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JGAA Honors Junior Golfers at 2021 Award Event Presented by Troon

By December 2, 2021December 6th, 2021No Comments
Rylan Johnson wins Boys Championship division; Jennifer Seo tops the girls’ side.

The JGAA announced the 2021 Player of the Year Awards and Sportsmanship Awards across five age divisions at the awards banquet presented by Troon at Papago Golf Course, November 30. Thanks to Troon’s support, the special night included an informative and inspiriting guest speaker, mental strength coach Howard Falco, who shared “mindfulness” strategies for breakthrough athletic success. CLICK HERE to view Award Banquet Photos.

“Congratulation to everyone who made the list,” said Scott McNevin, executive director of the JGAA. “The 2021 season was a great year for the JGAA and we applaud not only these award winners, but all the junior golfers who competed this year.”

In the Boys Championship division, Gilbert’s Rylan Johnson posted five wins, including three straight, in 13 tournaments entered to take Player of the Year. Set to play college golf at Oregon State, the 18-year-old went low twice this season, shooting rounds of 9-under-par en route to victory at the Scottsdale City Junior Championship (62) and Mesa City Championship (63) two weeks before. In the five highly competitive PING Junior Masters Series (PJMS) tournaments, Johnson posted three T5 finishes, with his best finishes, T3 and solo-third place, respectively, at the Willie Low Invitational and Fisher-Bryan Invitational. He finished the season in fifth place for Scoring Average, with an aggregate total of 68.96 across 25 rounds.

Jennifer Seo earned Player of the Year honors in the Girls Championship division, racking up four wins in 13 tournaments entered. She pulled off her biggest win at the final PJMS tournament of the season, Willie Low Invitational. Leading up to her win, the 16-year-old also performed well in the four preceding PJMS tournaments, placing T3, T4, T5 and T2 before breaking through. Her lowest round of the season came at home; the Chandler resident shot a 4-under-par 66 en route victory at the Chandler City Junior Championship. Seo’s 72.42 scoring average over 26 rounds places her in 4th place overall for the season.

 

2021 JGAA Award Recipients

 

Player of the Year Awards

 

Boys Championship: Rylan Johnson – Gilbert

Boys Championship: Rylan Johnson

Girls Championship: Jennifer Seo – Chandler

Girls Championship: Jennifer Seo

Boys 15 – 18: Nicholas Lippe – Chandler (Not pictured)

Girls 15 – 18: Lily Huether – Tucson (Not pictured)

Boys 13 – 14: Ajay Morris – Avondale

Boys 13 – 14: Ajay Morris

Girls 13 – 14: Aubrey Hilgers – Litchfield Park

Girls 13 – 14: Aubrey Hilgers

Boys 11 – 12: Zachary Schaefer – Tucson

Boys 11 – 12: Zachary Schaefer

Girls 11 – 12: Hannah Nguyen – Phoenix

Girls 11 – 12: Hannah Nguyen

Boys 10 & Under: Henry Newkirk – Scottsdale

Boys 10 & Under: Henry Newkirk

Girls 10 & Under: Beau Ellington – Paradise Valley

Girls 10 & Under: Beau Ellington

Sportsmanship Awards

 

Boys Championship: Wyatt Chapman – Gilbert

Boys Championship: Wyatt Chapman

Girls Championship: Kendall Hayward – Mesa

Girls Championship: Kendall Hayward

Boys 15 – 18: Oliver Corwon – Oro Valley

Boys 15 – 18: Oliver Corwon

Girls 15 – 18: Grace Rubelsky – Phoenix

Girls 15 – 18: Grace Rubelsky

Boys 13 – 14: Matthew Lee – Paradise Valley

Boys 13 – 14: Matthew Lee

Girls 13 – 14: Mallory McRee – Tucson

Girls 13 – 14: Mallory McRee

Boys 11 – 12: Jack McDonough – Chandler

Boys 11 – 12: Jack McDonough

Girls 11 – 12: Phoebe Brethower – Chandler

Girls 11 – 12: Phoebe Brethower

Boys 10 & Under: Dominic Bustos – Phoenix

Boys 10 & Under: Dominic Bustos

Girls 10 & Under: Hayden Nguyen – Peoria

Girls 10 & Under: Hayden Nguyen

Most Improved Awards

 

Boys

Chase Rogers – Litchfield Park

2020 – 87.67

2021 – 78.57

Chase Rogers

 

Girls

Delaney Stamp – Anthem

2020 – 97

2021 – 83.50

Delaney Stamp

Volunteer of the Year

 

Bill Evans

Bill Evans

Hole-in-One Awards

 

Ben Carr – 2/21/2021

Phoenix Metro Junior Championship

No. 12, Stonecreek Golf Club

192 yards, 5-iron

Brady Sheridan – 2/21/2021

Phoenix Metro Junior Championship

No. 7, Sun City North Golf Course

175 yards, 8-iron

Karissa Flores – 3/20/2021

Desert Mashie Championship

No. 14, Encanto Golf Course

145 yards

Matt Herberger – 4/25/2021

Tucson Conquistadores Spring Classic

No. 12, Silverbell Golf Course

175 yards, 8-iron

Parker Servoss – 6/2/2021

Tucson City Junior Championship

No. 2, Randolph Golf Complex – Dell Urich

170 yards, hybrid

Reid McNulty – 6/9/2021

Antigua Milt Coggins AZ Junior Stroke Play

No. 11, Papago Golf Course

146 yards

Collin Welle – 7/7/2021

Prescott City Junior Championship

No. 8 at Antelope Hills Golf Complex – North Course

165 yards, 8-iron

 

JGAA 2022 membership opens December 8 and tournament registration for January and February events opens December 14. JGAA membership also includes enrolment in Youth on Course, a money-saving program that allows JGAA members to play more than 20 local golf courses (1,700 nationwide) for as little as $5. To register or learn more, visit www.jgaa.org, or contact Scott McNevin ([email protected]), 602-944-6168.