the season at 2-under par to attain the victory (35-35).
The Michael J. Harris Core Values award is dedicated to the memory of Michael J. Harris. Harris was a longtime member of the Tucson Conquistadores, civic leader and philanthropist whose dedication to the community and young people embodied the values of fairness, ethics, respect and fellowship. Jayden Nester was named the recipient of the Tucson Conquistadores Michael J. Harris Core Values Award on Thursday. The award was presented following the conclusion of the Tucson City Junior Golf Championship.
The award was established in honor of Harris and is awarded to the player who demonstrates the qualities he lived by according to the Tucson Conquistadores in conjunction with the First Tee organization.
“Harris was a Conquistador for 33 years and he lived his life as he played golf, with honesty, loyalty, good sportsmanship, integrity, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance and courtesy.”
