Thomas and Lee Secure NYS Boys' & Girls' 14U Junior Golf Titles at Cortland

July 31, 2026

CORTLAND, N.Y. – First-round leader Braydon Thomas claimed the 69th NYS Boys’ 14U Junior Amateur Championship on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff at Cortland.

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The player out of Drumlins Golf Club had a one-stroke lead heading into the 36th hole of the tournament, and hit the green in regulation, but inevitably three-putted for bogey after his 25-foot downhill slider lipped out and he missed the five-footer coming back.

However, the resilient 14-year-old Team New York member erased that moment from his mind and inevitably secured the victory with a par on the first playoff hole (No. 1) over Paramount Country Club’s Justin Jang.

Earlier, Jang had made a crucial up-and-down on the 18th hole, to tie Thomas at 1-under for 36 holes of stroke play. The Met Area player fired the low round on Friday. He played a group ahead of Thomas in the penultimate pairing.

Finishing in third place was Youth on Course – MGA member Zachary Hirsch (+2), who had the cleanest card with a lone bogey on the opening hole, and all pars and two birdies to follow. Collin Helmer of Cazenovia Country Club finished in fourth place (+3). Rounding out the top five was Forbes Zhou of Youth on Course – MGA (+4).

Hirsch, and Bradley Kim (Youth on Course – MGA) were the only other two players besides Jang to shoot under par on the final day, both shooting 1-under 71.

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In the 4th NYS Girls’ 14U Junior Amateur Championship, Taerin Lee never gave up her lead and cruised to a three-stroke victory. She finished at 3-over par 147 over two days.

Her round included birdies on holes 5, 7 and 17 and nothing worse than bogey across the scorecard.

Nina Dahl, another Youth on Course member from the Met area, was the runner-up (+6). She had the low score of the day with a 73 at Cortland.

Elliana Kent of Timber Banks and Xiaoyan (Lele) Liu of Youth on Course – MGA, both finished tied for third (+10).