Junior Players of Year
Boys Junior Players of Year:
Cooper Reitsma of Ada Tops Boys Junior
Julian Sinishtaj of Macomb Earns 15-and-under Junior
By Greg Johnson
Cooper Reitsma of Ada packs his summer tournament schedule and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s pretty much go, go, go, for me,” he said. “I don’t get burned out or tired of tournament golf. I love the game so much and I don’t really wear out. I just keep playing.”
The Grand Rapids Christian High School junior, who will be 17 in January, has topped a GAM points list for a third consecutive year. This time it was the GAM Junior Boys’ Points list, and he did it by earning points in 13 different tournaments, including winning the Michigan PGA Junior Championship and two Callaway Tour tournaments.
In 2022 and ‘23 he was the 15-and-under Junior Boys’ Player of the Year, and this year he moved up an age group and has been named the Junior Boys’ Player of the Year.
“It’s a by-product of a good summer of hard work and good golf, and I’m happy to have that player of the year distinction once again,” Reitsma said.
A Cascade Hills Country Club member with his family, Reitsma scored 1,062.5 points, including finishing second in stroke play in the Michigan Junior State Amateur, and making the round of 32 in the Michigan Amateur Championship. Drew Miller of East Lansing, a Michigan Amateur semifinalist and Michigan State University golfer, was second with 792.5 points. Connor Fox of Lake Orion and Indianwood Golf & Country Club, who will be joining Miller at MSU in the fall, finished third. The Michigan Junior State Amateur champion had 787.5 points.
Julian Sinishtaj is playing junior varsity basketball at De LaSalle Collegiate High School in Warren this winter, but as soon as it is golf season again, he will head back to the golf course.
Sinishtaj, 15, the 2024 winner of the 15-and-under division at the Michigan Junior State Amateur Championship, earned GAM 15-and-under Junior Boys’ Player of the Year.
“It feels good to be a player of the year,” he said. “I think I had a good year. I was a lot more consistent with all parts of my game, especially scoring. I put the practice reps in every day.”
Girls Junior Players of Year:
Okemos’ Dynamic Duo: Alena Li Tops 2024 Junior Girls and Saisha Patil Earns 15-and-under Honors
By Greg Johnson
Alena Li of Okemos worked significantly on her putting and gained confidence as she improved, but she also concentrated on something else.
“I went into each tournament determined to do my best, but I also tried to really enjoy the competition and getting to play with friends,” she said. “I enjoyed competing more. I had a lot of fun playing in tournaments over the summer.
Li, who will be 17 in January and is a senior at Okemos High School, also played especially well. She won the Michigan Junior Girls’ State Amateur Championship, the GAM Girls’ Championship and the Michigan PGA Girls’ Junior title. It all added up to Junior Girl’s Player of the Year – the second consecutive year she has won the honor. In a non-GAM category, she also earned the Miss Golf title from the fall high school season, winning the Div. 1 state championship as well.
“It was a goal to be player of the year again because I thought it would keep me trying to improve,” she said. “When I won the (GAM Girls’ Championship) in the spring it motivated me to keep playing well the rest of the year.”
Grace Slocum of Traverse City, the winner of the high school Div. 4 state title, finished second with 1,030 points. Macie Elzinga of Byron Center and Spring Lake Country Club, who was stroke play medalist and runner-up to Li in the Michigan Junior Girls’ State Amateur and was a semifinalist in the Michigan Women’s Amateur Championship, was third with 960 points.
Saisha Patil, also of Okemos, though not 14 until February and eligible to play in 15-and-under age group competition for two more seasons, is thinking it is time to move up and play for overall titles with the ages 16 through 18 juniors. Patil was the stroke play medalist and champion in the 15-and-under division of the Michigan Girls’ Junior State Amateur, won the 15-and-under title in the GAM Girls’ Championship, won the GAM 14 & Under Match Play Championship and four Meijer Tour tournaments.
The Youth on Course Michigan member has been named the GAM 15-and-under Junior Girls’ Player of the Year.
