They saved their golf course, and now they’re headed to the inaugural 17u National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship. For a group of 14-to-16-year-olds, they’ve already accomplished a lot, and the future is bright. Today’s opening day live scoring link, Click Here.
Led by PGA of America Golf Professional Darci Olsen, the 17u All-Star team out of Glenmoor Golf Club in South Jordan, Utah, has been many years in the making.
“We have worked for a long time on this,” said Olsen, the PGA of America Head Golf Professional at Glenmoor. “I have been on board with PGA Jr. League since the beginning. I love that these kids have been with me since 2017, and now we’re headed to a National Championship.”
In fact, 2017 was a landmark year for Glenmoor Golf Club. Olsen had only accepted her role a year prior amidst a dispute between the owners, and devastating news of an impending sale and conversion to a residential development began to spread.
Her PGA Jr. League players weren’t going to stand by and let that happen.
Olsen invited the Mayor and City Council members to attend a PGA Jr. League game, where she says, “their eyes were opened on how important and impactful our golf facility was and is to our youth, families and community.”
Thanks to the city’s youngest influencers and the overwhelming public support they helped garner, the course was saved––and it continues to thrive under Olsen’s leadership. Her in-house PGA Jr. League program has grown to over 200 players, from true beginners to seasoned competitors, and it averages roughly 20 teams per season.
“We have some great coaches, players and parents that are a part of our Glenmoor family,” she said. “With the demand, we have added a nine-month PGA Jr. League travel team that starts in January. This year was the first, and it was a success!”
“PGA Jr. League played a much larger role in keeping Glenmoor a golf course than anyone truly realizes,” Olsen continued. “I attribute saving the course to our PGA Jr. League program. It is such a big part of my life and our community. It’s so awesome to now fast forward to 2023 and be taking these same kids to a National Championship. They deserve it!”
Team Utah consists of six competitive veterans:
- Parker Goodman, 16, a member of his high school’s varsity team who can be found competing in the Glenmoor Men’s League with his dad, PGA of America Golf Professional Aaron Goodman.
- Ian Miyasaki, 15, the 2023 Glenmoor Men’s Club Champion and Junior Club Champion.
- Jaxon Erickson, 16, who won the 2022 Utah Junior PGA Championship and represented Utah in the 2023 Eddie Hogan Cup.
- Elliot Bond, 16, ranked 450th nationally on the Junior Golf Scoreboard and 100th in the 2025 class, who has made the 6A All-State and All-Region Teams all three years of high school.
- Jared McCleary, 16, who notched a career low of 62, finished fifth in 5A State, second in the Region and made the 5A All-State First Team.
- Krew Saunders, 14, who made the varsity golf team as a freshman, won several U.S. Kids Golf events this season and won the B Flight in the Glenmoor Amatuer.
The bond Olsen has formed with her team and their families is a testament to the community she’s worked so hard to build through PGA Jr. League. It can be summed up perfectly by an anecdote at the National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Regional Championship in September, where the team’s win clinched their spot in the 17u Championship.
“One of the parents came up to me and said that his son, Elliot Bond, and teammate, Jaxon Erickson, wanted to win so badly for me, their coach,” Olsen said. “They know how much I love this program and have wanted this. It means so much to me for these kids to want to work hard for me. One of the greatest highlights of my career.”
Written by By Hayley Wilson, Published on PGA.com, Wednesday, November 15, 2023