Oliver De Guia closed with the low round of the tournament, and Hayden Nguyen defended her title in a two-player matchup, headlining the annual Prescott City Junior Championship, held July 8–9 at Antelope Hills Golf Courses in the Arizona high country.
In the Boys Championship division, De Guia trailed four entering the final round but erased the deficit in a hurry. The Tucson golfer caught fire with five birdies and an eagle, closing bogey-free on the back nine for a 6-under final round — the low score of the entire tournament — to win by two strokes at 3-under par. It’s his first victory since June 2024. Alston Sternberg of Scottsdale finished second at 1-under, while Jackson Carr of Prescott, Hudson Cook of Phoenix and Beck Sage of Scottsdale tied for third at even par.
The Girls Championship division came down to just two players, Hayden Nguyen of Peoria and Peyton DeCosta of Glendale — but a small field didn’t mean a quiet finish. DeCosta trailed by five shots heading into the final round and clawed her way back into contention, cutting into Nguyen’s lead shot for shot. Nguyen held on to claim the win at 11-over par, successfully defending her title as back-to-back champion. A year ago, she topped runner-up Victoria Cosenza in a playoff to complete a similarly scrappy, comeback title defense.
In the Boys 15-18 division, Tyler Blanchard of Prescott went low to win by three strokes at 3-under 140 (69-71). Jeremy Keck of Flagstaff earned top medalist honors in the Boys 13-14 division at 8-over (75-76). Grant Jertson of Phoenix carded a red-figures round to win the Boys 11-12 division at 1-under 71 (37-34), and his brother, Davis Jertson, followed suit, taking the Boys 8-10 division by four shots at 5-over 77 (39-38).
On the girls’ side, Sienna Mayo of Phoenix got it done with a 9-over total to win the Girls 15-18 division by four strokes. Jessica Hoerr of Phoenix took home the Girls 13-14 title in dominant fashion, winning by 13 strokes at 5-over 148 (75-73). Harper Wojtcuk of Waddell outdueled Ellie Thomson to claim the Girls 11-12 division by 13 shots at 6-over 78 (40-38, nine holes both days). Eveleah Carni of Phoenix ran away with the Girls 8-10 title at 16-over, beating the field by 10 strokes.
Thanks to Antelope Hills Golf Courses for being such a gracious host and steadfast supporter of junior golf in Arizona. Congrats to all the winners.
