March 8, 2016
2016 Junior Tour of Northern California Season Set to Resume
Yoonhee Kim leads in the Girls’ Player of the Year points standings.
Recognized as one of the premier regional junior golf organizations in the nation, the Junior Tour of Northern California, sponsored by Capital Insurance Group® (CIG), marks the start of its sixth calendar year this weekend, with a Saturday-Sunday tournament in Stockton.
The JTNC was established in 2011 by combining the resources of the Northern California Golf Association and the Northern California PGA to create a single tour where junior golfers could compete against the best players for the most affordable price. This partnership, along with the financial support of CIG, has proved extremely successful, in a relatively short time.
JTNC alumni currently hold the nation’s two major amateur titles – Bryson DeChambeau won the 2015 U.S. Amateur, while Hannah O’Sullivan is the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion. DeChambeau won the NCAA Championship last year, as well.
Ahmed Ali leads in the Boys’ Player of the Year points standings.
The “current generation” of JTNC talent features reigning two-time Girls Player of the Year Sabrina Iqbal of San Jose and Yoonhee Kim of San Ramon, who share the tour record for most wins in a calendar year, with six. On the Boys Championship side, Joshua McCarthy of Danville, the 2014 Boys Player of the Year, begins the Spring Series third in the 2015-2016 point standings, behind leader Ahmed Ali of Palo Alto, and Peter Kuest of Fresno, who is second.
Support for the Junior Tour of Northern California is part of the CIG Golf Program, through which CIG has become a leader in the support of community golf initiatives throughout the region.
The JTNC Spring Series is scheduled from March through May, with seven tournaments taking the tour to some of the top golf venues in the region. The Summer Series is June through August, culminating with the Tour Championship at Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach.
Each JTNC tournament is 36 holes, played over two days, and features competition for boys and girls ages 18 and younger who have not started college. To qualify for the Boys Championship Flight, players must have a handicap index of 4.0 or lower, while Girls Championship players are required to have a handicap index of 6.0 or lower. To compete in the first flight, boys need to have a handicap index between 4.1 to 18.4 and the girls from a 6.1 to an 18.4 index range.
For more information about the JTNC, visit www.jtnc.org
–NCGA Staff
