Instead of competing against each other as they have in junior- golf events, Chase Nevins and Matt Moloney joined forces to co-found, plan and host a fund-raising tournament.
The first weekend of November, the local high-school-age students played in and ran the inaugural boys 24-player D.C. Metro Cup match-play event at Westwood Country Club in Vienna and Trump National Golf Club in Sterling. It raised was $41,000 for the American Junior Golf Association’s ACE Grant Program, which provides financial assistance to young junior golfers aspiring to earn college scholarships to play the sport.
The players were mostly high-school age, but there was one 12-year-old among the field.
Great Falls resident Nevins is a Langley High School junior. He helped the Langley team golf win this past season’s district, region and state championships. He won the individual region title and was second in the Class 6 state tourney
Nevins will play college golf at Vanderbilt University. Moloney is a Vienna resident and a sophomore at Gonzaga College High School.
The players were captains of the two Metro Cup teams during the 36-hole best-ball competition. Team Nevins won the event 61/2-51/2. They also arranged the pairings and some set up the courses.
“We were approached about doing this, we thought it would be a good idea, and it was worth it,” Nevins said. “There were a lot more details and little things to work out than we thought, and it took a bit of time.”
Nevins thanked the two clubs, which allowed the players to play for free, and local business for their donations and sponsorships. Each player had to raise $1,000 to participate, with that money added to the fund-raising total.
The two are planning to make the tournament an annual event, probably held again next fall. Similar tournaments are held in other parts of the U.S., but this was the first kind in the metro area.
The field included some of the top junior golfers from Virginia and around the region. Some came from Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Nevins is a 2021 Rolex Junior All-American honorable-mention selection. Moloney once competed in the national finals of the Drive, Chip and Putt Championships at Augusta National Golf Course. Each is included in current Rolex Junior rankings.