PGA Jr. League: Where Best Friendships Are Built Through Golf

Golf is a constant in 17-year-old Bella Dovhey’s life — and she doesn’t see that changing anytime soon. 

“I’ve been playing golf since I was 4,” said Dovhey, who’s representing her home state of Florida in this weekend’s 17u PGA Jr. League Championship, held for the third consecutive year at New Mexico’s Twin Warriors Golf Club, Oct. 23-26. “So, it’s really hard for me to imagine a future without golf.” 

Dovhey’s dad introduced her to the game. 

“My dad and I both got into golf at the same time,” she says. “He is a nurse on a helicopter, and his pilot was obsessed with golf and got my dad into it.” 

Dovhey would tag along to the course, and, before long, she was playing every day. She joined the PGA Jr. League program led by Cori McAuliffe, LPGA, at Marriott Golf Academy in Orlando in 2018 when she was just 10 years old. Since then, she’s participated in countless tournaments and competitions, including one 13u PGA Jr. League Championship and the inaugural 17u Championship in 2023, when Team Florida finished runner-up to Team Virginia. 

Dovhey’s goal for the weekend — her last PGA Jr. League Championship before she heads to college — is clear: bring home the trophy. 

“We came really close in 2023 and lost in the final,” she says. “Since this is my last year, I’d really love for us to win one. My goal is to get a win before I age out.” 

While the 17u Championship marks Dovhey’s last chance to hoist the trophy as a PGA Jr. League player, it’s not the end of her golf career. She’s already committed to the University of Miami where she’ll compete as part of the women’s golf team. After college, Dovhey hopes to play professionally.

No matter where golf takes her, Dovhey says the lessons she’s learned through PGA Jr. League will stay with her.

“The team golf experience has helped me know that I’m playing for something more than myself,” Dovhey says. “I’ve learned so much about teamwork from PGA Jr. League, and, now that I’m older, Coach Cori sometimes has me help out with the younger kids, so I’ve definitely learned leadership skills that will help me.” 

McAuliffe, who has coached Dovhey for eight PGA Jr. League seasons, says her growth has been remarkable—both on and off the course.

“It wasn’t just her junior golf career that stood out to the University of Miami,” McAuliffe remarks. “It was the teamwork, leadership and sportsmanship she developed through PGA Jr. League. 

“Bella plays with class, includes others and puts the team ahead of herself,” McAuliffe continues. “That is the culture PGA Jr. League teaches, and it is why younger players try to mirror her.”

For Dovhey, golf has been a throughline that’s shaped her life and will continue to influence her future. While she has some big goals — winning a 17u Championship, excelling as a Division I golfer and playing professionally among them — Dovhey’s most thankful for the greatest gift the game has given her: deep, lasting friendships. 

“Through PGA Jr. League, I’ve made friendships that will last the rest of my life,” Dovhey says. “My best friends are all from PGA Jr. League. I don’t know what I’d do without all the friends I’ve made. Without PGA Jr. League I think a lot of things would be different.”