First Tee of Greater Sacramento held its longtime annual Thanksgiving Junior Tour Golf Tournament over Thanksgiving weekend at the William Land GC here in the heart of Sacramento.
Junior golfers from around the region showed off their incredible golfing skills and prowess with low scores across the course- proving again that the Sacramento region is never short of great golf talent.
The overall boys champion was 17-year-old Matthew Shimizu of Roseville with a -2 score of 32.
Shimizu reeled off three birdies in his nine-hole round of golf including the last two holes to get under par and take home the boy’s title. The win added 20 points to Shimizu’s season total, getting him into second place on the entire tour behind Carter Jones of Roseville who finished first in his age group.
Haley Wong, a 15-year-old from El Dorado Hills won the girls title with an even par score of 34.
Wong overcame a bogey on her first hole to play one-under the rest of the way to take home the girls title. The title continues Wong’s stellar play this tour season, bringing her up to 141 points for the season and putting her in first place for Player of the Year honors.
Overall Boys Champion: Matthew Shimizu, 32
Overall Girls Champion: Haley Wong, 34
Boys 16-18
- Carter Jones, 35
- Ryan Calcagno, 36
- Arthur Lyons IV, 36
Girls 15-18
- Christine Yu, 35
- Meghan Paracuelles, 36
- Amelia Greenlee, 37
Boys 14-15
- Andre Zhang, 35
- Mason Shimizu, 36
- Samuel Lyons, 36
Girls 12-14
- Morgan Pittman, 35
- Isabella Morelock, 36
- Alaythia Hinds, 38
Boys 12-13
- Luke Dariotis, 34
- Andrew Zhou, 37
- Landon Abalateo, 38
Jean Hock passed away at the age of 97 back in 2017 after a lifetime deep passion for golf made from the many life-long friends she made during her 50+ years of membership in women’s clubs in Sacramento. She was extremely popular and well-known for her volunteering, sponsorships and not least, her excellent sense of humor. But the one thing that touched Jean the most was supporting youth golf programs. Her legacy in Sacramento will be each year during the Thanksgiving Tournament when 70-80 kids can affordably play championship golf at the William Land Golf Course because of the restricted fund contribution in the name of Jean and her husband Galen
The First Tee of Greater Sacramento Junior Tour is a year-round competitive golf tournament program for boys and girls ages 12-18. Juniors are able to play and compete on over 24 different area golf courses. The tournament season goes from March through November. First Tee — Greater Sacramento Junior Tour allows juniors to play until their 19th birthday, or their first day of college; whichever comes first.
William Land Golf Course is a 9-hole golf course, located in the scenic William Land Park, near the Sacramento Zoo, Fairytale Town and Funderland. The golf course was built in 1924 and features a restaurant and golf at the facility.
Known for its robust junior golf programs, Morton Golf, LLC manages the facility.
