IJGA student-athlete
Kenny Leseur is the
eighth-youngest player
to compete in a PGA
Tour event and the
youngest to play at that
level since Chineses
amateur Guan Tianlang
competed at the 2013
Masters.
“That’s a special accomplishment, something
that probably nobody in this field has actually
ever done,” said Brendon Todd, who secured a
four-shot victory at the Bermuda Championship
on Sunday. “He should definitely put a feather in
his cap for that.”
The 34-year-old from Pittsburgh, who closed
with a course record-equalling 62 in the final
round, also offered Leseur some advice.
“I would just encourage him to pursue the game
with passion because he loves it and, you know,
try to maybe set some plans for how he wants to
pursue his career,” Todd said. “If he wants to go
play college golf or if he wants to turn pro, find a
coach or stick with the coach you have and just
stick with your process and go after it.”
Leseur produced rounds of 77 and 75, which left
him at ten over, 152, 12 shots shy of the cut.
He secured his spot in the PGA Tour event
after finishing tied for first with fellow qualifiers
Michael Sims and Jarryd Dillas in a 36-hole
qualifier also held at Port Royal last month.
Former IJGA Student
Pablo Larrazabal Wins
in Historic Fashion on
the European Tour
The lame horse normally
doesn’t win the race,
but that changed this
weekend as former
IJGA student Pablo
Larrazabal won on the
European Tour despite playing most of the
last round with no shoes on! He wasn’t even
in the Alfred Dunhill in South Africa until the
week before. Despite this, he got himself into
contention with rounds of -6,-3 and -2 in the first
three rounds. Suffering from painful blisters from
his new shoes, Pablo struggled on the front nine
on Sunday turning in 41; so off came the shoes.
Most would count out the lame horse at the
back of the pack going into the final furlong. But
26
IJGA alumni Shiso
Go (Class of 2017)
of Kanagawa,
Japan, recently
won the individual
championship in the
Inaugural Hoakalei CC
Collegiate Invitational,
October 28-30, in
O’Hahu Island, Hawaii.
A member of the East Tennessee State
University’s Men’s Golf Team, Go won the
tournament by five strokes and lead the ETSU
Buccaneers to victory with a final team score of
29-under-par 835 for the event. Go finished the
tournament with a 14-under-par 202, earning
his first individual win since claiming the 2019
Southern Conference individual title.
Bucs head coach Jake Amos said, “Shiso was
amazing all week long. He didn’t play well in
the practice round but he was not phased by
it. He stuck to his game plan and did not make
many mistakes at all. Shiso was a machine all
week long and the last few holes played tough
today but it was nothing to Shiso. Overall it
was a team effort and we are glad we got the
revenge against Louisville. Now we will go
home and enjoy a little time in the offseason
and then get back to workouts and try to get
better for the spring.”
This is Go’s second collegiate individual
championship win.
taking his shoes off and getting the bit between
his teeth, he dug deep down the stretch to card
a two under par 34 finishing with a 75 for the
day, good enough to pip the rest at the post!
Obviously, he showed amazing resolve and
strength of character, something that we work
on deeply at IJGA and a testament to the
program he was exposed to during his time with
us. I would say the only people not happy with
his win are his shoe sponsors who must have a
little egg on their face for helping to create the
first bare-socked champion in European Tour
history!
We are all so proud of him here at IJGA as we
are of all the amazing alumni that have benefited
from our program!
Congrats Pablo from all at IJGA!