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Truckee Tahoe Golf Tour: Cup champions crowned at Gray’s Crossing

Players pose with their hardware on Tuesday, Aug. 7, after playing in the finale of the Truckee Tahoe Junior Golf Tour.
Justin Scacco / jscacco@sierrasun.com

Champions were crowned last week at the finale of the Truckee Tahoe Junior Golf Tour as young players closed out the season with the Tour Championship at The Golf Club at Gray’s Crossing.

The year’s round, on Aug. 7, decided most of the season-long races for the tour’s championship cup, which included a sensational final four holes for the boys’ 14 to 17-year-old title.

In his last round playing on the tour, Connor Hipsley concluded his time with the junior league by shooting 5-under-par over the final four holes to take first place with a 5-over-par 77, and earn his first cup championship. Hipsley started with an eagle on the 15th hole, and then went into the clubhouse behind a trio of birdies



“That was definitely the best finish I’ve had, and the best score I’ve ever shot here,” said Hipsley. “My front nine wasn’t great … I blew up on the eighth hole (triple bogey). It seems like I do that every year, but those last four holes just solidified it.”

After finishing the first round of the season at Old Greenwood Golf Course in fourth place, Hipsley went on to win three of the next four tournaments to win this year’s overall title with 25.00 points.



“It was good, that made it worth it — my last year here, my last tournament,” said Hipsley. “I finished in great fashion.”

Hipsley was also the recipient of $1,000 in the form of the Larry Flynn Memorial Truckee Tahoe Junior Golf Tour Scholarship. He said the scholarship will be used next fall when he attends San Diego State University.

Jack Brown finished his season in second with 17.50 points, and was fourth at Gray’s Crossing with an 86. Ethan Flynn finished the year in third place with 13.50 points and was third at Gray’s Crossing with an 80. Murphy Scott was runner-up on Tuesday with a 78 to finish the season with 13.00 cup points.

In the boys’ 11 to 13-year-old division, Chase Kacher took home the overall championship with 18.50 points. Kacher fired a 44 over nine holes at Gray’s Crossing to finish the day in second place.

Reed Loper took first place at Gray’s Crossing, shooting a 37, but came up shy of the overall title with 16.83 points on the year. Jaxen Perryman was third in the season finale, carding a 45, followed by Benjamin Szabo with a 46.

The boys’ 10-and-under division was tight going into the final round as the three players taking the course on Tuesday were all within a point of one another.

Jake Reinhard, however, would remove any drama from the round, taking a commanding 12-stroke win behind a 47 over nine holes of play to capture this year’s overall championship with 16.00 points.

Reinhard missed the first two tournaments of the season, but a second at Squaw Creek and a first at Gray’s Crossing were enough to propel him to the title.

Ryland Carpenter was second with a 59 to finish the cup race in second place with 15.00 points. Grayson Perryman was third with a 62, and finished in a tie for third overall with Shane Speck.

McCormick girls shine in finale

With two of the top girls in the 14 to 17-year-old division not playing last Tuesday, Haley McCormick was guaranteed to win this year’s overall championship.

But that didn’t mean the young golfer was going to hold anything back over 18 holes at Gray’s Crossing.

McCormick would finish the day with an 88 for the girls’ top round, which included a strong front nine that saw her hit a wedge shot within a few feet of the pin for a birdie on the par-4 sixth hole. McCormick’s short game also kept her out of trouble on the par-5 15th hole where she landed a ball roughly three feet from the cup to save par.

“I’m pretty happy with my round,” said McCormick. “I shot a 41 on the front. I didn’t do very good on the back, but it’s OK, the back is harder. It’s a pretty tough course.”

McCormick said this is her fifth overall title, which snapped a streak of two years without a championship.

RayDean Aroz was second with a 96. Sofia de Wit finished the season in second place with 15.00 points. De Wit earned first-place finishes in each of the three tournaments she played in. Corina Shaw finished the season in third with 10.00 points.

In the girls’ 11 to 13-year-old division, Theresa Shaw had the cup title locked up going into the tournament, having won the previous four rounds for a high score of 20.00. Shaw didn’t play last Tuesday, and in her absence, Ryan Flynn took the win with a 43 over nine holes of play to finish the season in second place with 16.50 points. Ella Williams was second at Gray’s Crossing, carding a 45, followed by Shannon Hugar with a 48, and Kenzie McCormick with a 52. Hugar finished the year third overall in cup points with 14.00.

In the girls’ 10-and-under division, Abbey McCormick edged Allison Mortimeyer for the overall title with a first-place finish at Gray’s Crossing. McCormick shot a 54 over nine holes to end the season with 25.50 cup points. Mortimeyer was second with a 57 at Gray’s Crossing, and second overall with 22.50 points. Sienna de Wit finished the season in third place with 15.00 cup points behind wins in each of her three appearances on the tour.

For more information and full results visit ttjgt.com.

Justin Scacco is a reporter for the Sierra Sun. Contact him at jscacco@sierrasun.com.


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