Junior golfers from across the region are teeing off at Wailea Golf Club this weekend, with a shot at national championship glory on the line. Practice rounds began at 11 a.m. Friday, kicking off a PGA Jr. League Regional that brings 16 All-Star teams to Maui, including two squads from Oʻahu, all chasing spots in the 13u and 17u divisional national championships.
The Wailea event is one of 12 PGA Jr. League regionals held nationwide, according to Maui Now. Round one tees off at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, with semifinals starting at the same time Sunday morning and championship matches expected to begin around 11:30 a.m. that day, all at Wailea Golf Club. The tournament is part of the national program, drawing All-Star teams to Maui, according to PGA Jr. League.
Format Rewards Teamwork Over Individual Scores
Rather than traditional stroke play, matches use a two-person scramble format over nine holes, broken into three 3-hole segments called flags, decided by match play scoring, per PGA Jr. League's explanation of how the postseason works. The league's youth sports philosophy leans on that structure deliberately: co-ed teams wear numbered athletic jerseys and field players up to age 17 across the 13u and 17u divisions, according to the Southwest PGA. The emphasis on team strategy and camaraderie over solo stroke play is central to how the league frames the format for young players.
Winners of the 13u division at Wailea will advance to the 13u national championship at PGA Frisco in Frisco, Texas, running November 11 through 15 and broadcast on ESPN platforms. Winners of the 17u division head to the 17u national championship, set for October 22 through 25 in New Mexico.
A Course With Championship Pedigree
Wailea's Gold Course, where the regional is being contested, is no stranger to high-level competition. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and opened in 1994, the course plays over 7,000 yards from the championship tees and hosted the Champions Skins Game from 2001 through 2007, according to GolfPass.
Building Hawaii's Junior Golf Pipeline
The stakes for this year's local squads sit against a broader backdrop of youth golf development in the islands.
With practice rounds already underway and championship matches looming Sunday, this weekend's field at Wailea will determine which teams punch their tickets to Texas and New Mexico this fall.
