FRISCO, Texas – The rain may have condensed the 2025 13u PGA Jr. League Championship, but it didn’t dampen the excitement when Team California (Daly City) hoisted the trophy on the 15th green.
No. 1 seed Team California defeated No. 2 seed Team Ohio (Columbus) 5.5-2.5 to claim the 2025 title in the rain-shortened, match-play final at PGA Frisco’s Fields Ranch West. Due to predicted severe weather on Thursday afternoon, the Championship and third-and-fourth-place match pairings were determined by seeding after the completion of qualifying rounds.
Even so, the weather continued to dominate the Championship match, with downpours significantly stalling play, including a lengthy delay of more than two hours with five holes remaining. When play eventually resumed at 2:16 p.m. CT, all matches were shortened to six holes due to incoming weather.
After play resumed, it all came down to maintaining momentum. Team California was leading Team Ohio 3.5-1.5 before the delay, and the putts kept falling when the Championship match resumed.
“It was a long day… but it feels good, and we’re all relieved and happy,” said Coach Jeff Allen, PGA, of Lake Merced Golf Course. “Having a hot start before the delay really helped out in the end.”
Isabella Zhou, 13, of Fremont, California, hit the final shot of the Championship, an “unexpected” eagle chip-in that shocked her and put the finishing touches on the win.
“I was just trying to remain calm [on the last shot] because I knew I could rely on my partner,” Zhou said. “Then, without even measuring it, I unexpectedly chipped it in. I was super shocked because never in a million years would I expect to do that.”
For Coach Allen, winning the national title was the perfect way to end the season, especially since most of his team will soon age out of the 13u division.
“It’s just a great, great feeling for all of them,” Allen said. “They came in knowing this was, for most of them, their one and only chance, and they did it.”
PGA of America Golf Professional Chris Yoder, who leads Team Ohio, admitted the loss was hard for his team, but was proud of his team’s performance and attitude.
“I’m so proud of our team, our kids and their families,” he said. “Obviously, we’re feeling a lot of emotions, but the kids have poured their hearts and souls into this championship. It’s been a couple of years in the making, and we’ve got a young team, so we’re certainly going to learn from this experience and keep working hard at it — and hopefully we’ll be back next year.”
The rain also didn’t stop Team Ohio from adding to their fundraising efforts for the PGA REACH Southern Ohio Foundation. The team notched four more birdies today, for a Championship total of 79. With more than $200 pledged for each birdie they made at the Championship, the week’s total will go a long way toward helping grow the game of golf in Southern Ohio.
“There are so many different ways to win, and this is a huge win for our team and PGA REACH of Southern Ohio,” Yoder said. “To raise funds to grow the game, for Veterans and underprivileged communities — to be able to pay it forward is a huge win for everybody.”
In the third-and-fourth-place match, Team Texas of River Place Country Club in Austin, led by PGA of America Associate Travis Rider, defeated Team North Carolina (Holly Springs) 5-3. Coach Bo Bolick, PGA, leads Team North Carolina.
As for the rest of the field, Team Florida (Orlando) finished in fifth; Team Virginia (Dulles) in sixth; Team Oklahoma (Broken Arrow) in seventh; Team Illinois (Lemont) in eighth; Team Washington (Sammamish) in ninth; Team Pennsylvania (Sewickley) in 10th; Team Connecticut (Berlin) in 11th; and Team Kansas (Kansas City) in 12th.