Aileron Golf Club in Punta Gorda hosts Under Armour junior golf event

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (WINK)—Junior golfers from across the country competed in Southwest Florida this Memorial Day weekend for the Under Armour Junior Tour.

The Memorial Day Weekend Championship was the first of its kind. More than 100 invite-only junior golfers spent the holiday weekend competing at Aileron Golf Club in Charlotte County.

"This is the top talent worldwide, we've got some of the best juniors from the nation," said Aaron Merritt, general manager of Aileron Golf Club.

The journey started for many of these kids before they could even drive a golf cart. Six-year-old Ziya Bhatia started playing golf when she was almost four years old.

Eight-year-old Colton Hansel started playing when he was five. Now, these young golfers competed on one of the top-ranked courses in the country while learning lessons far beyond the scorecard.

"My goal is to have a great attitude throughout the whole nine holes, because sometimes I get a little bit upset, and I just want to get that anger down and not let it control all myself and just have fun," Hansel said.

The event has been fun for some of the older players who have been competing with the junior tour for years. Reining Under Armour National Champion Rayan Patel has seen kids from probably 100 countries through the tour.

"Nowadays, golf is the cool sport, right? So we're happy to play a small role for these families and set the stage for them to showcase their talents," said Ray Taranto, president of Under Armour Junior Tour.

Burnd Sunscreen partnered with the event to protect young golfers spending hours under the sun. "I think the most important part is that this feels really professional for them to come out, compete against their peers, and have fun," said Gerry Carry of Burnd Sunscreen.

"Keep your kids skin in the game… that's our motto," Carry said.

Organizers said the event is already on the calendar for next year.