The RecruitLook Junior Golf Tour has officially crossed the halfway point with the completion of the Sun City Summerlin Junior Championship at Palm Valley Golf Club and Highland Falls Golf Club on August 26-27, 2017. We appreciate the hospitality at Palm Valley and Highland Falls over the weekend.
The biggest takeaway from the Sun City Summerlin Junior Championship… anything is possible on the RecruitLook Junior Golf Tour.
Just how wild was RLJGT tournament last weekend?
We had multiple first time winners in various age groups, we had our first ever playoff win, we had a golfer move up an age group and win, and we had the longest winning streak on the tour snapped.
The overall chase to the title, aka: The Points Race, is tight and if last weekend is any indicator of how things will go down the stretch… this should be a fun finish!
Dakota Gillman recently moved up from the Boys 13-14 age group into the Boys 15-18 division, and won his first ever tournament on the RLJGT. Gillman posted scores of 76-71/147. Gillman shot 1-under on day 2, the only under par score in this age division, to fend off Michael Salerno 76-75/151. Salerno took 2nd place in a scorecard playoff over first round leader Leo Torres. Torres posted 75-76/151.
Jackson Parrish extended his winning streak in the Boys 13-14 age division to 3 tournament wins in a row with scores of 69-80/149. Parrish’s impressive 69 and bogey-free round on day 1 was the overall low score of the tournament. Jacob Johnson played steady all weekend to keep things interesting, and put a charge into on day-2 to finish 2-strokes off the lead. Johnson posted 79-72/151. Aarjay Patel finished 3rd and 4-back with 78-75/153.
The Boys 9-10 division was close…so close that we had our first ever playoff to determine the winner. Elijah Marshall 37-42/79 edged out Shenlone Wu 38-41/79 with a par on the first hole to win the playoff. This was Marshall’s first tournament victory on the RLJGT. Wu takes over the overall Points race with his second place finish.
In the Girls 15-18 division, Rebecca Oertel continued her stellar play on the RecruitLook Junior Golf Tour this year with her second victory of the season. Oertel shot 78-82/160 to beat Katelyn Smith 86-78/164 by 4 overall strokes. Oertel sits atop the Points Leaderboard after 7 events, while Smith moves into 3rd place overall.
Bella Gopwani became the first 3-time winner this tour season in the Girls 13-14 age division. Gopwani posted 81-85/166 to beat the overall Points Leader, Carolyn Lemon, by 8 strokes. Lemon posted 88-86/174. Tricia Capps came in 3rd. The Girls 13-14 Points race is in order: Lemon, Gopwani, Capps. This should be fun down the stretch!
Upset of the year happened in the Girls 11-12 age division. Yana Wilson had won 11 RecruitLook Junior Golf Tournaments in a row at the Girls 9-10 division. Wilson recently moved up in age, and competed for the first time in the 11-12 division. Riding such a hot streak, Wilson had all the confidence in the world to keep the streak alive. Enter Natalie Cheong. Competition brings the best out in players, and Cheong responded with her best ever 2-day total on the RLJGT. Cheong shot 74-76/150 to beat her previous 2-day total by 24 strokes! Wilson played remarkably well for moving up in age and playing longer yardage; Wilson fired 78-75/153 to finish 2nd place.
The closest finish came in the Girls 9-10 division. Yueshi Lu shot her best ever round of 88 to capture her first ever RLJGT tournament victory. Lu edged out Shenmei Wu (89) to win by one stroke. Lu has now taken over the overall points lead.
For results of all the players – click here
Player of the Year Standings – click here
Congratulations to all our winners and thank you to all the players for their support of our tour. Our next event scheduled is the Pahrump Junior Championship on September 23-24 at Mountain Falls. A huge event this late in the season, as this will be the 3rd Major Championship…points will be worth double!
We will also be making an announcement soon about the Lake Las Vegas Golf Experience that is going to be back on the calendar. Please stay tuned!
View all the pictures from the Sun City Summerlin Junior Championship – Click Here
