WEST DUNDEE, Ill.— Players from the IJGA’s YDP competed in the two-round Player of the Year tournament at Randall Oaks Golf Club on August 5-6. Griffin Michalak (72-73–145) from Wood Dale won the Boys 12-13 division, Lauren Gauss (71-69–140) of Plainfield took first for the Girls 12-13 division, Glen Ellyn’s Lucas Burkhart (74-69–143) won the Boys 10-11 division, and Emily Starzyk (74-76–150) of Berwyn won the Girls 10-11 division.

 

THE TOURNAMENT:

  • The YDP Player of the Year tournament at Randall Oaks is a 36-hole stroke play event spanning two days. The contest is for juniors ages 10-13. 
  • Par for the course was 71. For the boys ages 12-13 the course played 5,838 yards. For the girls ages 12-13 and the boys ages 10-11, the course played 5,046 yards. For the girls ages 10-11, the course played 4,401 yards.

 

THE BOYS 12-13 LEADERBOARD:

  • Michalak went one over par in round one and two over par in round two to finish the tournament at three over par. He won the contest in an on-course playoff for first place.
  • JD Walters (70-75–145) of Lake Forest took second place with a two-round score of three over par. He went one under par in round one and four over par in round two. Walters was also crowned the points champion for the 2024 season.
  • William Comiskey (74-72–146) of Hinsdale shot three over par in round one and improved to one over par in round two. He finished in third place with a 36-hole score of four over par.
  • The full leaderboard can be found here.

 

ROUND HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Thomas Haas was the only player to make an eagle. He eagled the par five hole number 15 during round two.
  • Michalak led the field in birdies made with eight. He made four birdies in each round.
  • William Buhrfiend and Comiskey each made a par on 24 of the 36 holes.
  • Victor Jagasia and Arnav Nanda each had a three-hole birdie streak during the first round.

 

THE GIRLS 12-13 LEADERBOARD:

  • Gauss won by 13 strokes, shooting par in round one and a personal best of 69, or two under par in round two to finish at two under par. Gauss was also crowned the points champion for the 2024 season.
  • Madison Cotey (74-79–153) of Elmhurst earned the runner-up title with rounds of three over and eight over par. Her two-round score came to 11 over par.
  • Sarah Scott (75-80–155) of Lemont rounded out the top three with a 36-hole score of 13 over par. She went four over par during the first round and nine over par during the second.
  • Hailing from Libertyville, Kenzie Christie (81-76–157) rounded out the top three with a 36-hole score of 13 over par. She shot nine over in round one and four over in round two.
  • The full leaderboard can be found here.

 

ROUND HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Gauss made six total birdies, three in each round.
  • In addition to the six birdies, Gauss parred 27 holes, resulting in 33 of 36 holes with a score of par or better.
  • Gauss had a 13-hole bogey-free streak from hole 12 in round one through hole six in round two.

 

THE BOYS 10-11 LEADERBOARD:

  • Burkhart sealed a four stroke victory by shooting two under par in round two. This combined with a round one score of three over for a 36-hole score of one over par.
  • Joey Perrino (73-74–147) of Glen Ellyn finished in second place with a 36-hole score of five over par. He shot two over in round one and three over in round two.
  • Chase Perez (73-76–149) of Elk Grove Village rounded out the leaderboard with a two-round score of seven over par. He shot two over in round one and five over in round two. Perez was also crowned the points champion for the 2024 season.
  • The full leaderboard can be found here.

 

ROUND HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Euan Tiner was the only player to make an eagle. He took two shots to complete the par four hole number 12 during round two.
  • Burkhart and Ethan Oh each made seven birdies over the course of the tournament.
  • Perez and Perrino each made a par on 25 of the 36 holes.
  • Oh birdied four straight holes from hole 14 through hole 17 during round one.
  • Lang, Perez, and Perrino each had a nine-hole bogey-free streak.

 

THE GIRLS 10-11 LEADERBOARD:

  • Starzyck’s two-round score of eight over par earned her an eight stroke victory. She had rounds of three over par and five over par. Starzyk was also crowned the points champion for the 2024 season.
  • Arabella Reincke (82-76–158) of West Dundee was the runner-up with scores of 11 over par in round one and five over par in round two. Her two-round score was 16 over par.
  • Nitya Shah (79-85–164) took third place with a 36-hole score of 22 over par. She posted scores of eight over and 14 over.
  • The full leaderboard can be found here.

 

ROUND HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Reincke and Starzyk each made six birdies during the tournament. Reincke made five birdies during the second round alone.
  • Starzyk parred 18 of the 36 holes.
  • Reincke had a bogey-free streak of seven holes. Starzyk went six straight holes without a bogey and Alessia Cefalu went five holes bogey-free.

 

PHOTOS:

Click here to access photos from the event. Photos are sorted by day two tee time.