Team Illinois Persists to Win 2025 17u PGA Jr. League Championship

On the first putt of the final pairing in a playoff, Team Illinois (Lemont) captured the 2025 17u PGA Jr. League Championship at Twin Warriors Golf Club.

In the head-to-head playoff between Team Illinois and Team Texas, all four pairings needed to play Hole No. 9 to determine the champion. It was Kennedy Gutierrez, 15, who drained a 16-foot putt for birdie to clinch the title for her team.

“Focus on each shot, commit to it and don’t over think it… Just hit the ball,” said Gutierrez about her thought process going into the playoff. “It’s a lot of fun playing with the team. Your whole mindset is different playing-wise. I love my team.”

Team Illinois Coach Kevin Weeks, PGA, who led his team to a fourth place finish in the 2024 17u PGA Jr. League Championship, took a pause before reflecting on the win.

“You know, rarely am I speechless,” said Weeks, the PGA of America Director of Instruction Cog Hill Golf & Country Club. “We have great kids, and they have great parents. They could have quit. I mean, we were Lazarus – we were dead after six holes. But we made birdie after birdie and then Kennedy just rolled it in.”

Following their morning semifinal wins that both ended in ties, Team Illinois moved forward to face Team Texas (Farmers Branch) in the Championship round this afternoon. Team Illinois’ Brody Wall, 16, forced a playoff with his birdie putt on Hole No. 9.

“On Hole No. 7, Lester [Low] and I were down two and not playing well,” said Wall. “Lester then had a great chip on Hole No. 8 and we made birdie. On Hole No. 9, I stuck one to six feet to make the playoff. On the last hole, I looked into the hole and smiled at the crowd, and I was in the moment. I was just feeling grateful.”

Team Texas Coach Joey Anders, PGA, Lead Teaching Professional at Brookhaven Country Club, reflected on his team’s performance with pride.

“Obviously we wanted a different outcome, but we couldn’t have asked for more from our kids,” said Anders. “They played hard, and they did the best they could. They’re a little down, but they’re going to be better because of this, and I can’t wait to see what they do in the future.”

David Pyle, 16, the son of Team Texas Assistant Coach April Pyle, soaked in the memories of playing alongside his best friend since childhood, teammate Connor Bryce, 17.

“It’s just been an incredible experience,” said Pyle. “It’s really nice, because we end up playing against each other a lot, so it’s nice to have one week where we’re playing together.”

“It’s cool, there’s a lot of things you learn and things you’re mad about, but at the end of the day it’s a great lesson,” said Bryce. “There’s not really any tournaments where you can be that pumped up for someone else to make a putt.”

In the match for third place, No. 2 seed Team Florida (Orlando) defeated No. 1 seed Team Utah (Lehi) 6.5 - 5.5.

“It’s just been really fun, because golf is an individual sport,” said Team Florida’s Shane Frasure, 14. “In the semifinals, I wasn’t putting that well. In the third place match, I made every single putt I looked at. Joshua [Castellanos, 16] and I made back-to-back eagles.”

At the awards ceremony, Emmett Garcia, Santa Ana Pueblo Member, Cultural and Governance Leader and Honored Council Member, shared meaningful messages with the crowd.

“We’ve been in this region probably about four times the history of the United States,” said Garcia. “Every part of this land is very sacred to us, so seeing you all playing here today and seeing the playoff was very moving. You’re always welcome here now that the door has been opened.”

To wrap up the evening, General Manager and PGA of America Director of Golf Derek Gutierrez, gave a moving honor to his fellow Gutierrez.

“Kennedy, remember when I told you I offered you free golf anytime you’re here,” said Gutierrez. “What you did on Hole No. 9 was incredible. Here’s to a lifetime honorary membership. We’ll have to add your name to a locker.”

The final leaderboard saw Team California (Milpitas) finish fifth; Team Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh) claim sixth; Team Iowa (Ames) place seventh; Team Connecticut (Middlefield) finish eighth; Team Ohio (Chagrin Falls) finish ninth; Team Virginia (Dulles) place 10th; Team North Carolina (Fuquay-Varina) finish 11th; and Team Kansas (Lenexa) finish 12th.

The eight teams not competing in the semifinals could participate in the Twin Warriors Fiesta de Tamaya, a two-person event with prizes awarded for first and second place and closest to the hole. Team Iowa’s Ella Lohrbach, 17, and Jamin Colvin, 15, won with a 30-under par. Team Virginia’s Eli Cather, 16, and Grant Kerrigan, 14, finished runners-up following a scorecard playoff with a score of 32-under par. Ethan Trobaugh, 15, and Mathew Bernardo, 15, of Team Virginia were closest to the hole on No. 15, while Parker Rodgers, 16, and Johnathan Bouska, 16, of Team Iowa claimed closest to the hole on No. 13.