There's something special about playing golf with a loved one. Whether it's with a mother, father, daughter, son, sibling or partner, the chance to share the course together is a gift. Even more unique is the opportunity to compete as a team in a championship setting. That's the essence of the SCGA Mixed Team Championship — an exciting, new co-ed championship event that unites golfers of all backgrounds and Handicap Indexes, offering the ultimate co-ed team competition experience.
In its inaugural year, the championship brought 60 teams, split evenly between gross and net divisions, to the scenic JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort for 36 holes of skill, strategy, and a whole lot of fun in the Pinehurst-Chapman stroke play format.
How Does Pinehurst-Chapman Stroke Play Work?
Golfers “A” and “B” both hit off the tee. Golfer A walks to B’s drive, and golfer B walks to A’s drive. They switch balls for the second shots with A playing B’s ball and B playing A’s ball. After the second shots are hit, the teammates select a ball to move forward with, and the other ball is picked up. The golfer whose second shot wasn’t used hits the third shot. From there the players hit alternate shots until the ball goes in the hole.
Gross Division
A pair of 14-year-olds, Myla Robinson and reigning SCGA Amateur champion Jaden Soong, dominated the gross division with a stellar 15-under-par finish. The duo, who also competed individually in the Underrated Tour’s Curry Cup (Stephen Curry’s junior golf circuit) earlier this summer, shot eight-under on day one, logging a back-nine score of 31 to; put them firmly at the top of the leaderboard.
“I think of for us, this tournament was more about having fun,” said Robinson. “We’re both used to focusing on ourselves and our game…Here, it’s more about making connections and meeting new people.”
With another pair of junior golfers, Isabella Wu and Jed Choi, on the heels of Robinson and Soong, the 14-year-olds turned it up a notch for day two. Six birdies and zero bogeys on the front nine marked a new personal nine-hole best for the duo; 30. At that point, they had built a near ten-stroke lead and coasted the rest of the way.
“It’ s really cool what the SCGA is doing, making a mixed event,” said Soong. “We know a lot of people here, and obviously they’re great friends, so it’s pretty cool to be able to experience this with them.”
Net Division
Meanwhile, Ashley Stone and Ray Sasser clinched top honors in the net division, erasing an eight-stroke deficit to begin the final round on Tuesday.
The couple has been playing golf together for several years, but the Mixed Team Championship was the first time they had joined forces in a competitive setting.
“I love meeting the couples,” said Sasser. “You don’t see a lot of couples out there when you’re golfing, so to meet a lot of them here was great. We made a lot of connections that we’ll travel and play with in the future.”
Ray introduced Ashley to the sport, and now, Ashley claims she plays more than her husband. She's since also entered the competitive space, having won the last two SCGA Women's Amateur Net titles (with Ray on the bag).
“I think it’s just a different way to relate to each other as a couple,” said Stone. “Ray is so positive and just makes the game so much fun all the time. He’s a really good partner. Golf is just another expression of that.”
Added Stone, “I think the net game is just a blast because it equalizes the playing field,” said Stone. “We also loved seeing the gross players here. The young kids were killing it.”