Brennan Meyers of Team Oklahoma hits out of the fairway on the seventh hole during the 2021 PGA Junior League national championship event in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Region 1 regional qualifying event is this weekend at Lyman Orchards in Middlefield. (Photo by Darren Carroll/PGA of America)
Three young golfers from the area will be competing this weekend at Lyman Orchards Golf Club in Middlefield in the National Car Rental PGA Junior League regional championship tournament.
The golfers will be competing on eight 13-and-under All-Star teams and seven 17-and-under All-Star teams. The eight 13U teams will compete for one of 12 spots at the national PGA Junior League championships in Scottsdale, Arizona on Oct. 6-9. The 17U teams will conclude their season with this weekend’s regional event.
Brayden Grossman, a 12-year-old golfer from Avon, is playing on the TPC River Highlands All-Star team in the 13U tournament while Farmington’s John Lahtinen, 14, and Unionville’s Ryan Wang, 15, are playing on the NPI team in the 17U tournament. Each team contains six golfers.
Teams from Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire are in the regional event, one of 12 events across the nation.
The PGA Junior League typically consists of six matches in addition to practices and other events as scheduled by the team’s PGA coach. Each PGA Junior League game consists of four, two-player matches that are each nine holes in length.
Boys and girls ages 10-13 are eligible to play on the 13U teams with boys and girls ages 14-17 eligible to play on the 17U squads.
Connecticut teams in the regional tournament
TCC Thunder 13u All-Stars
PGA Coach: Bob Sparks, PGA
Assistant Coach: Jim Bunel
All players competed with Torrington (Conn.) Country Club as the facility hosted its own league during the recreational season.
Players: Aarav Lavu; Brennan Meyers, Kensington; Colin McAskin; Ken Fernandes; Leo Graham; Luke Hoglund, Fairfield; Rocco Capalbo; Will Lord, Suffield
TPC River Highlands 13u All-Stars
PGA Coach: Justin Smith, PGA
All players competed with TPC River Highlands (Cromwell) as the facility hosted its own league during the recreational season.
Players: Brayden Grossman, Avon; Braydon Hutwagner, Portland; Carter Persa, West Hartford, Gavin Bertuglia, Watertown; Quinn Brennan, West Hartford; Touraj Rajabipour, Cheshire; Tyson Asadourian, Rocky Hill; Vihaan Iyer, Middletown
Lyman Orchards 13u All-Stars
PGA Coach: John Dipollina, PGA
Assistant Coach: Sienna Fucci, PGA
All players competed with Lyman Orchards Golf Club (Middlefield) as the facility hosted its own league during the recreational season.
Players: Cristian Pedersen. Cheshire; Logan Wells, North Haven; Luke Barbaro, Middletown; Milo Moffett, Waterbury; Nate Moschetto, Durham; Ryan Glen, Middletown; Shawna Aurora; Teresa Esposito, North Haven
Lyman Orchards 17u All-Stars
PGA Coach: John Dipollina, PGA
Assistant Coach: Alex Cavaliere
All players competed with Lyman Orchards Golf Club (Middlefield) as the facility hosted its own league during the recreational season.
Players: Albert Turman Jr., Durham; Jack DeJoseph, Cheshire; John Ceruti, Colchester; Laniah Moffett, Waterbury; Logan Beers, Bethel; Matteo Barbaro, Middletown
NPI 17u All-Stars
PGA Coach: Peter Egazarian, PGA
Players competed with Keney Park Golf Course (Hartford) and Quarry Ridge Golf Course (Portland) during the recreational season.
Players: Ryan Willey, Broad Brook; Connor Payne, Glastonbury; Gavin Coletti, Middletown; John Lahtinen, Farmington; Mia Belcamino, Colchester; Ryan Wang, Unionville
