Team Illinois Fires 41-Under to Lead the 2025 17u PGA Jr. League Championship

Team Illinois (Lemont) took command of the leaderboard with a 41-under par performance at Twin Warriors Golf Club on day one of the 2025 17u PGA Jr. League Championship.

Twelve All-Star teams of junior golfers ages 14-17 have traveled to the high desert of New Mexico for a shot at the national title and a meaningful culmination for players nearing the end of their PGA Jr. League journey. Nestled in the sacred lands of the Tamayame, Twin Warriors Golf Club has hosted the 17u PGA Jr. League Championship since its inception in 2023.

“They kept battling, and then all of a sudden the putts started dropping,” Team Illinois Coach Kevin Weeks, PGA, said of their peaks-and-valleys-style performance. “They stuck with their process, which is what I was most proud of as a coach. They didn’t worry about the results, and they just kept playing well.”

Team Illinois partners Kieran Low, 17, and Nick Ratini, 14, two-putted their first six holes then broke through with a 30-foot eagle on Hole No. 7. The duo followed up a four-under first 9 in the morning round with a 7-under par round on their second nine to end the day on a high note.

“I really like the team format, especially since most of the tournaments are all individual,” said Low, whose 15-year-old brother Lester went 9-under par with teammate Brody Wall, 16, in their second 9-hole round. “I like how we’re able to support and be there for each other when we’re struggling.”

Team Utah (Lehi), who finished runner-up in last year’s 17u PGA Jr. League Championship, sits just behind Team Illinois with a 39-under performance.

“We played great, and I’m really proud of them,” said Team Utah Coach Tele Wightman, PGA. “But we got off to a really great start at 21-under on our front 9 today. We had some timely eagles, and we made some good putts. There were some lulls in the round, but the eagles kick-started the team. We had some good momentum.”

Team Florida (Orlando) and Team Texas (Farmers Branch) are tied for third on the leaderboard at 38-under.

“Stay positive, believe in yourself and keep pulling for your partners,” Team Texas Coach Joey Anders, PGA, told his team following day one. “Go out there and have fun.”

“There’s still a lot of golf left, but we’ll take it one hole at a time,” said Team Florida Coach Cori McAuliffe, LPGA. “Everyone embraced the team culture today and celebrated each other’s successes as their own.”

Rounding out the leaderboard are Team Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh) in fifth at 30-under; Team California (Milpitas) and Team Iowa (Ames) tied for sixth at 29-under; Team Connecticut (Middlefield) and Team Virginia (Dulles) tied for eighth at 24-under; Team Ohio (Chagrin Falls) in 10th at 23-under; Team North Carolina (Fuquay-Varina) in 11th at 20-under; and Team Kansas (Lenexa) in 12th at 17-under.

Days one and two are played in an 18-hole team aggregate stroke play scramble format on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 24-25, counting the top three of four pair scores, per nine holes. The 36-hole aggregate team total determines the seeding for the semifinal rounds on Sunday, Oct. 26, which will be conducted in match play format.

The Championship resumes Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. MT, with groups and starting times shared here. The top four teams advance to the semifinals on Sunday morning to determine who will play in the afternoon championship match. The two teams that do not make the finals will compete for third place.