Junior Tour of Northern California Fall Series VI & First Flight V
October 13, 2024 / by Kurtis Bettencourt
Junior Golf Tour of Northern California Crowns Winners at Fall Series VI Championship & First Flight Tournament V.
Fall Series VI Pairings/Results
First Flight V Pairings/Results
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (October 13, 2024) –The 2024-2025 Junior Tour of Northern California (JTNC) crowned champions during play of both Fall Series VI Championship at Coyote Creek Golf Course & First Flight Tournament V at Metropolitan Golf Links.
Ben Friedman added to his JTNC win total shooting 11-under par 133 while Emma Wang shot 9-under par 135 to win their respective divisions at the Fall Series VI Championship at the par-72 Valley Course at Coyote Creek. Kelly Zhang came in at 4-over par 76 and Michaelangelo Tejada carded an even par 72 to win their respective divisions during the single day First Flight Tournament V.
Ben Friedman added to his personal JTNC record book with this stellar performance, carding back to back under-par rounds of 66-67. Friedman grabs his second winners medal of the 2024-2025 season, including eleven birdies, one eagle, and just two bogey's in what was an impressive display of golf over the 36-hole event! However, Friedman's win didn't come all that easy as he was forced to a sudden death playoff versus Trenton Stuart, ultimately winning, as the pair were tied at 11-under par 133. Friedman looks to build on his early season momentum while adding to his substantial lead in the Boys JTNC Player of the Year rankings, 622 points ahead of the next closest ranked Boy's player.
Trenton Stuart subsequently took second place honors with rounds of 66-67 finishing at 11-under par 133 where he carded a total of eleven birdies and two eagles, making eagle on the par-5 18th hole during round two and forcing a playoff versus Friedman. Third place went to another standout JTNC player in Kailer Stone, Kailer had rounds of of 66-69 for 135. Fourth place ended in a tie between Jack Mian and Alex Thu as the duo were level at 8-under par 136.
In the Girls’ Championship, Emma Wang wins with a total of 9-under par 135 as she closed out the Championship with a four shot lead over her next closest competitor's Diya Kumar and Alyssa Lim. Emma's play throughout the 36-hole tournament was sublime, following up her 4-under 68 first round with an even better 5-under 67 during round two as she only carded a total of two bogey's over the weekend. Emma was able to dominate the field thanks to her eleven birdies, with her best stretch of golf being the four straight birdies she made from holes 11 to 14! This is Emma's first win of the 2024-2025 JTNC season, bumping her up to 5th on the JTNC Girl's Player of the Year rankings at 500 points.
Second place was settled via a card-off between Diya Kumar and Alyssa Lim since the pair were tied at 5-under 139 after two rounds. The lower second round score of 67 from Diya Kumar was enough to see out Alyssa Lim's total of 3-under 69. Kumar finished with eight birdies over the weekend, having made six of those birdies during play of round two. Third place was eventually awarded to Alyssa Lim after she lost out in the card-off, Lim carded rounds of 70-69 with a total of nine bridies. Fourth place was awarded at 3-under par 141 to Emily Guan of El Dorado Hills, finishing with seven birdies.
First Flight Tournament V - Metropolitan Golf Links
In the Boys’ First Flight Championship, Michaelangelo Tejada came out on top picking up his second winners medal of the 2024-2025 season triumphing by one shot over Zack Lin. Tejada produced the magic when it was needed, making birdie on the final par-4 18th hole while runner-up Lin could only muster up a par in rebuttal. Tejada is now ranked as the 13th best Boy's JTNC player for the 2024-2025 Player of the Year rankings, with a total of 226 points.
Second place was awarded to Zack Lin after his final three holes of 1-under par were enough to see out Sidnee Castillo and Elliot Dunn for the silver medal. Lin carded three birdies, turning in a scorecard of 1-over par 73. Third place eventually went to Elliot Dunn, via a card-off versus Sidnee Castillo, of Foster City who shot 3-over par 75 which included an eagle on the par-5 17th hole to show for his medal!
In the Girls’ First Flight Championship, Kelly Zhang picks up her second winners medal for the JTNC 2024-2025 season carding a 4-over par 76. Zhang's previous first place medal came at First Flight IV Tournament, she is starting to make a serious case for being one of the top players in the Girls First Flight so far this season. Kelly started the championship the exact way she ended it, opening up with a birdie on hole one and closing out the tournament making birdie on the final hole.
Second place went to Yilin Xia at 9-over 81, Yilin carded ten pars to her name. Third place in the Girls First Flight was awarded to Danica Hidayat of Hayward, Danica finished at 10-over 82 and just one shot behind Lin.