The Mesa Hohokams Tournament, presented by the Thunderbirds of Arizona, was held May 2–4 at Alta Mesa Golf Course in Mesa, AZ. The event showcased junior golfers (ages 12–15), both boys and girls, representing 16 states—including 20 Arizona natives and 11 past AJGA champions.
TJG: Hi Pierson! Congratulations on your incredible win, and thank you for taking a few minutes to share your thoughts with us. Many junior golfers go their entire careers without capturing an AJGA title—but you secured your first victory at just 14 years old. How does it feel to earn your first AJGA win?
Pierson: It’s cool to have finally won because I’ve had four Top 3 finishes in All-Stars over the last three seasons but never played well enough to win.
TJG: You fired rounds of 64, 70, and 70 for a three-day total of -12, finishing six strokes ahead of a field of 51 junior golfers. An impressive wire-to-wire performance! There’s a classic saying: “you can’t win a tournament the first day, but you can certainly lose it.” Your opening round of -8 challenged that saying. What was clicking for you on the first day?
Pierson: My approaches and putting. I hit 18 greens on day one and made a few longer putts.
TJG: What were your thoughts on the course and its set-up for the tournament?
Pierson: I liked Alta Mesa. It played shorter because the fairways were so firm, but the greens were good and made you think about where to drive the ball. I was able to use driver six times each day, which helped shorten my approaches.
TJG: Over the three days, many players found trouble with OB and water penalties. What was your strategy to keep the ball in play and avoid mistakes?
Pierson: I Just tried to avoid riskier shots and stay committed to the ones I hit.
TJG: You’ve had early success in junior golf. When did you know you were ready to begin traveling outside Phoenix to play?
Pierson: Probably during the summer of 2022. I was 11 years old and qualified as an alternate to play in the U.S. Junior Amateur at Bandon Dunes. I played good in Hawaii’s USGA qualifier at a course I knew. It was a windy day and I beat a lot of older kids. That gave me confidence that I could compete with them.
TJG: There’s a backstory to your qualifying for the Junior Am. Would you share it?
Pierson: The qualifier was only giving one winner an invitation to Bandon. I tied for first with this kid from Oahu and we went to a playoff. As I was getting ready to hit my approach on the first extra hole, my club slipped in my hand and moved the ball. I brought the official over to explain what happened and called a penalty on myself. I lost that hole 5 to 4 and the invitation to Bandon. I didn’t think much about it, and then a couple weeks later the USGA called my Dad, they told him they knew all about my age and the situation in the playoff and were giving me an exemption to play. It was cool and we started practicing at the windiest courses on the Big Island to get ready.
TJG: When you played at Bandon, weren’t you the youngest to have played in the 74-year history of the U.S. Junior Am?
Pierson: Yep, the USGA confirmed that I would break the record for the youngest to have played in the tournament. I think I broke the record by a few months.
TJG: Can you tell us about the tournament at Bandon and what you took from it?
Pierson: My Dad’s friend, Dustin Brooks—whose twin daughters Claire and Caroline are good junior golfers in Phoenix—was my caddie. He is a good golfer and knows how to act in every situation. He kept me relaxed. Dustin and I sort of had a tough draw playing Dunes on day 1 in the afternoon wind, but we did OK on a really tough course. We had a few bad holes as we played along the ocean but Dunes is the most unforgiving course I have ever seen. Day 2 was better at Trails. The fairways weren’t as firm, and I hit the ball better. We shot a 74 but it wasn’t enough to make match play. Only the top 64 make it. I think we finished 199th out of the 264 in the field, which I thought was pretty good given the conditions. A lot of college coaches were watching, and it gave me confidence that I could play with the best juniors.
TJG: Did you meet some of the players in the tournament? What were your takeaways?
Pierson: Yep, I met a lot of them. I remember how confident each of them acted and how focused they were. One of the first players I met when I arrived at the Dunes clubhouse was Nick Dunlap. He was the defending champ, and as I shook his hand and we talked, I remember how big his hands and shoulders were. It seems crazy that he won his first PGA event 18 months after playing the Jr Am at Bandon.
TJG: You’ve started traveling for AJGA All-Star tournaments at age 12. Would you recommend that to other juniors?
Pierson: Yes, if your game is ready for it. Golf in Phoenix is different than the tight tree-line fairways across the country. Traveling to play also reminds you how much talent there is outside Phoenix. Every tournament there’s a few kids toward the top of the leaderboard that I’ve never heard of.
TJG: Speaking of talented juniors, are there any younger players we should be watching?
Pierson: Yep, Wyatt Brindza from Texas. He is ranked #1 in AJGA---class of 2030---and is really good. His attitude and game are solid, especially his scrambling. I played with him each day at Alta Mesa and we were in the final group on the last day at an AJGA near Houston. We were pretty much tied for 51 holes until he got a bad break on this 3-par and I passed him to finish 2nd.
TJG: Last question: What’s your favorite sport outside of Golf?
Pierson: I’m a fan of Monster Energy Supercross. I like everything about racing dirt bikes—the smell and sound of the exhaust, adrenaline, risk, speed, and being in the flow on the track. I’ve been riding since I was 8 and I just sold my last dirt bike so I could focus on golf. I miss being at the track on weekends, but my parents convinced me it was getting too dangerous. I think the coolest career would be racing professionally for a factory team on the Monster Energy Supercross circuit.
Rapid-fire Q’s:
Grade: 8th
Home Course: Phoenix Country Club
Driver carry distance: 270
What’s in your bag: Ping---from driver to putter
Lowest 18-hole score in competition: 60 in the US Kids Arizona State Championship at Longbow
Ultimate goal in golf: to maximize my potential
TJG: Where can we find you on social media?
Pierson: Instagram
Thank you, Pierson, for taking the time to share your junior golf journey with Today’s Junior Golfer. Wishing you all the best in the exciting years ahead—both on and off the course! ⛳️👏
