In the video on ESPN, Jraice Finau rushes to congratulate fellow 12-year-old Emery Johnson on his first—and spectacular—hole-in-one, and one of the commentators jokes, “Be careful Jraice.” The son of PGA Tour pro Tony Finau seems about twice Johnson’s size, but it made the celebration all the better on Friday.
Playing for Team Utah in the 2024 13-Under National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship in Frisco, Texas, Johnson used a 6-iron into the wind from 132 yards to ace the par-3 fifth, with his ball flying straight into the cup for a slam dunk.
Johnson reacts in disbelief, putting his hand to his head before he’s rushed by teammates and then Tony Finau, who is wearing Team Utah’s orange jersey like everyone else.
“I’ve never had a hole-in-one before,” Johnson told ESPN, which is televising the championship on several platforms. “The wind was into us, so I clubbed up a little and hit a little draw in there. I knew I hit it good, but I heard it hit the pin and I couldn’t see it. I saw my other teammates on the next hole, and they ran toward me. Jraice picked me up and everyone was giving me high fives.”
🚨 ACE ALERT 🚨
Emery Johnson from Team Utah with the SLAM DUNK from 132 yards! 🤯#PGAJrLeague | @UtahSectionPGA pic.twitter.com/E7NUKFYdBD
— PGA Jr. League (@PGAJrLeague) October 11, 2024
In the video of the shot, Jraice is standing right behind Johnson when he hits it.
“I was really surprised,” Finau said. “I thought it hit the cameraman behind. It ended up being perfect. It was instinct to pick him up like that.”
Said his dad, Tony: “To have your first hole-in-one on ESPN? Come on, now. That’s what dreams are made of. He deserves all the hype he gets for that.”
The stage was a big one. The PGA of America’s PGA Jr. League has become a popular way around the country to turn golf into a team sport. The teams play in local leagues and then head to a postseason in which they compete regionally to reach the championship week. There are 12 teams of 96 boys and girls from ages 10-13 who are competing this week.
Friday was the first round of two-person scramble, with today being the same format. The top four teams reach the match-play semis on Sunday, followed by the final later in the day.