Blog
Jun 27

The Road to the 2014 RDGA Junior Championships

Players and parents shake hands following the Pee Wee Classic event at Timber Ridge on July 25.

Now that summer is here and the local golf season is in full swing, Rochester District Golf Association junior members have been hitting the local links – and getting ready for the RDGA Junior Championships this week at Mendon Golf Club!

The 2014 RDGA junior tournament schedule began with two RDGA Junior Classic events at Batavia Country Club and Salmon Creek Country Club, followed by two Pee Wee Classic events at Mill Creek Golf Club and Timber Ridge Golf Club – all leading up to the District Junior, Sub-Junior and Pee Wee Championships at Mendon.

The 2014 RDGA Junior schedule opened on June 26, when Batavia Country Club hosted the Junior Classic No. 1 event. Winning the Boys Junior (ages 15 to 17) title was Grant Brongo of Brook-Lea Country Club, posting a score of 6-over-par 78; and in the Boys Sub-Junior (ages 12-14), Jeremy Summerson of Cobblestone Creek Country Club took top honors with a 5-over-par 77 – one shot ahead of T.J. Buck of Penfield Country Club. In the Girls Junior (15-17) competition, Victoria Ortiz of Salmon Creek Country Club was the medalist with a 101; and in the Girls Sub-Junior (12-14), Lena Kaufman of Locust Hill Country Club was the medalist with a 97. Full scoring from the Junior Classic No. 1 event at Batavia can be found here.

Next up was the Junior Classic No. 2 event at Salmon Creek Country Club on July 9. Winning the Boys Junior (ages 15 to 17) title was Kyle Preston of Caledonia Country Club, posting a score of 7-over-par 79; and in the Boys Sub-Junior (ages 12-14), Craig Eichas of Stafford Country Club also took top honors with a 7-over-par 79. In the Girls Junior (15-17) competition, Emily Doell of Ridgemont Country Club was the medalist with an 86; and in the Girls Sub-Junior (12-14), Sydney Ball of Mendon Golf Club was the medalist with an 89. Full scoring from the Junior Classic No. 2 event at Salmon Creek can be found here.

For boys and girls ages 7 to 11, there were also two Pee Wee Classic events – the first, hosted by the Mill Creek Golf Club Short Course on July 11, and the second, hosted by Timber Ridge Golf Club on July 25. Evan Zito from Victor Hills Golf Club posted the low 9-hole scores at both the Mill Creek and Timber Ridge events – a 37 at each course – to lead the 2014 RDGA Pee Wee Classic. Other top finishers at Mill Creek included: Michaela Eichas from Stafford, tied for first with a 37; Philip Minnehan of Lake Shore Country Club in third with a 39; Jeremy Edmunds from Churchville Golf Course and Graham Gaenzla from the Country Club of Rochester tied for fourth at 44. Other top finishers in the Timber Ridge event included: Alex Diehl from the RDGA eClub in second place with a 38; Lake Shore’s Philip Minnehan in third place with a 44; Churchville’s Jeremy Edmunds in fourth with a 47; and Jason Starkweather from the RDGA Futures Club in fifth with a 53. For full scoring from the RDGA Pee Wee Classic events, click here.

The road to the 2014 RDGA Junior Championships next stopped at Timber Ridge on July 25, where the Sub-Junior (boys and girls ages 12 to 14) and Junior (boys and girls ages 15 to 17) Qualifiers will be held. With the exception of defending RDGA Junior Champion Gunnar Doyle, any Sub-Junior or Junior golfer hoping to play in the District Championships had to first play in the Qualifier at Timber Ridge.

In the Junior Qualifier at Timber Ridge, the top 31 players in the 18-hole stroke play qualifier advanced to the RDGA Junior Championship at Mendon – along with defending champion Doyle – on July 29 to 31. Evan Gaesser of Brook-Lea was the qualifying medalist in the Boys’ Junior Championship qualifier with a score of 72. Tied for second place in the qualifier were Kevin Siegel of Shadow Pines Golf Club and Zachary Ottman of Locust Hill Country Club, both with scores of 76.

In the Sub-Junior Qualifier at Timber Ridge, the top 16 players advanced to the Sub-Junior Championship at Mendon. Tyler McDonnell of Old Hickory Golf Club was the qualifying medalist in the Sub-Junior Championship Qualifier with a score of 79. Jeremy Summerson from Cobblestone Creek Country Club was the second place finisher in the qualifier with an 83, followed by Jacob VanderZwaag from Oak Hilll Country Club in third place with an 84.

For complete scoring from the Junior and Sub-Junior Championship Qualifiers at Timber Ridge, click here.

All roads to the 2014 Junior Championships lead to Mendon Golf Club beginning this week, July 30, when the top-qualifying boys and girls will compete for Junior, Sub-Junior and Pee Wee titles. The 32 Juniors will square off in 5 rounds of single-elimination match play to decide the title, while the 16 Sub Juniors will face each other in 4 rounds of single elimination match play for the title. The Pee Wee competition will feature 18 holes of stroke play, with nine holes each on July 30 and July 31. Scoring updates for the District Junior, Sub-Junior and Pee Wee Championships can be found here.