This week is about the seniors on PGA Tour Champions, but this season has been all about juniors on the local golf scene.
Two of them have made verbal commitments to NCAA Div. I Pac-12 schools. Tristan Mandur will head to the University of Utah and Keaton Gudz will be off to Oregon State University for the 2017-18 seasons.
鈥淯ltimately, that鈥檚 what the goal is, although we also have to give credit to all the local kids on the Camosun and University of Victoria programs as well,鈥� said Rick Gudz, the sa国际传媒 Golf Zone 5 Junior chairman who will recognize all juniors on awards night on Sept. 27 at Olympic View.
Nolan Thoroughgood, who at 15 won the sa国际传媒 Men鈥檚 Amateur (the youngest to ever take that title) and the sa国际传媒 Summer Games gold and Akari Hayashi (provincial bantam champion, runner-up at Juveniles and also Summer Games victor) will be recognized as the boy鈥檚 and girl鈥檚 players of the year.
Mandur was the sa国际传媒 junior boy鈥檚 champion and also led Team sa国际传媒 with a tied for 17th finish at the Canadian Junior. Keaton Gudz tied for sixth provincially and, although not on the sa国际传媒 team, did finish tied for seventh at Canadians.
Callum Davison won the CN Future Links Quebec event, tied for 24th provincially and was a solid third (tied) at nationals.
Jeevan Sihota won the U.S. Kids World Junior 12-and-under category and was second at sa国际传媒 Juveniles.
And that鈥檚 not even counting Naomi Ko, who won the Canadian Junior Girls, but more notably played in three professional LPGA events, including the U.S. Women鈥檚 Open.
The 18-year-old, who is in her second year at North Carolina State, also recently placed sixth overall individually at the World Amateur Team Championships in Mexico. Ko was the top Canadian at the event with a 6-under 282 total.
鈥淲e have to remember that these are all kids within the area,鈥� said Gudz. 鈥淚t鈥檚 special to watch them grow from little kids into the players that they are.鈥�
His son, Keaton, also just finished fourth at the Canadian International Junior Challenge at the Wildfire Golf Club in Ontario.
Ultimately, it was a fantastic year for Zone 5.
鈥淲e really have to thank the local clubs for the access and for making it fun for all these juniors,鈥� Rick Gudz said.
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