Whitney, Reiter top talented desert golfers in 2023
Tom Whitney is a former La Quinta High School star and Air Force Academy graduate who spent much of his time in the Air Force in nuclear bunkers waiting for a go signal that thankfully never came.
But he is also a professional golfer who has played just three events on the PGA Tour. That will change in 2024 as Whitney leads a list of golfers with desert connections as stellar players for 2023.
Whitney’s three PGA Tour starts came back in the 2017-2018 season. But he has played on the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour Latinoamericas tour as well. On the Korn Ferry Tour this year, Whitney played so well, with six top-10 finishes including one runner-up finish, that he finished 21st on the tour’s season-long points list. That’s good enough for Whitney to have earned his first season-long exemption to the PGA Tour, and it means he’ll most likely be in the field of The American Express in La Quinta in January.
Here are a few other golfers with desert ties who had strong 2023 years:
Charlie Reiter
Another former desert high school golfer who has played in The American Express is Reiter, who played at Palm Desert High School. In 2023, Reiter had two big wins. First, he won a qualifying tournament for the PGA Tour Canada, giving him full status for 10 events on that tour. While he didn’t keep his card, he gained professional experience. Later in the year, Reiter earned his first pro win in an Asher Tour event in Phoenix.
Hannah Bagnell
It’s been a year for freshmen in high school sports in the desert, and that was true for Hannah Bagnell of Xavier Prep. Bagnell became the second consecutive freshman to win the Desert Empire League individual title with a strong two-day total of 4-over 148, with rounds of 72 and 76 at the Palmer Course at Mission Hills Country Club. Bagnell started the final round with a six-shot lead over 2022 league champion Joanna Bushnell Crist of La Quinta, who made a charge but had one bad hole to end her day and help Bagnell to the big win.
Joanna Bushnell Crist
Crist might not have won a second consecutive league title, but the La Quinta sophomore had a strong postseason. She was the only desert golfer to advance through the CIF-SS individual preliminaries, then also made it through the CIF-SS finals to reach the CIF-SCGA tournament in Chino Hills. There she shot a 6-over 80 to finish 59th in the 120-player field of golfers from Fresno to San Diego.
Palm Desert boys’ golf
The Aztecs might not have reached their ultimate goal of playing in the CIF state tournament, but the team had another stellar year. They were co-title winners of the Desert Empire League with a strong Xavier Prep team despite having three sophomores and two freshmen playing almost every match. The Aztecs reached the CIF-SS team regionals, but couldn’t get through to the finals. The scary part is that all players are back in 2024, including Desert Sun male high school golfer of the year Luke Ringcamp, who will be just a sophomore.
Palm Desert girls’ golf
The Palm Desert team didn’t get past the regional round of the CIF-SS team competition.
But the team, again featuring plenty of freshmen and sophomores, was able to complete what is the norm for the school -- an undefeated DEL season, with both Bella Fuentz and Liya Kakar reaching CIF-SS individual preliminary play.
Berry Henson
Henson has a more-than-respectable resume as a golfer, with wins on the Asian Tour and the Asian Tour’s developmental circuit. But he has never played in one of golf ’s four major championships. That is until Henson qualified for the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club last June. Henson didn’t make the cut at the Open, but the former Palm Desert High School golfer checked a big goal off of his career bucket list with a start in a major.
Max Margolis
Now a junior at Palm Desert High School, Margolis put his concern about childhood cancer, stemming from a friend with leukemia, to a good cause. Margolis took a bold action, playing a 100-hole marathon, hoping to raise $20,000 for St. Jude’s Hospital. Playing a variety of holes at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Margolis completed the 100 holes, said he felt like he could play another 18 holes and met his goal of $20,000.
Joe Williams, Clayton Moe
Getting an award from the PGA Tour section you are in is always a big deal for a PGA of America member. Two local pros earned awards from the SCPGA this year. Joe Williams, of the Indian Wells Golf Resort, earned the merchandiser of the year award for a resort for the section, while Clayton Moe, from Stone Eagle Golf Club in Palm Desert, earned the merchandiser award for private clubs in the section.
Coachella Valley girls’ golf
The champions of the Desert Valley League were led by a pair of familiar names -- Gema Gonzalez, the DVL individual champion, and Irene Hernandez. The Arabs reached the Division 4 team preliminaries.
Kent Karlstrom
A tall blond lefthander, Karlstrom is home-schooled, but that didn’t stop him from continuing his strong junior play outside of high school events. He won two Toyota Tour Cup events, both in the desert at Terra Lago Golf Club and Shadow Hills Golf Club. It’s that kind of play in top-level Toyota events that has Karlstrom heading to Arizona State for college golf.
There were other accomplishments by desert golfers in the last year, some big, some small, some local, some regional and some just personal for the player. But all of the players are to be congratulated for a wonderful 2023.