April 30, 2023 • Southern Texas PGA
KINGWOOD, TEXAS (April 30, 2023) - Eleven champions were named at the 2023 Classic Chevy Sugar Land and Classic Chevy HWY 6 Spring Championship at The Clubs of Kingwood (Forest Course). With title partners Classic Chevy Sugar Land and Classic Chevy HWY 6 and presenting partner Veritex Bank, this year’s field featured 167 junior golfers ages 6-18 from across Southern Texas.
This year’s Championship took place on Saturday, April 29 - Sunday, April 30. Over the two days, players in the Little Linksters program played a total of 18-holes and the Junior Tour players competed over 36-holes.
Blake Ayuso of Cypress shot an impressive (-3) 33 today in a bogey free round. With a tournament total of even-par 72, he claimed the Little Linksters Co-Ed 6-8 Division title by a three stroke lead. “My favorite part was the last hole because I made a birdie both days.”
This year’s Little Linksters Boys and Girls 9-10 and 11-12 Division Champions earned the first spots on the 12th Texas Junior Cup Matches team representing Team STPGA at Sand Hill Farm Golf Course on September 22-24.
Reed Rodriguez of Sienna Plantation sunk an eagle and three birdies in his final round to card a 9-hole total of (-4) 32. Reed claimed the Little Linksters Boys 9-10 Division title, marking his fifth STPGA win of 2023.
With the lowest score overall in the Little Linksters this weekend, Jessie Lee of San Antonio claimed the Little Linksters Girls 9-10 Division title after carding a tournament total of (-6) 66. “My favorite part was making all of the putts for birdie and saving par.”
Matthew Burke of Houston went low in this tournament with a Round One score of (+3) 39 and Round Two total of (+2) 38. With a two stroke lead, he claimed the Little Linksters Boys 11-12 Division title. “I’m ready to play in the Texas Junior Cup Matches, beat North Texas, and bring home the win!”
Ava Frazier of Round Rock sat tied for first with Carolyn Liu of Katy at a tournament total of even-par 72. She claimed the Little Linksters Girls 11-12 Division title after a one-hole playoff, where Ava putt in for birdie to win the hole.
At the Junior Tour Spring Series Championship, the STPGA saw six divisions crown new champions.
JP Lynch of Austin won his third championship in a row after coming in first at the 2022 Spring and Fall Championships. After cardign low in Round Two with an impressive (-1) 71, JP swept the field to claim the Junior Tour Boys 11-12 Division title with a five stroke lead.
Tessa Vivier of The Woodlands kept it consistent out on the course with a Round One score of 87 and Round Two score of 86. Finishing two strokes ahead of the field, she claimed the Junior Tour Girls 11-12 Division title and her first STPGA win of 2023. “My favorite part of this event was definitely my putting because I came really close to making a lot of birdie putts.”
Aryan Magon of Houston jumped the first place leader after three birdies on the back nine, to card (+1) 73 in his final round. Aryan claimed the Junior Tour Boys 13-14 Division title by a four stroke lead. “There are always good days and bad days, but today I got lucky. I came out on top, and hopefully it is not the last.”
Makenzie Minshew of The Woodlands led the field after Round One with a solid 2-stroke lead, carding (+5) 77. She claimed the Junior Tour Girls 13-14 Division title, making that her eighth STPGA win in 2023.
Jayk Altic of Houston claimed the Junior Tour Boys 15-18 Division title by just a two stroke lead. Tournament scores were close, but Jayk remained consistent, carding an overall total of (+9) 153. “I definitely didn’t play great today. I was scrambling the whole tournament, relying on my putts and short game because of the high winds. But it feels great to come out on top.”
Kara Holm of Missouri surpassed her Round One score of 80 by 11 strokes, carding an impressive Round Two total of (-3) 69. After claiming the Junior Tour Girls 15-18 Division title today, this marks her fifth STPGA win of the year. “I played really well today and I have my group to thank for that. They took my mind away from overthinking and I just had a great time.”
The Southern Texas PGA Junior Golf Program would like to thank the entire staff at The Clubs of Kingwood for hosting this event for two days, as well as our title partners Classic Chevy Sugar Land and Classic Chevy HWY 6.
To view the full results of the 2023 STPGA Spring Series Championship, please click the links below.
To view the full photo gallery from the event,
click here.
