Three of the SCGA Junior Golf Foundation’s former juniors, Aaron Robinson, Aaron Grimes and Gabriel Cruz—all of whom are now professional golfers—mingled with the current juniors during the day.

Former SCGA Junior Golf Foundation golfer and current professional golfer Gabriel Cruz

Sixteen-year-old junior Zebulon “Zeb” Barnes returned to playing golf this past year after taking a seven-year break to focus on basketball and recently shot his lowest round to date at 75. He currently serves as a volunteer coach in the SCGA Junior Golf Foundation’s Player & Youth Development program at Alondra Golf Course in Lawndale. These kids may well look up to Barnes, just as he does Robinson, whom he got to know on Saturday.

“It was awesome talking to him,” Barnes said. “He told me about his backstory and how he got into golf. It’s awesome that I’m a part of this organization where a lot of PGA players and college players got their start. It’s an honor to be connected to all of them.”

The introduction meant just as much to Robinson.

“It’s pretty overwhelming in a very positive way,” Robinson said. “You never know which kid is looking. I hit a shot and then I met Zeb right here and he was like, ‘What’s your Instagram? You guys are valid.’ Just seeing how my game and sticking to it is perceived by the juniors who are looking, inspires me to stay on my A game and inspire the next person.”

Robinson emphasized the importance of events like Saturday’s in helping “youth get into golf and finding out that it’s a game for everyone to learn and get better at.”

“Today was cool. It’s not over-the-top professional,” Robinson said. “It’s just ‘Hey, you want to learn some golf? Come out.’ That’s the most important theme of the game now. Breaking down those barriers of difficult and expensive and opening the door for people to come see if it’s a game for them.”

SCGA Junior Golf Foundation Executive Director Kevin Gigax addressing Camp Jain, as Jain founder, Chris Hovsepian, looks on

In his introductory comments, Jain founder Chris Hovsepian addressed the roughly 200 people in attendance, lauding the SCGA Junior Golf Foundation as an “incredible program and platform for Southern California dedicated to giving our youth a safe space to learn golf and ultimately what this game can teach them about life.” He then asked all the juniors in attendance to stand up and led the crowd in applauding them. Next, Hovsepian introduced SCGA Junior Golf Foundation Executive Director Kevin Gigax.

“Chris speaks our language,” Gigax said. “The SCGA (Junior Golf Foundation) is about how do we create community for kids to thrive on and beyond the course. What we’re thinking of is access and opportunity. When we raise money for SCGA Junior, it’s about what are all the obstacles that exist so that any kid in any community in Southern California has the opportunity to play golf. We really appreciate Jain’s partnership in this and are excited for a fun day.”

After the enthusiastic crowd assembled for a photo, the group was divided into two for a pair of contests each alternated competing in.

Roughly 200 people convened at The Lakes at El Segundo and TopGolf to attend Camp Jain

For the putting contest, all the participants made a circle around the putting green, each putting a golf ball marked with their initials on it. In the water balloon toss, everyone chose a partner and took turns lobbing their water balloon back and forth, taking a large step back after each successful attempt to make the next more difficult.

Juniors and other campers stood in a circle, preparing to putt

A camper heaves a water balloon in competition

After a lunch break, during which many campers hit balls in the dedicated TopGolf bays, got their faces painted and socialized, the entire group reassembled for a spirited closest-to-the-hole competition.

Each contingent of campers was led throughout the day by a pair of “camp counselors,” with SCGA Junior shepherded by Bradford Wilson, the host of the SCGA’s Bradford Plays video series and Kaycee Wilke, the Junior Foundation’s Player & Youth Development Director.

Wilson, who hails from southern New Jersey, said he “jumped at the chance” to be involved in the Foundation as an adult, as nothing like it existed for kids where he grew up.

“To be a part of something like this, really gives back to myself,” Wilson said. “I’m down with whatever Jain wants to do in the future. Especially to benefit SCGA Junior, that’s where my heart is.”

Alysa Davis takes her shot during the closest-to-the-hole competition

Alysa Davis, who turns 16 next month, was one of the juniors who attended Camp Jain.

“I like supporting SCGA Junior because they’ve given me a lot of opportunities to play different events, so I always try to support this organization that’s done so much for me,” Davis said. “This event was great. The games were fun, the food was good and I always enjoy TopGolf.”

Thanks to the generosity of Bel-Air Country Club and Friends of Golf, 20 juniors gathered on the grill room patio for lunch followed by a riveting Q&A with the LPGA and World Golf Hall of Famer. 

Our juniors were inspired to hear that Ms. Alcott began playing in the front yard of her childhood home, putting into sprinkler heads and soup cans. Everyone chuckled when Ms. Alcott shared that her neighborhood nickname was “one more Alcott,” as she always pleaded to have one more putt before it was time to head into the house for homework or dinner. 

Ms. Alcott emphasized remembering that “you are more than your number.” In other words, one’s self-worth and self-confidence should not be determined by how they are playing on a given day. Many girls were encouraged by Ms. Alcott’s playing career successes and appreciated her candid reflections. 

Throughout her time with our juniors, Ms. Alcott, who boasts 33 professional victories worldwide spanning a 40-year career, continued to underscore the importance of preparation and “finding bliss” through the game. She powerfully highlighted the many more opportunities available for female juniors today, reminding the girls that she had to play on the men’s team when she was in high school. 

The afternoon wrapped with autographs and photos and additional tips on how to improve one’s mental game. Thank you, Bel-Air Country Club, Friends of Golf and Ms. Alcott for a memorable moment concluding the 123rd U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship!

Check out the full photo gallery for the event.

Photo credit: Derek Ban / IG: @banflicks

In the initial grouping, the spotlight shone on Latanna Stone, a seasoned fifth-year student at LSU, who was pitted against Rachel Heck, a distinguished senior from Stanford University. The second group showcased the talents of Hailey Borja, a fifth-year competitor from the University of Michigan, and Megan Schofill, also in her fifth year, representing Auburn University. An enchanting moment materialized on the first hole, when the gracious Borja took time to sign autograph books for an enthusiastic gathering of junior girls, sparking waves of excitement and joy.

As the day drew to a close, Heck ultimately fell short in her match against Stone. Similarly, Borja’s efforts were not enough to secure victory, as she was narrowly defeated by Schofill.

Following Saturday’s matches, excitement lingered in anticipation of Sunday’s final matchup, which would pit sixth-ranked Schofill against the 45th-ranked Stone. Our juniors’ enthusiastic and steadfast support for the competitors made for a warm backdrop as they devotedly followed the matches from hole to hole. The juniors showed unwavering exuberance, fully immersing themselves in the competitive semifinal matches.

As with all events, preparation began many months ago. One of my main responsibilities was collecting biographies from the juniors who would be participating alongside donors for this event. The players enjoyed reading the junior bios on our website and we were excited to highlight their accomplishments thus far. We also had quite a bit of work to do the day before the tournament as we loaded our company van with all kinds of supplies: tents, tablecloths, easels and on-course giveaways thanks to the U.S. Open.  

On the day of the Foundation Cup, July 24, staff arrived at 8 am for set-up. Between registration, giveaway holes, tournament info sheets and the tee gift tent there was a lot to do! Thankfully, our team, committee members and Mission Viejo CC staff executed efficiently, and we were fully organized by the time the first juniors arrived on-site.  

By 9 am, registration, the auction table and the Palm Golf Co. setup were ready to receive the attendees for the tournament, and everyone on staff was assigned to a specific role throughout the day. While some staff were taking care of different roles at registrations, others were making sure everything else on the course was ready for our shotgun start at 11 am. After everyone had picked up their amazing giveaways from the Palm Golf Co., which included gifts like polos, hats, towels and utility bags, they mostly headed to the range for warmup. 

At 11 am, everyone rolled out from the clubhouse towards the hole to which they were assigned, each foursome ready with their juniors to have a great day of golf in sunny SoCal. During the tournament, our staff was distributed in different roles, whether it was on the course or with other tasks, ensuring that the event ran smoothly. We had all kinds of different activities on the course, including closest to the pin, beat the scholar and a hole in one competition. From what I heard, most people had a lot of fun playing against our Assistant Director, Lauren Fesler, trying to beat her on a par-3. Additionally, players and juniors received some great giveaways, such as SCGA Foundation hats and U.S. Open memorabilia. Since I was mainly stationed at hole 16, giving out the U.S. Open giveaways, I heard how almost everyone was amazed by this giveaway and relieved they didn’t have to compete against someone for it. 

As the tournament wrapped up, all the players headed to our reception to enjoy great food and share their experiences throughout the day. During the reception, the staff helped get everything ready to wrap up the scoring for the tournament, announce the raffle and auction winners, and mainly recognize the Foundation Cup 2023 winners. 

 As the tournament finished, some of the staff started to do some course cleanup and gather all the material used throughout the day so we could all enjoy time at the reception with the players and juniors. Throughout the event, it was a great success thanks to all the staff involved, making the overall experience enjoyable for everyone attending. 

The event aimed to bring together SCGA Junior participants and elite amateur and professional players in a unique experience that marked the kickoff of the 124th SCGA Amateur Championship, which is the second longest, continuously contested amateur championship in the country with a star studded list of past champions that includes Tiger Woods, Beau Hossler, Patrick Cantlay and Sahith Theegala.

The afternoon included a lively Q&A session with Michael Block, PGA, skills demonstrations and an alternate-shot competition. One of the featured coaches who was also a participant in the championship, Greyson Leach, ended up winning the SCGA Amateur later in the week, setting the all-time scoring record (-21) in the process. It was a memorable and engaging experience for over 40 young juniors and a community builder for the SCGA. For a complete photo gallery, please click here. For a video recap of the day, please click here.

Before I started working full-time at SCGA Junior, I was a youth golf coach with SCGA Junior working for our San Fernando Valley Community. In this role, I met Robert “Bob” Veeh, who is one of our most active volunteers and helps coach the juniors during our programming at Woodley Lakes GC. Bob and I connected over our passion for golf and teaching the game, and I was grateful to be playing with him and introducing him to Alejandro and Judah at the Foundation Cup.

Very early in our round, Bob and I noticed how challenging a golf course Mission Viejo CC (otherwise known as Mission Impossible) is, and we were oozing with excitement to tackle this golf course. We also shared with each other how great an experience this is for Alejandro, Judah and all the juniors in the field to gain experience playing a course as complex as Mission Viejo. The tee shots demanded deep thought in attempting to navigate the different dog-leg left and right holes, there was extreme precision required in each approach shot to many elevated, severely sloped greens, and the putting required tremendous green-reading and speed-control skills to navigate the complexities of the greens. This was a challenge that our juniors are not exposed to often, and it is these challenges that really develop and polish a golfer.

Despite the difficulties of the course, it was amazing to see Alejandro’s high, powerful drives off the tee and Judah’s precision and accuracy with his tee ball and approach shots. Both juniors made some impressive birdies, and it was fun for me and Bob to watch them all day. Bob is also a very talented golfer, and although he doesn’t have the same length off the tee as the rest of the group, his precision and accuracy is amazing to watch. Although we got off to a slow start, our team got on a roll towards the end of our round. I made three birdies on our last five holes to get our team in the clubhouse at seven-under. Ultimately, we were two shots behind the winning team in the gross competition, but we all relished the experience and opportunity to play such an amazing golf course and event.

One of the most rewarding parts of being involved with SCGA Junior is seeing our juniors grow and develop as golfers and as people, and this was something I saw first-hand on that day with Alejandro and Judah. Bob’s support and joy in being involved with SCGA Junior is also something I am so grateful for. His enthusiasm for golf is contagious, and he has made so many meaningful relationships with the juniors that he coaches on a weekly basis at Woodley Lakes. Events such as the Foundation Cup are an honor to be a part of and make me proud to be involved with SCGA Junior.

For photos from the event, please click here.

I received a call from the LPGA*USGA Girls Golf team a month ago asking if I could coach at the Junior Golf Experience area during the Women’s Open and immediately said yes. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to mentor juniors at such a historic venue. Throughout the tournament, we saw over 1,500 juniors, including hundreds of SCGA Junior participants. The kids started the day with a scavenger hunt around the course to encourage exploration and exercise. After they hit their eight designated stops, they returned to our golfing area for a relay race, 3-hole putting course setup and chipping practice with rubber duckies. The sheer joy and laughter of the kids were incredibly contagious and made it my favorite part of the entire event. It was so exciting to see golf presented in a fun and engaging way.

Once the juniors were ready to head back inside, they were welcomed with Girls Golf-themed prizes, coloring and community building. It became the heart of junior golf with music, laughs and festivities.

Being at both the Women’s and Men’s U.S. Open championships this year was an amazing opportunity that led to personal growth and joyful memories. While The Los Angeles Country Club is such a historic landmark, nothing compares to being at Pebble Beach.

Through this partnership, Cisco generously donated 280 Wednesday practice round tickets along with 130 parking passes and 200 food vouchers, enabling the young golfers and their families to witness firsthand the pinnacle of professional golf.

Recognizing the importance of investing in the future of golf, PGA Tour pro Keith Mitchell also made an appearance for a meet-and-greet with juniors, complete with autographs and photos.

The partnership between the SCGA Junior Golf Foundation, Cisco and the USGA showcased the collective commitment to creating a lifelong love for golf. By providing access to one of golf’s greatest events and facilitating meaningful interactions with professional golfers, this collaboration left a lasting impact on the juniors, ensuring they remain active in the game for years to come.

Clubs, gear, tickets and hanging out with @K_m_Mitchell!

With @Cisco and @thescga Foundation, we made dreams come true for juniors this year at the #USOpen. pic.twitter.com/FbjY0WJYyR

— USGA (@USGA) June 15, 2023

En cuanto me encontraba caminando hacia la entrada de Los Ángeles Country Club, mis nervios desaparecieron, solo para ser reemplazados por orgullo y entusiasmo por esta gran oportunidad, gracias a la Fundación de SCGA Junior Golf. Fui directamente a la carpa con productos en venta para obtener mi kit de voluntario y me sorprendió el tamaño de esta. Se encontraba llena de productos de más de 70 marcas. Después de explorar más a detalle y ver algunas de mis marcas favoritas, salí para buscar el lugar donde estaría apoyando. Logre de alguna manera encontrar mi camino a través del campo dónde se encontraba el range, los servicios para jugadores, los servicios de caddie, el gimnasio y otros servicios para el torneo.

Para mi primer rol, me asignaron ayudar con los registros de los caddies. Ayudamos a llenar una bolsa de marca con algunos obsequios como termos, estuches para puros, toallas de la USGA, la revista del U.S. Open y otros obsequios adicionales. Todo esto se hizo dentro de una carpa de hospitalidad designada para caddies, entrenadores, agentes o cualquier otro personal adicional de los jugadores. La carpa tenía un excelente ambiente con comida, bebidas, barber shop, mesa de ping pong y televisores que mostraban el Campeonato RBC Canadian Open.

También tuve la oportunidad de ir a buscar algunas credenciales en el área de recepción de jugadores y fue increíble ver toda lo que tenían para recibirlos. Más tarde ese mismo día, recibí una credencial para el área de recepción de jugadores y me aventuré a esa área privada. Cada jugador recibía una bolsa de marca con todo tipo de obsequios, incluida una selección de vinos para que los jugadores escogieran su preferencia. El área de recepción estaba muy interesante, además de una mesa de ping pong y una canasta de mini baloncesto, había un mago y una estación en el lugar donde los jugadores podían firmar carteles y otros recuerdos del Sur de California, como una tabla de surf. Mi parte favorita fue una pared que destacaba la cantidad de U.S. Open a los que ha asistido cada jugador que participa ese año; por supuesto, las 32 apariciones de Phil Mickelson estaban por arriba de todos.

El lunes comencé mi primer rol de tres como ‘marshall’ en el hoyo 5. El trayecto para llegar al hoyo 5 fue toda una aventura en sí misma. Primero, tomé un servicio de transporte desde un estacionamiento cercano a UCLA y luego comencé a caminar ya que el hoyo 5 era el más alejado de la entrada. Una vez que llegué a la mesa de salida, me encontré con mis compañeros de SCGA y nuestro capitán de hoyo, quienes nos explicó las diferentes estaciones a lo largo del hoyo y el horario para las rotaciones durante el día.

Como ‘marshall’, nuestro rol era rastrear y marcar las bolas mientras se aseguraba de que los espectadores estuvieran detrás de las cuerdas en los momentos de juego. El rol más importante en ese hoyo era sostener las paletas detrás de la mesa de salida. Con el hoyo a casi 500 yardas, pude presenciar muchos drives de más de 300 yardas de cerca, mientras que aquellos con las paletas observaban a los jugadores salir e indicaban hacia dónde se dirigía la pelota para que otros ‘marshalls a lo largo del hoyo pudieran marcar dónde aterrizaba si salía del fairway.

Muchos jugadores tuvieron problemas en este hoyo durante las rondas de práctica. De hecho, una historia que circuló durante el torneo fue sobre cuando Ben Hogan estaba dando el primer golpe en la mesa de salida y su caddie señaló hacia las cuatro palmeras que se encuentran al final del hoyo y dijo que se apuntara hacia ellas. La respuesta de Hogan fue “¿A cuál?”. A los fans les encanta esa historia, y debo haber escuchado versiones de esa historia al menos veinte veces durante mis tres días en ese hoyo.

Mis tres días en el hoyo 5 fueron únicos y diferentes cada uno, el miércoles tuvo la menor cantidad de jugadores en el campo, ya que asumo que se lo tomaban más con calma antes del comienzo del torneo. Fue increíble estar tan cerca de algunos de los mejores golfistas del mundo. Algunos de los jugadores más importantes que vi fueron Brooks Koepka y Dustin Johnson saliendo del hoyo 8, Matt Fitzpatrick (Campeón U.S. Open 2022.) golpeando desde el rough (marqué su bola) y Rory jugando con su grupo de 20 o más siguiéndolo.

Algo adicional a la experiencia de estar en el campo fue hablar con los fans y otros voluntarios, de quienes me contaron muchos datos divertidos sobre LACC, desde el rumor de la enorme casa de Lionel Richie junto al green en el hoyo 4 hasta los sonidos de pavorreales y monos que provienen de lo que era la mansión Playboy detrás del hoyo 13. También hubo mucha gente hablando sobre el rough y la controvertida configuración del campo de LACC para este U.S. Open. Muchos fans pensaron que el campo parecía fácil; otros predijeron que sería muy complicado a medida que avanzaba el torneo.

Todos tenían su propia opinión sobre qué palo usar en cada hoyo y parecían tener mucha confianza en sus habilidades. En general, la mayoría de la gente quedó especialmente impresionada con el hecho de que un campo tan prestigioso como LACC podría estar en medio de una ciudad como Los Ángeles. Al ser originario de la Ciudad de México, estoy acostumbrado a tener un par de campos de golf en áreas urbanas y no lo había pensado tanto, pero asistió gente de todo el mundo para ver este torneo y muchos nunca habían visto este contraste tan increíble.

Throughout the entire week, the SCGA Junior Golf Foundation made a concerted effort to be active in and around Los Angeles to share information about its important work and the FORE YOUTH 2023 U.S. Open Community Legacy Campaign. With that in mind, I spent Friday morning at U.S. Open Showcase, an interactive fan experience hosted at the Century City Mall. This was a fantastic space with different amenities such as a pop-up merch tent, a golf simulator, celebrity appearances, live music, the EA Sports PGA tour experience, and a screen to watch the tournament live. Fans could even take photos with the trophy!  

A lo largo de toda la semana, la Fundación SCGA Junior Golf hizo un esfuerzo de toda la organización para estar involucrados a través de Los Ángeles y sus alrededores para compartir información sobre su importante trabajo y la campaña FORE YOUTH 2023 U.S. Open Community Legacy. Con eso en mente, pasé la mañana del viernes en el U.S. Open Showcase, una experiencia interactiva para fans organizada en el Century City Mall. Este fue un espacio con diferentes activaciones, como una pop-up shop con productos del torneo, un simulador de golf, algunas celebridades, música en vivo, la experiencia del EA Sports PGA Tour y una pantalla para ver el torneo en vivo. Los fanáticos incluso podrían tomarse fotos con el trofeo del U.S. Open 

La mañana fue un poco lenta ya que la mayoría de la gente estaba más interesada en llegar al campo de golf, pero más tarde platicamos con mucha gente en el stand de la SCGA. Compartimos los beneficios de una membresía con la SCGA y cómo los padres pueden inscribir a sus hijos en nuestras sesiones de golf en verano que comienzan el 9 de julio. ¡También tuvimos una interacción divertida al ser entrevistados por algunos pasantes de FOX Sports! 

Mi última asignación fue el domingo del cierre de Campeonato, estaba emocionado de ser parte de este día. Aunque originalmente estaba programado para el seguimiento de jugadores, terminé en las gradas entre los hoyos 9 y 18 para ayudar con el control de fans. Los fans comenzaron a reservar asientos a las 2 p.m., aunque el torneo no terminó hasta las 7 p.m. Fue realmente especial escuchar los aplausos a cada jugador en el hoyo 18, independientemente de su posición en la tabla. Todos los jugadores estaban muy agradecidos por el apoyo, a pesar de no obtener los resultados que esperaban. Ver un torneo tan grande en la recta final fue una experiencia increíble. La energía de los fanáticos era palpable, especialmente al ver cómo cerraba el torneo y la gente estaba tan emocionada apoyando a Rory y Wyndham para tener un final de torneo emocionante. 

En general, tuve una gran experiencia durante la semana del U.S. Open 123, algo con lo que probablemente solo soñaba antes de formar parte del equipo de la Fundación SCGA Junior Golf. Poder trabajar como un evento importante como lo es un Superbowl, una Serie Mundial o cualquier otro evento deportivo importante fue una experiencia única en la vida. Ser voluntario y hablar con personas de diferentes orígenes que tienen un interés común en el golf fue una experiencia muy interesante y de aprendizaje. Recomiendo involucrarse en un evento de esta magnitud ya que es algo que nunca olvidaras.  

I received my shift assignments, and began researching; caddie services, player tracking, to what it might entail for a U.S. Open Championship, as I only knew what the ‘Marshal’ role was. My first shift was on Sunday, June 11th and I was scheduled to support caddie registration.

But as I walked towards The Los Angeles Country Club entrance, my nerves disappeared, only to be replaced with pride and enthusiasm for this great opportunity, thanks to the SCGA Junior Golf Foundation. I went straight to the Merch tent to get my Volunteer apparel and I was amazed by the massive merchandise tent filled with product from 70+ companies. After scoping out locations for some of my favorite brands, I was able to find my way through the course to find where the range, player services, caddie services, fitness center and other services were set up for the tournament.

For my first shift, I was tasked to help with caddie services. We helped fill up a nice, branded bag with some goodies like water bottles, cigar holders, USGA branded towels, U.S. Open magazine and other additional giveaways. All of this was done inside a hospitality tent designated for caddies, coaches, agents or any other additional staff from the players. The tent had a great setup with food, drinks, a barber, ping pong table, and TV’s showing the RBC Canadian Open Championship.

I also had the opportunity to go get some credentials from the player reception area and it was great to see all the setup they had. Later in the day, I received a credential for the player reception area and ventured over to that private area. Each player was gifted an upgraded bag with all kinds of giveaways, including a selection of wines for the players to choose from. The reception area was incredible. In addition to a ping pong table and mini basketball hoop, there was an on-site magician and station where players could sign posters and other SoCal memorabilia such as a surfboard. My favorite component was a wall that highlighted the number of U.S. Open Championships attended by each player who was part of this year’s tournament- of course Phil Mickelson’s 32 appearances were at the top.

On Monday I began my first of three shifts as a marshal on Hole No. 5. The journey to arrive at Hole #5 was an adventure in itself! First, I took a shuttle from a nearby UCLA parking lot and then began to hike as Hole #5 was the farthest from the entrance. Once I arrived at the tee box, I connected with my SCGA colleagues and our hole captain who explained the different stations throughout the hole and the timing of our rotation schedule.

As marshals, our team was responsible for tracking and marking balls all while ensuring spectators were behind the ropes at the appropriate times. The most important role on that hole was holding the paddles behind the tee box. With the hole playing at nearly 500 yards, I got to witness a lot 300+ yard drives up close, while those with the paddles would watch players tee off and indicated where the ball was headed so other marshals up the hill could mark where it landed if it went into the rough.

Many players struggled on this hole during the practice rounds. In fact, one funny story that circulated through the tournament took place when Ben Hogan was teeing off. His caddie pointed towards four palm trees towards the end of the hole and said to hit to towards them. Hogan’s response? “Which one?” Fans loved that story, and I must have heard versions of that story at least twenty times throughout my Marshal shifts.

My three shifts on Hole No. 5 were all unique, with Wednesday having the least number of players on the course as I assume they were taking it easy before the start of the tournament. It was amazing to be so close to some of the best golfers in the world. Some of the most memorable shots I watched were Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson teeing off from Hole No. 8, Matt Fitzpatrick (2022 US Open Champion) hitting it into the rough (I marked his ball) and Rory playing with his gallery of 20+ behind him.  

Another awesome component of being on the course was talking to fans and other volunteers, who were quick to tell me so many fun facts about LACC, from the rumor of Lionel Richie’s enormous house next to the green on Hole No. 4 to the sounds of peacocks and monkeys from the Playboy Mansion behind Hole No. 13. There were also a lot of people talking about the thick rough and LACC’s controversial course set-up for this championship. Many spectators thought the course looked easy; others predicted it would be very tricky as the tournament progressed.  

Everyone had their own take on which clubs to hit on each hole and seemed very confident in their abilities. Overall, most folks were especially impressed with how a course as lush as LACC could be in between a city like Los Angeles. Being from Mexico City, I am used to having a couple of golf courses in more urban areas, so I haven’t really thought about it much, but people came from all over the world to watch this tournament and many had never seen such a beautiful juxtaposition!  

Throughout the entire week, the SCGA Junior Golf Foundation made a concerted effort to be active in and around Los Angeles to share information about its important work and the FORE YOUTH 2023 U.S. Open Community Legacy Campaign. With that in mind, I spent Friday morning at U.S. Open Showcase, an interactive fan experience hosted at the Century City Mall. This was a fantastic space with different amenities such as a pop-up merch tent, a golf simulator, celebrity appearances, live music, the EA Sports PGA tour experience, and a screen to watch the tournament live. Fans could even take photos with the trophy! 

The morning was a bit slow as most people were more interested in finding their way to the golf course but in the afternoon, we chatted with tons of folks at the SCGA’s booth. We shared the benefits of an SCGA Membership and how parents could sign their junior to our golf programming offerings for our Summer Session which begins on July 9th.  We also had a fun interaction by being interviewed by some FOX Sports interns!  

My final shift was on Championship Sunday, I was thrilled to be a part of this important day. Although I was originally slated for player tracking, I ended up in the grandstands between the 9th and 18th holes to assist with crowd control. Fans began reserving seats at 2pm although the tournament didn’t wrap up until about 7pm. It was really special to hear the cheers for each player on the 18th, despite where they landed in the standings. All of the pros were very grateful for the love, despite not getting the results they expected. Watching such a big tournament coming down the home stretch was an amazing experience. The energy from the fans was palpable, especially to see how the tournament was closing and people were so excited rooting for Rory and Wyndham to have an exciting end to the round.  

Overall, I had a great experience throughout the 123rd U.S. Open week, something I probably only dreamt of before being part of the SCGA Junior Golf Foundation team. To be able to work as an important event as it is a Super Bowl, a World Series, or any other major sport event was a once–in–a–lifetime experience. Volunteering and talking with people from all different backgrounds who have a common interest in golf was such an interesting and learning experience. I recommend getting involved in an event of this magnitude as it is something you will never forget!   

This story has been translated to Spanish and can be accessed here.

View photos from U.S. Open week here.