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Truckee Tahoe Junior Golf Tour opens year at Old Greenwood

Doug Flynn
Special to the Sun
Gabe Smith chips onto the green while playing the ninth hole at Old Greenwood Golf Club on Wednesday, June 7.
Courtesy of Doug Flynn

The Old Greenwood Kickoff Classic was held on Wednesday, June 7, as the fifth season of the Truckee Tahoe Junior Golf Tour got underway.

Thirty-one golfers, from ages 8 to 17, took to the tee boxes for nine holes of golf on a breezy day in Truckee, with players looking for early points in the chase for one of eight series titles.

Abbey McCormick led the way as she won the 8- to 9-year-old girls’ division with a 65 from the junior tees. Maris Durant-Bender won the 10- to 11-year-old girls’ age group with an 83 from the junior tees.



In the 12- to 14-year-old girls’ division, Ryan Flynn took first with a 49 from the one-tree tees. Three-time TTJGT Cup winner Haley McCormick came in second with a 53, with sister Kenzie McCormick close behind at 58. Anika Neave and Shannon Hugar, both from Incline Village, took fourth and fifth place. The 12- to 14-year-old age division is expected to add more golfers to the field in the upcoming events, as multiple competitors finish soccer seasons.

No girls competed in the 15- to 17-year-old division.



On the boys’ side, Aiden Sweeney led the way in the 10- to 11-year-old boys’ division with a 54 from the one-tree tees. Luke Brown finished second with a 59 and Hunter Neave third. Ty Whisler of Tahoe City finished in fourth place to pick up important early season TTJGT Cup points in the race for the overall title.

Whisler received chemo the day before at Stanford University for a brain tumor he is battling, and managed to put together a solid round, outshooting a pair of competitors.

The 12- to 13-year-old boys’ field and the 14- 17-year-old boys had the most competitors with nine each.

Gabe Smith led the 12- to 13-year-old division with a 48 from the one-tree tees. Marc Durant-Bender and Zach Anttila tied for second at 62. Ian Smith, playing out of Ponderosa Golf Course, and Everett Grass took fourth and fifth place, respectively.

Murphy Scott led the way in the 14- to 17-year-old boys’ division with a 40 from the two-tree tees. Fellow Tahoe City High School golfer Connor Hipsley followed him in with a 42 for second place. Ethan Flynn and Jack Brown of Alder Creek Middle School came in third and fourth at 46 and 47, respectively. Nate Whisler took fifth place.

No 8- to 9-year-old boys competed at the event.

There is a TTJGT Cup points race in every age group. The TTJT Tour consists of six events. Go to TTJGT.com for complete scores, cup point updates, the schedule, registration information, and more details on the tour.

Players will next head to Ponderosa Golf Course in Truckee on Thursday, June 15, for the next round of play.


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