Freshman Lexi Tuinstra Named ACCAC Region Women's Golf Player of the Year
PHOENIX ---
Freshman Lexi Tuinstra of No. 12 South Mountain Community College women's golf team won ACCAC Region I Women's Golf Player of the Year honors after a stellar 2026 spring campaign that saw her win four tournament, place second at the NJCAA Region I Division II Championships, and post two other top-10 finishes.
Tuinstra opened the season with a victory at the ACCAC Spring Opener on Jan. 27-28 at Tres Rios Golf Course in Goodyear, Ariz., with a final score of +16 (158). She posted the identical 79s behind some steady play.
She closed with four straight pars and totaled 10 overall in her first round, and posted six more on the front nine of her second round. On the back nine, she posted a birdie on the par-three No. 13 and rebounded from a double-bogey on No. 17 to post a par and win the tournament championship on No. 18.
Her second victory came at the PVCC Spring Invitational with a score of +20 (162) over Feb. 24-25 at Encanto Golf Course in Phoenix. Tuinstra opened with birdies on the par-five No. 1 and the par-four No. 4 in her first round. She added seven pars to finish at 11-over 83 for the 18 holes.
In the second round, Tuinstra closed with pars on three of the final four holes and a birdie on the par-four No. 17. She added another eight pars in the round to card a seven-over 79 and claim the tournament title by two strokes.
Tuinstra's next victory came at the Lady Thunderbird Invitational over Mar. 16-17 at Dobson Ranch Golf Course in Mesa, Ariz., with a final score of +6 (150). She opened the event with a two-over 74 that featured three birdies and 10 pars. She then carded a four-over 76 in her second round, totaling four birdies and five pars over the 18 holes.
Finally, Tuinstra posted a final score of +9 (153) at the Chandler-Gilbert Invite on Mar. 31 and Apr. 1 at Toka Sticks Golf Course in Mesa, Ariz., to earn her fourth individual medalist honor of the campaign. She opened with a two-over 74 in which she posted a one-under 35 on the back nine. She birdied the par-four No. 11, the par-five No. 12, and the par-four No. 14 and added four pars over the final nine holes.
On the second day, she had three more birdies on the back nine (No. 10, No. 14, and No. 15), and added six pars to post a seven-over 79 to claim individual medalist honors by five strokes.
Most recently, Tuinstra was second at the Region I Division II Championships with a score of +40 (324) over April 20-23 at Ocotillo Golf Course in Chandler, Ariz. She carded scores of 76, 80, 89, and 79 over the four rounds to finish as runner-up. She held a five-stroke lead after the first day, recording birdies on No. 10 and No. 13 and 10 pars.
On day two, she recorded a birdie on the par-four No. 3 and added nine pars. Tuinstra posted seven pars in her third round and added 10 more in her final round.
She tied for fifth at the Estrella Mountain Invite over Mar. 22-23 at Sundance Golf Course in Buckeye, Ariz., with a score of +32 (176). Tuinstra was also seventh at the South Mountain Invitational Feb. 11-12 at Sun City Country Club in Sun City, Ariz., with a final score of +29 (173).