Page 50 - Las Vegas Golf & Leisure Magazine Winter 2022

FEATURE

JUNIOR

ACHIEVEMENTS

THE LOCAL JUNIOR GOLF SCENE IS BURSTING WITH TALENT,
ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO JUNIOR GIRLS. PHENOM YANA
WILSON AND HER 118 VICTORIES ARE LEADING THE WAY.

Story by Brian Hurlburt
Photography by Jerry Clarkson

hen asked to write an all-encompass-
ing story about junior golf in Southern
Nevada, I hesitantly accepted the assign-
ment. There is so much talent in Southern
W Nevada that it will be devastating for me
when and if I inadvertently leave out a deserving young
golfer in this article, but it’s a risk I have to take. Anyway, I
consulted some local junior golf experts to come up with a list
of top players, so here we go. And, as a note, we limited it to
older juniors to keep things manageable.

Let’s begin with girl’s golf and our featured junior, Yana
Wilson, a Coronado High sophomore, who just won the over-
all Nevada State 5A championship at age 15 to go along with
a host of other local, regional and national victories. Plus she
represented the United States during the Junior Solheim Cup.
Wilson’s talent is immense, and she could become the next
big thing on the LPGA Tour. It’s nearly a singular focus for
her. More on Yana’s story in a few paragraphs.
As of this writing (late November 2021), female Southern
Nevada junior golfers taken as a whole were ranked ninth
nationally by Junior Golf Scoreboard. This high ranking
meshes well with what longtime Coronado High women’s
coach Joe Sawaia has witnessed over the last few years. “The

48 LAS VEGAS GOLF & LEISURE WINTER 2022 www.lasvegasgolfandleisure.com