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 (smcnevin@jgaa.org), 602-944-6168.
