Clean sweep: Carmel Valley 10-year-old makes San Diego Junior Golf history

Carmel Valley’s Kai Molina became the first player in San Diego Junior Golf Association history to record a season sweep, winning every tournament that he entered in 2022. Kai dominated the boys 9-10 age group, playing eight matches and winning every single one, shooting low scores of -6, E, +1, -5, -6, -4 and -3.

“Looking back at our history, current LPGA player Hailey Moore came to mind as a player who won a lot in a season, but she didn’t have first place finishes in all the games that she played in a season,” said Chris Spence of San Diego Junior Golf Association. “Kai would be the first player in our modern history to have a season sweep.”

In addition to his winning streak, Kai has also made 11 holes-in-one in the three and a half years that he has been playing golf. Two were made in the same nine- hole round at the Oaks North Golf Course in Poway, tying the current Guinness World Record of three holes-in-one in an 18 hole round.

Kai, an incoming sixth grader at Ocean Air Elementary School, has been playing golf since he was seven and a half. During his soccer off-season, he went to the driving range with his parents for the first time and found he loved hitting golf balls and putting. When his parents took him to the Colina Park Golf Course in City Heights to play on a course for the first time, he fell in love with the game. After a friendly competition with mom and dad (that mom won and Kai came in second) he never let go of his scorecard, sleeping with it next to his pillow.

This summer, Kai has qualified and will be competing in three world junior golf events: The U.S. Kids Golf World Championship at Pinehurst in North Carolina, the Optimist International Junior Golf Championship at the Trump Doral Golf Resort in Miami, and the Under Armor World Championship at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Follow Kai’s progress and check out some of his golf skills and tricks
on Instagram at @kai.s.worldoffun.