East Aurora Country Club will be the epicenter of youth golf beginning Tuesday, with several Western New York golfers representing the area in the 71st International Junior Masters, the oldest international golf invitational in North America. The event that began in 1953 includes players who are 18 years old and under competing in a tournament format that combines medal and match play.
Among the locals expected to compete against some of the best boys and girls golfers from around the world is St. Francis junior Jack Tebeau, the reigning New York State Federation Champion.
“To say I’ll be representing New York as the Federation champion is really cool,” Tebeau said. “I think this is the first year coming where my game is at a point where I feel I can compete with anyone in that field over four days. It comes with age, practice and experience that go into golf with that 17-year-old just having more experience than you and being better. I think being able to feel like I have an actual chance to compete for the title if my game gets going as it has recently.”
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This week St. Mary’s sophomore Cole Jones will make his fourth appearance in the International Junior Masters at East Aurora Country Club.
Among other Western New York golfers joining Tebeau in the IJM will be St. Mary’s sophomore Cole Jones, who was the only other area player to qualify for the Federation tournament. Jones is two years into his high school career and has become a veteran at the International Junior Masters, with this week marking his fourth appearance. He spent Friday playing a practice round with a few of his Australian competitors.
“This is just a really exciting week and it’s cool seeing all of the kids,” Jones said. “Playing against them, I know I have to trust my own game. I know I’m good enough to play against the best and I just have to trust myself and stay patient.”
Participants from Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Australia, Taiwan, China, Thailand, Puerto Rico, Scotland, Germany and Ireland are expected to be represented. Canada’s Oscar Ricketts is in the field, and he’s a winner of the CJGA Quebec Junior Championship and the 2023 CJGA Mizuno National Championship. The reigning champion, Australia’s Harry Takis, won’t compete this year.
Other WNY golfers expected to play include Halim Habib (Canisius), Brayden Sheehan (Canisius), Joseph Bueme (Canisius), Connor Jackson (Canisius), Matt Rittner (Nichols), Michael Jordan (Orchard Park), Caleb Occhino (Orchard Park), Garrett Senfield (Orchard Park), Enzo Clerici (Orchard Park), Landon Arnold (Orchard Park), Jack Lopinski (Amherst), Mac Quinn (Springville), Adam Cichowski (Iroquois), Peter Monahan (Lewiston-Porter), Tyler Delisanti (Williamsville East), R.J. Delisanti (Niagara-Wheatfield) and David Brooks (Clarence).
Williamsville East’s Tyler Delisanti is among the Western New York contingent competing in the International Junior Masters this week.
“I’m super-thankful to play against some of the best kids in the world,” Jones said. “It’s an opportunity not a lot of kids get. It’s a fun week and feels different than any other tournament because of the international kids. The people here in East Aurora give it a different vibe, making it feel like a professional tournament.”
On the girls side, Clarence’s Kylie Dean will be the lone Western New York representative, with the girls division consisting of 12 competitors. The field will feature Lynne Zhang, the Indiana Girls State Championship runner-up, Yen Liu of Taiwan, who placed second in the South Taiwan Junior, and Yangyang Gu, a top prospect from China.
Last year’s champion, Menglu Zhu of Windermere, Florida, will not compete.
Medal play begins at 7 a.m. Tuesday and continues at 8 a.m. Wednesday. The match play round of 16 starts at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, with the quarterfinals at noon. The semifinals will be played at 7:30 a.m. Friday, with the finals slated to begin at 1 p.m.
