Each year, entrants in the Pepsi Little People’s Golf Championships are invited to submit a letter about their involvement in golf, their family and other interests.
“These letters are exciting to read,” said Nan Ryan, Little People’s Executive Director, “and give us an insight into the life of the players. We had many letters this year, and it was difficult to choose the winners.”
A committee of three Estes Park ‘golfing grandmothers’ formed the 2022 selection committee, and chose four winners and two honorary mention winners.
The winners were Jack Rogers, 14, Iowa City, IA; Rylee Brockhouse, 13, Muscatine, IA; LiLiane Garza, 8, Houston, TX, and Owen Spokas, 14, Arlington Hts., IL.
Honorary Mention went to Alexander Jackson, 7, and Christopher Jackson, 11, both fro Raleigh, NC.
“I am a perfectionist when it comes to my grades,” said Spokas. “I care about them as much as a 5 ft. putt on the last green to win a tournament.
“It’s so gratifying to read about the support these players receive from their families,” stated one selection committee member. “The parental encouragement these young players receive is outstanding, and so important.”
Rogers has played competitive golf since age five. “It has been so much fun meeting tons of new friends and playing the game I love at the same time,” he says. “My dad and grandpa both played D1 college golf. My dad told me how fun the Little People’s tournament is, as he played in it also.”
“I have golfed for seven years, since I was five,” says Rylee. “I am very excited for the Pepsi Little People’s tournament.” Rylee finished 3rd in her 12-13 Girls age Division in the 2022 Little People’s.
LiLiane started playing golf at age four. “I like swimming, weight lifting and gymnastics,” she says, “and I get to practice golf every Saturday with Coach Ben.” LiLiane won her Girls 8-9 Division in the 2022 Little People’s.
Each winner received a plaque and a poster containing a replica of their letter and picture. Honorary mention winners each received a plaque.
ABOUT PEPSI LITTLE PEOPLE’S
The Pepsi Little People’s Golf Championships is an international junior golf competition for boys and girls ages 3 through 18. The 50th annual tournament will be held June 19-21, 2023, at Westview Golf Course and the KC Par-3 course in Quincy, Illinois USA. Competition is held in seven age divisions for boys and seven age divisions for girls. Players in Little People’s can try to qualify for various other major junior tournaments, and be ranked by Junior Golf Scoreboard, GolfWeek/Sagarin and Global Junior Golf Rankings. More information is available at www.littlepeoplesgolf.com, www.facebook.com/littlepeoplesgolf , or by contacting Nan Ryan, Tournament Director, at jrgolfer@littlepeoplesgolf.com, or phone or text 217-257-5718.
Little People’s Tournament Office
Phone: 217-257-5718
www.littlepeoplesgolf.com
