Preston is 2025 GAM 15-and-under Junior Boys Player of the Year

GAM PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Grand Rapids’ Tommy Preston tops the points list for junior boys 15 and under in 2025

FARMINGTON HILLS – Grand Rapids’ Tommy Preston had his two best scoring rounds of his young career in opportunistic moments this summer.

The 15-year-old Grand Rapids Catholic Central student shot 65 in the U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier at The Orchards in Washington Township to earn medalist honors and a spot in the national championship.

And because he played in the general division, he scored a 66 at Forest Akers West and ended the season with a victory at the GAM Junior Invitational Championship.

“I think if I go low it’s because the putter is getting hot,” he said. “I’m making a lot of birdies. That’s what happened in those rounds, and it’s the one thing I’ve been working on the most. It’s on and off and I want to get more consistent with it and make a lot more putts.”

Preston made enough putts to top GAM’s Junior Boys’ 15 and Under points list and has been named Junior Boys’ Player 15 and Under, Alex Clark, director of tournament operations, announced today.

Player of the Year point totals can be found in a drop-down menu on the PLAY tab on GAM.org. Carl’s Golfland is the presenting sponsor of the points lists.

Preston’s announcement concludes the Player of the Year awards for 2025. In recent weeks, GAM announced Elayna Bowser of Dearborn as Women’s Player of the Year, Caleb Bond of Williamston as Men’s Player of the Year, Lori Schlicher of Lewiston as Senior Women’s Player of the Year, Mike Anderson of Novi as Senior Men’s Player of the Year, Greg Zeller of Jackson as Super Senior Player of the Year, Alena Li of Okemos as Junior Girls Player of the Year, JP Levan of Grand Rapids as Player of the Year for Junior Boys and Hannah Kim of Troy as Player of the Year for Girls 15 and under.

“It is a great honor to be Player of the Year,” Preston said. “It really reflects one of my best summers and shows that you are one of the best players in the state.”

He said it was a lot of fun making the trip to the U.S. Junior Amateur at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Texas, especially with friends and fellow competitors (JP Levan and Cooper Reitsma). We played practice rounds, played in the tournament and then hung out. It was a great experience.”

His Player of the Year nomination matched the performance of his older brother Will, who currently plays college golf at Penn State University. Both work with instructor Kevin Weeks of Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in suburban Chicago.

“I want to play college golf and do the things Will did,” Preston said. “I had a good summer and I want to build on that next year.”

Preston, a GAM member through Cascade Hills Country Club with his family, won a tight points battle with 458 points.

Blake Springstead of Kewadin and A-Ga-Ming Resort came in second with 420 points.

Timothy Wageman of Haslett, who had 410 points, Rodrigo Dugarte of Troy, who had 405 points, and Draven Rogers of Fort Gratiot, who had 345 points, rounded out the top five.

Clark said Preston clearly has an abundance of talent.

“He played in a lot of tournaments in the Overall Division this year, which is unusual for a 15-year-old,” he said. “However, he has proven that he has the game to compete with the older juniors. Tommy is a great ball striker. He plays fast, which shows he is confident in his skills, and he doesn’t think too much. His golf future looks bright.”

Related