Elk Grove native Jayden Lizama wins Steph Curry’s young golfers tournament
Elk Grove’s Jayden Lizama capped his junior golf career with a milestone victory: his first championship win earlier this month on the Underrated Golf Tournament, a youth golf initiative launched by NBA star Steph Curry.
Lizama, 17, had just started college in Spokane, Wash., juggling a full course load while joining Gonzaga University’s men’s golf team.
Despite that, he returned to the junior tour for one final event: the Curry Cup championship at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey on Sept. 12. The top 28 boys and girls on the Underrated Tour advanced to the Curry Cup, the tour’s season-ending tournament.
Lizama shot 8 under par to win the boys’ title, ending his junior career with a celebratory soak from friends and family.
“It was a really great experience being my last junior event,” Lizama said. “It was really special. I got to see Steph (Curry) and ended up winning the event.”
His championship win came in his final year with the program, after falling short in previous seasons.
“I’m just excited for college and all the events we have coming up,” he said. “But it’s definitely a full circle moment and celebrating that one.”
Learning from ‘one of the best experiences’
Lizama called the Underrated Golf Tour “one of the best experiences” of his junior career as he shifts into collegiate competition.
He joined the program in 2023. Curry launched Underrated as a basketball showcase in 2019 and expanded it into golf in 2022, partnering with the American Junior Golf Association to increase access for student-athletes from underrepresented communities.
“Being a part of that tour was really special as far as having that whole family aspect to it as well,” Lizama said. “I couldn’t say enough great things about that tour and kind of watching it from the beginning. It’s kind of crazy to look at.”
Now a freshman business finance major, Lizama said he hopes to carry lessons from the tour into his college play.
“I definitely learned a lot over those past couple years playing those tough courses,” Lizama said. “It kind of forced me to think smart around the golf course. And as far as just being in contention, you learned certain things like how to handle pressure and stay in the moment.”
Adjusting to college golf
Lizama is taking 20 units in his first year on the Spokane campus while adjusting to the pace of Division I athletics.
Gonzaga’s men’s team traveled to the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational at Eisenhower Golf Club in Colorado Springs this weekend, with another tournament — the Mark Simpson Invitational in Erie, Colo. — scheduled the following week.
“I have to stay a lot more accountable,” Lizama said. “Everything from laundry to classes to workouts to practice to getting enough sleep. So it’s definitely been a change, but I’m very grateful to be here and playing the game I love.”
