More Than a Game: Mark Christensen’s PGA Jr. League Journey

For PGA of America Golf Professional Mark Christensen, coaching has always been about building relationships. 

In more than four decades of coaching — including nearly 10 years at the helm of PGA Jr. League programs around Quincy, Illinois — he’s coached countless students and watched them rack up the milestones: state championship trophies, collegiate careers and personal bests they once thought out of reach.

But one accomplishment has continually eluded him and his PGA Jr. League teams: competing at a PGA Jr. League Championship.

He’s marking that one off the list this weekend with Team Gateway, one of 12 teams from across the country competing at the 2026 17u PGA Jr. League Championship at Twin Warriors Golf Club in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico.  

“We want to have fun, that’s the biggest thing. If it’s not fun, why are we doing it?” Christensen said. “We’re going to play golf, compete and let the chips fall.” 

While it’s Team Gateway’s first trip to the national championship, it’s not the first time Christensen has led a team into the postseason. He’s taken PGA Jr. League teams to Regionals twice, once in each age division, without advancing to the national stage.

“The 13u team finished fourth by one shot at our Regional,” Christensen recalled. “We had to make par on the last hole to advance, and we did it. We celebrated with a team dinner, then lost in the semifinals the next morning.” 

When he remembers those losses, Christensen doesn’t dwell on the disappointment. Every competition, including the 17u Championship, is a chance to get out on the course and “do something special.” 

“In order to win, you can't be afraid to put it all out there and risk failure,” Christensen said. “And sometimes, special things happen.” 

One of the special things Christensen has seen over the years is the growing success of junior golf in the Quincy area. Located in Western Illinois, Quincy sits just across the Mississippi River from Hannibal, Missouri, and about 35 miles south of the Iowa state line. 

Christensen credits a lot of that growth and success to PGA Jr. League. 

“Quincy is really in the middle of nowhere as far as golf is concerned. It's a small population, and we've got a lot of kids having some really nice success,” Christensen said. “A lot of the success for these high schools in the area has been because of PGA Jr. League — not only with what I'm doing, but also with what Gideon Smith (PGA Director of Golf), Emily Van Rie (PGA Head Golf Professional) and Jon Roberson (PGA Golf Professional) are doing at Quincy Country Club."

Some of the players achieving that success are playing for Christensen this weekend in New Mexico. Juniors Nancy Scholz, 16,  and Natalie Druffel, 16, both helped lead the Quincy Notre Dame (QND) High School girls golf team to back-to-back appearances at the Illinois State High School Association (ISHA) Golf Championship, claiming the 2026 2A title earlier this fall. Oliver Hendrian, 17, Harper Hough, 17, and Kale Friye, 15, were part of the QND High School boys golf team that claimed second at the 2A state championship this year. Juniors Nolan Murphy, 17, and Bryton Gavillet, 16, hoisted the boys 1A state trophy almost two weeks ago with their high school team from Illini West High School in Carthage, Illinois. 

It’s been a busy fall for Team Gateway, and Christensen understands his players are a little tired. He knows they’ll rise to the occasion at Twin Warriors. 

“In our little neck of the woods playing stroke play, nobody's getting close to us, so I think we’ll compete,” Christensen said. “There are some course challenges. There’s nothing like this course where we’re from, and the elevation could be difficult. The green surrounds are much different than we’re used to, so that will be a learning experience for us. Our goal is always to make it to match play.” 

Regardless of how the 17u Championship plays out for Team Gateway, golf has always been more about the relationships and experiences for Christensen. 

“I've been teaching a lot of these players since they were about 11 or 12 years old,” Christensen said. “We have a very, very long-term relationship. I hope this event is the cherry on top of a great high school career for them.”