Category: Tournament News

Partnership With PGA WORKS Gives Players a Unique Showcase

Post author By Charlie Hanger
Post date April 11, 2023

The Cameron Champ Foundation has partnered with the PGA of America to revive Junior PGA WORKS, a companion tournament to the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship (PWCC).

The Junior PGA WORKS will feature 12 boys and 12 girls, most of whom were competitors in this year’s Mack Champ Invitational. The 36-hole event will be played at Shoal Creek Club on May 6 and 7. The PWCC, known as the “Most Culturally Significant Championship in Collegiate Golf,” will be played May 8 to 10 at Shoal Creek and Bent Brook Golf Course in Birmingham, AL.

“We are proud to partner with the Cameron Champ Foundation in the return of Junior PGA WORKS,” said PGA President and Director of Golf at the Country Club of Lansing, John Lindert. “Junior PGA WORKS is a terrific opportunity for elite high school players to compete on an elevated stage and experience the excitement of the PWCC.”

This year’s PWCC will feature a lineup of 30 teams and 52 individuals representing 44 Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving institutions and other minority-serving institutions from all over the country.

The 24 players competing in the Junior PGA Works, presented by Medical Property Trust, will have the chance to showcase their talents in front of these college coaches and to participate in the entire Championship week, including PGA WORKS Beyond the Green, a career exploration event designed to educate and inspire talent from historically underrepresented backgrounds to pursue careers in the business of golf and beyond.

“As a foundation, we believe that creating sustainable pathways for diverse juniors from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds is critical to changing the face of the game and providing opportunities for those same juniors beyond the course,” said Jeff Champ, CEO and Co-Founder of the Cameron Champ Foundation. “We also believe that the best way to build these pathways and increase access is by finding like-minded partners for collaboration. We are proud to partner with the teams at Medical Properties Trust and PGA WORKS to mark the return of this event so that the juniors will be able to showcase their talent.”

Junior PGA WORKS was part of the PWCC from its creation in 1986 through the late 1990s.

You can read more about the event on pga.com.

Tournament News

First Round Groups Released for MCI for Girls

Post author By Charlie Hanger
Post date April 11, 2023

The groups for the first round of the Mack Champ Invitational for Girls are set. The tournament will be played on the Nicklaus Course at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, TX, a change of venue after two years at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston.

Defending champ Alona Avery tees off at 1pm.

Awesome Burnett KJ Ofahengaue Roman Solomon Shiv Parmar Tournament News Trey Rusthoven

Rock-Solid Parmar Takes MCI Title

Post author By Charlie Hanger
Post date March 19, 2023

Shiv Parmar is the first Texas player to win 13-18 boys division at the Mack Champ Invitational.

Shiv Parmar is the first Texas player to win the 13-18 boys division at the Mack Champ Invitational.

Shiv Parmar held off defending champ KJ Ofahengaue to win the third annual Mack Champ Invitational on Sunday.

Parmar, a member of the class of 2025 from Selma, TX, was incredibly consistent over the weekend, making five birdies and just one bogey over his last 36 holes. His three day total of 4-under 212 was good enough to beat Ofahengaue by a shot in the 13-18 division.

In the 12-and-under division, Houston native Isaiah Diaz won with a final round 65, the low round of the tournament.

Ofanhengaue was trying to become the second family member to win at Memorial Park Golf Course this season. His cousin Tony Finau won the PGA Tour’s Cadence Bank Houston Open on the same course in November.

Trey Rusthoven of St. Peters, MO, shot 70 on Sunday to finish third at 2 under. Roman Solomon, who won the inaugural Mack Champ Invitational in 2021, was fourth at 1 over, and Awesome Burnett rounded out the top five at 2 over after shooting 69, the lowest final round score in the 13-18 division.

Both of the seniors in the top 5 will be playing college golf next year, Ofahengaue at Utah Tech and Rusthoven at Central Michigan.

This was the third year in a row the Mack Champ Invitational was held at Memorial Park in Houston, but it was the first time that it was an all-boys event. The Mack Champ Invitational for Girls will be played April 13-15 in The Woodlands, TX, at The Club at Carlton Woods, site of The Chevron Championship, the first major of the LPGA Tour season.

Isaiah Diaz Tournament News

Diaz Has Round of the Week to Win 12-and-Under Division

Post author By Charlie Hanger
Post date March 19, 2023

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.

Tournament News

It’s Time to Apply for the Junior PGA WORKS

Post author By Charlie Hanger
Post date March 19, 2023

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.

Learn More and Apply

Isaiah Diaz KJ Ofahengaue Shiv Parmar Tournament News

Parmar and Ofahengaue Tied Heading Into Final Round

Post author By Charlie Hanger
Post date March 18, 2023

Shiv Parmar

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.

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.

Tournament News

First Round Photos

Post author By Charlie Hanger
Post date March 18, 2023

Photos from the first round. Thanks to Mike Major for the images!

KJ Ofahengaue Tournament News

Defending Champ Ofahengaue Leads After First Round

Post author By Charlie Hanger
Post date March 17, 2023

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.

Tournament News