Southern California is where golf prodigies Tiger Woods and Patrick Cantlay first began to receive attention as youths, and 15-year-old Jaden Soong, a member of the Class of 2028 at St. Francis High in La Canada, is on the same path.
On Tuesday, he mastered Poppy Hills Country Club, shooting a nine-under-par 62 to win the CIF state championship in Pebble Beach. He had no bogies, seven birdies and an eagle. He’s believed to be the youngest to win a CIF individual golf title. PGA winners Cantlay (Servite) and Rickie Fowler (Murrieta Valley) are former winners of the event.
It’s just another achievement for someone who came close to qualifying for the U.S. Open as a 13-year-old in 2023.
“This was my personal lowest round and one of my best. I would say everything clicked. Most importantly my putting was really good. I think I made everything 10 feet and in.”
Soong only earned a chance to play on Tuesday by winning two playoffs to receive the invite as an at-large competitor. He said he hadn’t played Poppy Hills since he was 7 or 8 but got a round in before Tuesday’s competition.
He had two birdies and an eagle on the front nine. Then came birdies on No. 10 and No. 11 to go to six under par. He and Evan Liu of Torrey Pines started to pull away from the rest of the field on the par-71 course. Liu was in the clubhouse at seven under after making a birdie on No. 18 to finish with a 64, with Soong at six under with six holes to play.
Soong tied Liu at seven under with a birdie on No. 14, a 369-yard par-four hole. Then he went to eight under with a birdie on the par-three No. 17.
He hit a perfect drive on No. 18, a 503-yard par-five hole and had a 13-foot putt for an eagle before settling for a tap in birdie.
Soong loves pressure and showed his comfort level throughout a round to remember.
Stevenson High in Monterey won the team title.
