Sonoma County youth golf team takes home 2nd straight regional crown

A team of Sonoma County youth golfers accomplished something special this month.

The Redwood All-Stars 17-and-under golf team, made up of teenagers from Sonoma County, won its second straight PGA Junior League western regional title over a Labor Day weekend spent in Maui.

The team’s members — Ryan Bello, William Carlson, JJ Scott, Kellen Collins, Will Hoff and Nick Savano — all play their golf at either Santa Rosa Golf and Country Club or Windsor Golf Club.

They are coached by Cardinal Newman coach Demian Reddy.

Held on the Gold Course at Wailea Golf Club in Hawaii, the squad got off to a hot start, scoring a collective 21 under as a team in qualifying stroke play — the highest team score on the day, qualifying them for the semifinal round.

In the semis, the local squad beat a team from San Diego 8.5 to 0.5 to reach the final.

The Redwood players next faced the home team, from Maui, in the final, and thanks to big days from Hoff and Savano (the top pairing), Redwood triumphed 7-2. The pair shot seven under par through nine holes.

“(Hoff and Savano) have been our No. 1 and 2 for the past few years, and they played excellent,” Reddy said.

The PGA Junior League consists of two age divisions: 13-under and 17-under. For 13u, players must be no older than 13. For 17u, players must be at least 14 and no older than 17.

The Maui competition also included two other Redwood Empire teams — one in 13u and one in 17u — that did not advance into semifinal play.

Due to those rules, the Redwood All-Stars will be losing two key members who will be turning 18 before next year: Hoff and Scott. The rest will be eligible to return, along with other golfers coming up.

“Four of the six on this year’s team return for next year,” Reddy said. “We also hope to have a couple of great young players come up through the pipeline and we’ve got eyes on about a half-dozen of them. We hope they can take those spots and keep the ball rolling.”

Normally, the regional champions would continue on to the National Car Rental PGA Junior League Championship — held this year in Arizona — but that currently only exists for the 13-and-under teams. A national competition for the older teams is under consideration.

“Looking forward, it’s a great goal for next year,” Reddy said. “That might be something in play, but who knows.”