California, Ohio to Play for Title at 2025 13u PGA Jr. League Championship

It was a battle to the end, but the finals are set at the 2025 13u PGA Jr. League Championship, taking place this week at PGA Frisco’s Fields Ranch West.

Due to predicted severe weather on Thursday afternoon, the Championship and third- and fourth-place match pairings were determined by seeding after the completion of today’s qualifying rounds. The No. 1 and 2 seeds will advance to the Championship match tomorrow morning, while Nos. 3 and 4 will vie for third place.

With the top four teams separated by only seven strokes, Team Ohio (Columbus) and Team California (Daly City) battled for the top seed throughout the afternoon. It came down to the final putt, with Team California (-59) edging Team Ohio (-58) by one stroke.

Team California’s Inho Park made the 10-foot putt that pushed his team into first place, but some of the details of the defining moment were a little fuzzy after the excitement of advancing to the Championship match.

“I trusted my line,” he said. “It was very fast, left to right, and about a 3 percent break — I really can’t remember right now. We just had good teamwork and made stuff happen out there today.”

Team California Coach Jeff Allen, PGA, was still in shock about how the last hole played out, but he wasn’t surprised it was Park who held his own under pressure.

“I can’t summarize what I’m feeling into one word yet,” Allen said. “But we’ve seen Inho close out like this before under pressure. I think he can handle the pressure if it comes down to it tomorrow, but hopefully we don’t need him to tomorrow.”

The day one leader, Team Ohio, was excited to advance to the Championship match, spurred on by the fact that they’re playing for something bigger than themselves. The team is actively fundraising for the PGA REACH Southern Ohio Foundation, with more than $200 pledged for each birdie they make during the Championship. Team Ohio added 35 additional birdies today, for a two-day total of 72.

“To just continue to make birdies out there and raise dollars for PGA REACH of Southern Ohio, it’s just so special,” said Team Ohio Coach Chris Yoder, PGA. “I’m just so proud of our team. They really fought through it today.

“The goal tomorrow is just to continue to stay present,” he continued. “Don’t dwell on the past and don’t think too far into the future.”

Team Ohio and Team California will tee off on Hole No. 10 for the Championship title at 8 a.m. tomorrow.

Team Texas (Austin) held on to its No. 3 spot through today’s rounds, finishing 54-under to advance to tomorrow’s third-and-fourth-place match. They’ll face Team North Carolina (Holly Springs), who surged up the leaderboard to capture the No. 4 seed at 52-under-par — after beginning the day in eighth place.

Team North Carolina’s ascent was spurred by Luke Valkovics and Ryan Boudwin, playing partners who birdied all but one of their first nine holes and carded 15 birdies across 18 holes.

“The putter was just super hot,” said Valkovics, 12, of Pinehurst, North Carolina. “We just made everything on the green, and our approach play and driving — we were just bombing it.”

North Carolina Coach Bo Bolick, PGA, was excited to see his team play to their potential on the national stage.

“Honestly, they never really doubted themselves,” he said. “We knew they had it in the tank, and our players grinded it out today. It was pretty awesome to see.” Team Texas and Team North Carolina will face off in the third-and fourth-place match tomorrow morning, teeing off on Hole No. 13 at 8:05 a.m.

The eight teams not competing in the Championship or third-and-fourth place matches can participate in the West Roundup at Fields Ranch, a two-person team event, with prizes awarded for first and second place and closest to the hole. This includes Team Florida (Orlando) which finished fifth at 50-under; Team Virginia (Dulles) took sixth at 43-under; Team Oklahoma (Broken Arrow) in seventh at 43-under; Team Illinois in eighth at 42-under; Team Washington (Sammamish) in ninth at 39-under; Team Pennsylvania (Sewickley) in 10th at 37-under; Team Connecticut (Berlin) in 11th at 20-under and Team Kansas in 12th at 13-under.

The final day of the 13u Championship begins Thursday at 8 a.m. CT with the match-play Championship and third-and-fourth-place matches. Continued broadcast coverage is as follows:

PGA.com will also host live scoring & updates throughout the Championship.