Isaiah Diaz of Del Rio, TX, shot a blistering 7-under 65 on Sunday to run away with the 12-and-under division at the third annual Mack Champ Invitational.
Diaz was steady in the first two rounds, shooting 77-78 in tough conditions, but he caught fire in the final round. After teeing off on No. 10 and shooting even-par 36 for his first nine, Diaz had six birdies, an eagle and a bogey to shoot 7-under 29 on his last nine holes of the tournament.
Houston native Luka An finished second, and Raiden Orille of Elk Grove, CA, came in third.
Shiv Parmar and Isaiah Diaz with Cameron Champ.Isaiah Diaz with second place finisher Luke An, left, and third place finisher Raiden Orille, center.
The Junior PGA WORKS, held on the Saturday and Sunday of the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship, is a great opportunity to showcase your skills and network with more than 50 college coaches.
This year’s event will feature some of the top diverse junior golfers in the country, with 12 boys and 12 girls competing in a 36-hole stroke play championship at Shoal Creek Club in Shoal Creek, AL, on May 6 and 7.
Shiv Parmar had three birdies and no bogeys on Saturday.
KJ Ofahengaue and Shiv Parmar are tied heading into the final round of the Mack Champ Invitational at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston.
Ofahengaue (2023), from Lehi, UT, finished with consecutive bogeys on Saturday but still managed a 2-under 70 to get to 3 under for the tournament. Parmar (2025), from Selma, TX, fired a 3-under 69 to go with Friday’s 72.
KJ OfahengaueIsaiah Diaz
Morgan Riley (2025) of Raleigh, NC, is just a shot back at 2 under. Trey Rusthoven (2023) of St. Peters, MO, is even. Roman Solomon (2025), who won the inaugural Mack Champ Invitational in 2021, is 1 over. (Full leaderboard.)
After a cut on Saturday afternoon, the low 50% of the field plus ties in the 13-18 division will advance to Sunday’s final round.
In the 12-and-under division, Isaiah Diaz of Del Rio, TX, shot 77 on Friday and 78 on Saturday to lead Houston native Luke An by 7 shots heading into the final round.
KJ Ofahengaue is proving once again that he can handle tough conditions.
On a day that featured rain, high winds, clouds and temperatures in the mid-50s, Ofahengaue was consistent, making four birdies and three bogeys to finish the day at one-under 71. He won last year’s tournament with a gutsy performance on another gusty day at Memorial Park Golf Course.
He has a one-shot lead over Shiv Parmar of Selma, TX. Morgan Riley of Raleigh, NC, and Trey Rusthoven of St. Peters, MO, are two back at one over. (See the full leaderboard here.)
Ofahengaue has come from Lehi, UT, to play in all three Mack Champ Invitationals, and he hasn’t come alone. This year’s field also features his younger brothers Toa (class of 2025) and Jordan (class of 2029). His older brother Helaman played in 2021 and is now on the football team at the University of Utah. But the most famous athlete in the family is their cousin, PGA Tour star Tony Finau.
KJ will graduate this year and has committed to play college golf at Utah Tech.
In the 12-and-under division, Isaiah Diaz of Del Rio, TX, shot 77 to take the early lead. Houston native Luke An is six shots back after shooting 83.
The second round gets underway at 8am Saturday, and the final round will be played on Sunday after a Saturday night cut.
Thanks to the AJGA, players at this year’s Mack Champ Invitational will be playing for more than a trophy.
The winners of the MCI for Boys and MCI for Girls will become fully exempt AJGA members, and players who finish near the top will earn Performance Stars as part of the AJGA’s Performance Based Entry program.
Players will earn :
12 stars for finishing second to fourth
8 stars for finishing fifth to eighth
4 stars for finishing ninth to 15th
The AJGA is the premier junior golf circuit in the United States and hosts more than 120 events every year. The AJGA is dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf.
Cameron Champ with 2022 Mack Champ Invitational trophy winners.
MCI for Girls The Club at Carlton Woods April 13-15, 2023 Field: 48 Players Apply today!
MCI for Boys Memorial Park Golf Course March 16-19, 2023 Field: 72 Players Apply today!
The Mack Champ Invitational is introducing significant changes in 2023 that will give our junior golfers even more opportunities to shine.
We are creating a separate girls’ event in April that will be played at the site of The Chevron Championship, the first major of the LPGA Tour season. Our boys’ event is adding a third round, which means players can earn World Amateur Golf Ranking points, a first for the MCI.
Both events will have two age divisions, 13-18 and 12-and-under. The girls will play 36 holes with a field of 48 players, while the boys will play 54 holes with a field of 72. The boys’ event will have a cut after the first two rounds, with the low 50% of the field including ties advancing to the final round.
The MCI, inspired by the memory of Mack Champ, was created not only to provide a competitive experience for junior golfers of diverse backgrounds, but also to serve as a springboard into top-tier tournaments and college scholarships while creating an environment where players and families can build relationships that last a lifetime.
We believe these changes will help us deliver on our objectives and have a positive impact on these junior golfers now and for many years to come.
Alona Avery and KJ Ofahengaue, the 2022 MCI champs, with Cameron Champ.
What a thrill to see these great junior golfers moving on to college competition! We’ll be following them all and can’t wait to see what they do on the course and in the classroom.
