IGA Junior Boys’ Player of the Year – Maxwell Tjoa

Maxwell Tjoa, of Cedar Falls, was nothing short of spectacular this season. The junior compiled six top-five finishes and one victory en route to a dominating win in the Iowa Golf Association Junior Boys’ Player of the Year standings. 

The 4A State Championship was first on the list of top-performances by Tjoa this season. He finished tied for fourth place and followed it up with a second-place tie at the Iowa PGA Spring Junior Open. 

During the American Junior Golf Association’s WestRock Coffee Junior Championship, Tjoa carded his lowest round of the year with a 66 on day one of the tournament. Tjoa went on to win the tournament by four shots and finished with a nine-under tally. 

Tjoa earned his fourth-straight top-five finish with a fourth-place finish at the John Deere Junior Classic Open. The top-five streak came to an end after a strong sixth-place finish at the Midwest Junior Championship. 

The Iowa Boys’ Junior PGA Championship was next on Tjoa’s schedule. He placed in a tie for second and went on to earn a sixth-place finish at the Coca-Cola Junior Championship at The Highlands. 

At Tjoa’s final AJGA event of the season, he carded rounds of 74, 69 and 71 to finish fourth at the Stan Utley and Mid-America Youth Golf Foundation Junior Championship. 

In Tjoa’s penultimate tournament, he earned second alternate honors at the Watertown, Wisconsin U.S. Amateur Qualifier. The conclusion to his season came with a made cut at the Junior PGA Championship. 

Tjoa’s accomplishments and strong play this season gave him an astounding 540.5-point lead in the Iowa Golf Association Junior Boys’ Player of the Year race at year’s end.

IGA Junior Girls’ Player of the Year – Bella Pettersen

After an impressive season in 2022, North Liberty’s, Isabella Pettersen, made a name for herself, earning her first Iowa Golf Association Junior Girls’ Player of the Year title. 

Pettersen opened her year up with a third-place finish at the IGHSAU 4A State Tournament, firing rounds of 77 and 72 for a 149 total. She followed up her state tournament performance with a victory at the 12th IGA Women’s Four-Ball alongside partner, Addison Berg. 

Succeeding her victory at Veenker Memorial Golf Course for the IGA Women’s Four-Ball, Pettersen dominated the field at the Iowa Junior Girls’ Amateur Championship. She claimed the title by 11 shots over Lauren Briggs and Maura Peters. 

Up next for Pettersen was Iowa Girls’ Junior PGA Championship, where she finished inside the top-three for the fourth consecutive time this season. Pettersen went on to place 7th at the Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship.

Pettersen wrapped up the season with a fourth-place finish at the American Junior Golf Association’s Bass Pro Shops / Payne Stewart Junior Championship. Her impressive performances gave her a 320-point victory in the Iowa Golf Association Junior Girls’ Player of the Year race.