Lining up a hard-to-make golf shot in front of a hushed crowd of hundreds could make even a veteran golfer nervous.

But let’s add some more pressure:  Let’s imagine your golf game is being shown live on ESPN — while Utah golf phenom Tony Finau is watching.

None of those things seemed to faze Albion Middle sixth-grader Emery Johnson, who scored his first career hole-in-one on the fifth hole at last weekend’s 2024 National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championships. The feat has garnered attention in such national publications as USA Today, Golf Digest, and No. 2 on SportsCenter‘s Top 10 plays. 

Click here to see the YouTube video of Johnson’s slam dunk.

“It still really doesn’t feel real,” says Johnson, who has been playing golf competitively since he was 6.  He was 3 years old when he started hitting plastic balls around his house, and he has not stopped working hard at perfecting his drives, chips, and putts. 

“He’s a perfectionist so it’s a great sport for him,” said Emery’s mom, Brynn Johnson. “With tournaments like this he’s starting to appreciate working as a team and making memories and lasting friendships with all of these kids.”

Emery’s team practiced with purpose over the past few months to make it to the PGA Jr. League Championship. The Utah junior golfers had to best dozens of teams to qualify for the Texas competition, at which they took third place overall.  Their season was guided by Coach Tele Wightman and Assistant Coach Tony Finau.

Emery’s teammates and coaches were the ones to tell him he’d made a hole in one.  The hole was too far away for him to see what had happened. His teammates immediately rushed to celebrate with him. Tony Finau’s son Jraice even picked Emery up in celebration.

“It felt great to have my team supporting me,” Emery says, “When Jraice lifted me up, that was really fun, and when my teammates came from other tee-boxes, my coaches giving me high-fives, it made it more exciting.”

One of those high-fives came from Coach Finau. “To have your first hole in one on ESPN? Come on — now, that’s what dreams are made of,” Tony Finau told PGA of America. “He deserves all the hype he gets for that. He’s a great kid, great player and it’s great to have him as Jraice’s partner.”

Emery says sinking his first ace in front of Finau felt awesome. “He’s one of the best players,” he said. “So, to do it in front of him, that’s just an awesome feeling, because you’re usually watching him. Instead, he’s watching you make a hole in one.”

Emery hopes to follow in Finau’s footsteps and play for the PGA tour. He encourages other CSD students to follow their dreams.

“Never give up,” Emery says. “Work really hard and whenever something doesn’t go your way, just keep on fighting.”