Congratulations To All The 2025 RDGA Player Of The Year Award Winners!
The RDGA is proud to announce our Players of the Year for the 2025 season! Players in each category will be honored as part of our annual Holiday Party on December 17 at Cobblestone Creek Country Club.
This year, there were SEVEN individual Player of the Year races, based on points earned in RDGA Tournaments throughout the 2025 season, as well as selected other tournaments throughout the year. Players of the Year were announced for Men, Women, Men’s Senior (ages 55 and above), Men’s Super Senior (ages 65 and above), Women’s Senior, Boys’ Junior and Girls’ Junior.
The race for the RDGA Player of the Year awards begin each May, with the opening of the RDGA Tournament Schedule, and conclude with the end of the active playing season in October.
2025 RDGA Men’s Player of the Year – Kyle Downey
In the 2025 RDGA Men’s Point Standings race, Kyle Downey of Locust Hill Country Club earned RDGA Men’s Player of the Year honors for the THIRD time in as many years. Downey – who captured the prestigious New York State Men’s Amateur Championship in 2023 and finished in a tie for first in the Monroe Invitational in 2024 – won his second consecutive New York State Men’s Mid amateur title in 2025, as well as runner-up finishes in both the RDGA Men’s Match Play Championship and the RDGA District Championship John H. Ryan Jr. Memorial.
Along the way, Downey picked up 1165 Player of the Year points for the year, which was 165 points ahead of Men’s POTY runner-up Christian Chapman, and 400 points ahead of 2025 RDGA District Champion Aiden Spampinato.
Downey is only the second player – behind 15-time Player of the Year Jim Scorse – to win more than one Player of the Year titles in consecutive years.
The Rochester District Golf Association began its Player of the Year Award in 1997 as an extension of the RDGA Match Play Championship – as a way of determining a seeding order, as well as a qualifying process, for the Championship.
A schedule of point values were determined for a number of competitive championships, whereby players would accumulate point totals for the entire season. Today, the RDGA Player of the Year Points Schedule consists of more than 20 events – from RDGA tournaments to State, local and USGA® Championships – at which RDGA players can earn points towards the Player of the Year Award. To be considered for the Men’s RDGA Player of the Year award, golfers must play a minimum of 5 events on the published Points schedule with an additional requirement that 3 of those events must be RDGA events.
Throughout its first 20 years, the Men’s RDGA Player of the Year was dominated by Stafford Country Club’s Jim Scorse. Scorse – one of the most consistent competitors in RDGA tournament history – earned RDGA Player of the Year honors 15 times between 1997 and 2018 – including eight years in a row between 2007 and 2014.
The race for the RDGA Men’s Player of the Year begins each May, with the opening of the RDGA Tournament Schedule. In addition to Player of the Year, the top-32 point winners for the 2025 season also earn invitations to the 2026 RDGA Men’s Match Play Championship and the top-40 point winners (and ties) earn exemptions into the 2026 RDGA District Championship John H. Ryan Jr. Memorial.
CLICK HERE for the final 2025 RDGA Men’s Points List
Previous Men’s RDGA Player of the Year Winners
- 2024 Kyle Downey
- 2023 Kyle Downey
- 2022 Christian Chapman
- 2021 Yaroslav Merkulov
- 2020 Tom Linehan
- 2019 Chris Blyth
- 2018 Jim Scorse
- 2017 Adam Condello
- 2016 Jim Scorse
- 2015 Adam Condello
- 2014 Jim Scorse
- 2013 Jim Scorse
- 2012 Jim Scorse
- 2011 Jim Scorse
- 2010 Jim Scorse
- 2009 Jim Scorse
- 2008 Jim Scorse
- 2007 Jim Scorse
- 2006 John Kircher
- 2005 Jim Scorse
- 2004 Andrew DiBitetto
- 2003 Jim Scorse
- 2002 Jim Scorse
- 2001 Jim Scorse
- 2000 John Kircher
- 1999 Kevin Haefner
- 1998 Jason Piurkoski
- 1997 Jim Scorse
2025 RDGA Women’s Player of the Year – Julie Hamm
In the 2025 RDGA Women’s Point Standings race, Julie Hamm of Sodus Bay Heights Golf Club outpaced her two nearest competitors – past Women’s Players of the Year Jan LaVigne and Deb Wood – by 75 and 150 points, respectively, to win her first RDGA Women’s Player of the Year Award.
Hamm notched an impressive SIX victories in RDGA Two Person events during the 2025 campaign, along with reaching the semi-final round of the prestigious WRDGA Women’s District Championship and finishing runner-up in the Championship Division of the RDGA Women’s Open.
The Rochester District Golf Association began its Women’s Player of the Year Award in 2015 as a way of honoring the most consistent championship-level women’s player of the season.
Designed to recognize women’s skill in the game of golf, the Player of the Year award is presented each year. This recognition is open to all women in the RDGA and is based on gross scores only. To be considered for the Women’s RDGA Player of the Year award, golfers must play a minimum of 5 events on the published Points schedule with an additional requirement that 3 of those events must be RDGA events.
Hamm becomes the eighth player to earn Women’s Player of the Year honors in the 11-year history of the award.
The race for the RDGA Women’s Player of the Year begins each May, with the opening of the RDGA Tournament Schedule.
CLICK HERE for the final 2025 RDGA Women’s Points List
Previous Women’s RDGA Player of the Year Winners
- 2024 Jan LaVigne
- 2023 Deb Wood
- 2022 Ellen Weeks / Deb Wood
- 2021 Jenna Hoecker
- 2020 Julia Zigrossi
- 2019 Tammy Blyth
- 2018 Jenna Hoecker
- 2017 Deb Wood
- 2016 Jenna Hoecker
- 2015 Jenna Hoecker
2025 RDGA Men’s Senior Player of the Year – Jim Scorse
In the 2025 RDGA Men’s Senior Point Standings, Jim Scorse of Stafford Country Club emerged with his third consecutive RDGA Men’s Senior Player of the Year Award – and fourth overall – in what is always one of the most hotly contested points races of the year.
This year, Scorse battled Wade Sarkis throughout the season – coming out on top by just 230 points with victories in the New York State Men’s Senior Amateur Four Ball Championship, as well as in one of the RDGA’s Two Person events, hosted by his home club, Stafford. Scorse also solidified his position as the year’s top RDGA Senior player with two runner-up finishes – in the New York State Men’s Senior Amateur and the Brook-Lea Amateur Invitational.
The Rochester District Golf Association began its Senior Player of the Year Award in 2018 as a way of honoring the most consistent championship-level men’s senior player of the season.
Designed to recognize and celebrate consistent excellence in the game of golf over the course of a single season, the RDGA Senior Player of the Year is recognized annually. This recognition is open to all male golfers, ages 55 and above, in the RDGA and is based on gross score results only. To be considered for the RDGA Senior Player of the Year award, golfers must play a minimum of 5 events on the published Points schedule with an additional requirement that 3 of those events must be RDGA events.
Since joining the ranks of RDGA Seniors in 2020, Scorse has won the year’s top playing honor in his category four times in six seasons.
In addition to Player of the Year, the top-16 Senior point winners for the 2025 season also earn invitations to the 2026 RDGA Men’s Senior Match Play Championship and the top-10 point winners (and ties) earn exemptions into the 2026 RDGA District Championship John H. Ryan Jr. Memorial.
CLICK HERE for the final 2025 RDGA Men’s Senior Points List
Previous Men's Senior RDGA Player of the Year Winners
- 2024 Jim Scorse
- 2023 Jim Scorse
- 2022 Mark Battle
- 2021 Ron Plummer
- 2020 Jim Scorse
- 2019 Rich Luther
- 2018 Jim Mason
2025 RDGA Women’s Senior Player of the Year – Jan LaVigne
In the 2025 RDGA Women’s Senior Point Standings race, Jan LaVigne of Ravenwood Golf Club earned her second consecutive Women’s Senior Player of the Year honors – following Deb Wood of Hickory Ridge, who accomplished the same feat in 2022 and 2023.
In 2025, LaVigne completed a singular achievement – finishing in first place in every points event she entered in 50-and-over competitions, including the WRDGA Senior Championship, the Championship Division of the RDGA Women’s Open as well as the NYS Women’s Senior Amateur Four Ball Championship, along with six titles in RDGA Two Person events. LaVigne finished 225 points ahead of Sodus’ Julie Hamm to win top Women’s Senior honors for the year.
The Rochester District Golf Association began its Women’s Senior Player of the Year Award in 2020 as a way to honor the year’s top female players – ages 50 and above – based on points earned from local, regional and national women’s senior tournaments throughout the season.
To be considered for the RDGA Women’s Senior Player of the Year award, golfers must play a minimum of 5 events on the published Points schedule with an additional requirement that 3 of those events must be RDGA events.
LaVigne is one of four winners of the Women’s Senior playing honors, following Deb Wood (twice), Kitty Colliflower and Tammy Blyth.
CLICK HERE for the final 2025 RDGA Women’s Senior Points List
Previous Women's Senior RDGA Player of the Year Winners
- 2024 Jan LaVigne
- 2023 Deb Wood
- 2022 Deb Wood
- 2021 Kitty Colliflower
- 2020 Tammy Blyth
2025 RDGA Men’s Super Senior Player of the Year – Jim Burns
In the 2025 RDGA Men’s Super Senior Point Standings race, Jim Burns of Canandaigua Country Club earned his THIRD consecutive Super Senior Player of the Year honors in as many years of the category, finishing 180 points ahead of Stafford’s Rich Luther.
This season, Burns was a winner in the New York State Men’s Super Senior Amateur Four Ball Championship and won two RDGA Two Person Senior Division titles in 2025, as well as finishing runner-up in the RDGA Super Senior Match Play Championship, and the RDGA Richard Wood Kickoff Scramble.
The newest entry among the annual Rochester District Golf Association Player of the Year Awards began in 2023, with the creation of the RDGA Super Senior Player of the Year Award.
Designed to recognize and celebrate consistent excellence in the game of golf over the course of a single season, the RDGA Super Senior Player of the Year will be recognized annually, open to all male golfers, ages 65 and above, based on gross score results only. To be considered for the RDGA Super Senior Player of the Year award, golfers must play a minimum of 5 events on the published Points schedule with an additional requirement that 3 of those events must be RDGA events.
With his third RDGA Men’s Super Senior Player of the Year Award, Burns remains the only player to have earned this title since its inception.
CLICK HERE for the final 2025 RDGA Men’s Super Senior Points List
Previous Men's Super Senior RDGA Player of the Year Winners
- 2024 Jim Burns
- 2023 Jim Burns
2025 RDGA Boys Junior Player of the Year – Sam Eichas
In the 2025 RDGA Boys Point Standings race, Sam Eichas of the RDGA Junior Membership was the most consistent Junior Boys player throughout the 2025 season, winning the Boys Player of the Year title on the strength of a runner-up finish in the RDGA Boys Junior Championship and a 4th place finish in the Boys Section V High School Championship. For those – and his other on-course accomplishments – Eichas earned his first RDGA Boys’ Player of the Year Award.
The Rochester District Golf Association began its Junior Player of the Year Award in 2006 as a way to honor the year’s top junior players – Boys AND Girls ages 12 through 18 – based on points earned from local, regional and national junior tournaments throughout the season.
Now in its 17th season, the RDGA Junior Player of the Year Award has been presented to several outstanding Junior players who have since gone on to become top amateurs at the national level – such as Yarik Merkulov and Will Thompson – as well as professional tour golfers, including Dominic Bozzelli and Gavin Hall.
In 2018, a separate category was created for an annual RDGA Girls’ Player of the Year Award, thus making the previous Junior Player of the Year the annual RDGA Boys’ Junior Player of the Year Award. Any junior girls who had previously won the Junior Player of the Year still appear on the past winners list.
Sam Eichas now joins the list of other accomplished Boys Junior players as RDGA Junior Boys Players of the Year.
Previous Boys’ Junior RDGA Player of the Year Winners
- 2024 Alex Hill
- 2023 Brody Burgess
- 2022 Owen Corby
- 2021 Jack Berl / Matt Carpentier
- 2020 John Mittiga
- 2019 Jeremy Summerson
- 2018 Jeremy Summerson
- Season Junior Player of the Year
- 2017 Danny Gianniny
- 2016 Christian Chapman
- 2015 Gunnar Doyle
- 2014 Will Thomson
- 2013 Jack Gianniny
- 2012 Danielle Fuss
- 2011 Danielle Fuss
- 2010 Gavin Hall
- 2009 RDGA Williamson Cup Team
- 2008 Dominic Bozzelli
- 2007 Yarik Merkulov
- 2006 Andrew Kay
2025 RDGA Girls Junior Player of the Year – Reagan Paolini
In the 2025 RDGA Girls Point Standings race, RDGA Junior Member Reagan Paolini finished first place on the strength of her outstanding performance in the 2025 RDGA Girls Junior Championship at Cobblestone Creek Country Club – where she finished three shots ahead of 2024 RDGA Girls Player of the Year, Harper Dittman.
Paolini – who also claimed a runner-up finish in the Section V Girls High School Championship – becomes the seventh player to win RDGA Girls Player of the Year honors in eight seasons.
The Rochester District Golf Association began its Girls’ Junior Player of the Year Award in 2018 as a way to honor the year’s top female junior players – ages 12 through 18 – based on points earned from local, regional and national junior tournaments throughout the season.
Previous Girls’ Junior RDGA Player of the Year Winners
- 2024 Harper Dittman
- 2023 Emily Ferguson
- 2022 Sophia Cellura
- 2021 Julia Zigrossi
- 2020 Julia Zigrossi
- 2019 Jayden Ford
- 2018 Mikah McDonnell