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Junior team headed for championships
PGA Junior League World Series being held in Chicago

The Tri-Valley's GRIP junior team, junior golfers who train at Las Positas Golf Course in Livermore, will represent California in the PGA Junior League World Series on Sept. 14-15 in Chicago at the famous Cog Hill Golf Club.

"This team of golfers drew on their chemistry and camaraderie throughout the year," said Pleasanton resident Emily Chin, whose son Alex, 13, plays on the team. "Friends on and off the course, this team of kids supported each other every step of the way."

Under the coaching of PGA professional Andy Nisbet, this 13-member team's path to the PGA Junior World Series began in the PGA local league, where they competed against teams from San Jose, Campbell and San Ramon. Finishing with an undefeated 6-0 season, the team then went up against the winning team from the Sacramento leagues, came away with an impressive victory, and was declared Northern California Champions.

Team GRIP advanced to the Regionals in Los Angeles in early August and, with temperatures in excess of 105 degrees, competed against the best teams from Los Angeles, San Diego and Phoenix in a round robin style format on three challenging nine-hole courses.

After beating Los Angeles in an extremely hard-fought match, the team took on a talented San Diego team in the afternoon. This was a grinding, nail-biter match that came down to the final group. In the end, GRIP pulled ahead and was crowned PGA Regional Champions.

"When the final putt dropped, they were all there to celebrate their success together," Chin said. "Next stop -- Chicago!"

Team members are Alex Chin, Brendan Hopkins, Noah Woolsey, Travis Mitchell, Kirabo Reed, Matt Lloyd, Hayden Hui, Bradley Lu, Alan Chen, Ethan Chen, Jared Khoo, Jared Khoo, Michael Shaw and Drew Kim. Assistant coach is Tony Guerrero; team mom is Sophia Hui.