Brother and sister combine for a rare double in one of the most competitive Player of the Year races in SCJGA history

By Stan Olenik Editor-Publisher, The Golf Club

When you page through South Carolina junior golf record books, you’ll find plenty of familiar names. What you won’t find—until now—is a story quite like this one.

For the first time, the state’s top junior golfers are brother and sister in the same year.

The South Carolina Junior Golf Association has named Bennett Scaletta its Jay Haas Boys Player of the Year and Marissa Scaletta the Beth Daniel Girls Player of the Year, a remarkable double that underscores not only individual excellence, but a family and a program that have quietly set the state standard.

The honors cap seasons that included state individual championships, team titles, and sustained success across SCJGA competition—yet those results tell only part of the story Scaletta PLayers of the Year.

Bennett Scaletta: Carrying the Spotlight With Purpose

For much of his junior career, Bennett Scaletta has been the player everyone watched.

From an early age, his name carried expectations—how he played, how he handled himself, how he responded when things didn’t go his way. He understands that responsibility, and embraces it.

“I think when people are watching you more, you have to make sure your manners are in check,” Bennett said. “Not because you’re better than anyone else—but because respect matters.”

That mindset has helped guide a resume that already includes two Jay Haas Player of the Year awards, the first coming when he became the youngest winner in the award’s history, and the second earned this season through consistency rather than flash.

A Clemson commit and cornerstone of T.L. Hanna High School’s three straight state championships, Bennett credits his perspective to something bigger than golf.

“My faith keeps me grounded,” he said. “Golf doesn’t define who I am. Whether I win or lose, I’m still the same person when I go home.”

On the course, his growth has been deliberate—taking tournaments one at a time, learning from early-season setbacks, and avoiding burnout during long junior schedules. Off the course, that maturity has made him a model for younger players who now grow up watching him the way he once watched others.

2025 Top Ranked Juniors

The rising Dorman senior won his second straight state 5A DI Championship and claimed victory in the CGA Creed and the SCJGA The Blade

3 Erik Erlenkeuser – Anderson, 4 Sage Bradshaw – Bluffton, 5 Dawson Szabo – Greer

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Marissa Scaletta: Finding Her Way—and Finishing on Top

Marissa Scaletta’s path to the top looks different, and that contrast makes the family story even richer.

She was late to the game, tagging along as her brothers played, competing in multiple sports before finally committing fully to golf. What she lacked in early specialization, she made up for with competitiveness.

“I just love to compete,” she said. “Once I decided to really go all in, everything kind of clicked.”

This season, it clicked in a big way.

Marissa closed out her junior career with SCJGA victories, a 5A Division II individual state championship, and a key role on T.L. Hanna’s second straight girls team title. She’ll take that momentum with her next year to Western Carolina, where she hopes to make an immediate impact.

Perhaps the most striking part of her story is how quickly she adapted—new grips, technical changes, and physical training—all absorbed with an athlete’s instinct rather than hesitation.

“It didn’t take as long as I thought it would,” she said. “Once I trusted it, things happened fast.”

2025 Top Ranked Juniors

Caroline Hawkins from Blythewood became the first high school golfer in state history to win four straight state championships.

Hawkins will play college golf at Clemson next year.

3 Ava Romansky – Dorman, 4 Ella Kate Barnett – Galivants Ferry, 5 Arley Jennings – Spartanburg, 6 Mia Carles – Clinton

A Family Foundation—and a Program Built Early

The Scaletta success story doesn’t happen in isolation.

All three siblings—Bennett, Marissa, and older brother Jackson, now a golfer at the Air Force Academy—benefited from early exposure, family support, and opportunities many young players never get. Their grandfather, Merle Lewis, introduced them to the game at Pinehurst, where childhood rounds and range sessions planted seeds that would grow years later.

The family never took those advantages lightly.

“We were lucky,” Marissa said. “And because of that, we worked hard. We didn’t want to waste it.”

Equally important has been the environment at T.L. Hanna, where head coach Eric Bona and assistant Matt Harbin have built a pipeline that starts young and lasts.

Harbin, whose son played in the program, has long been known for spotting potential early—sometimes telling eight- and nine-year-olds on the practice green that he saw future state champions among them. That vision has turned into three straight boys titles, two straight girls titles, and a run of three consecutive Jay Haas Players of the Year.

“Eric handles the program. Matt develops people,” Bennett said. “That combination changed everything.”

More Than a Moment

Siblings have excelled in South Carolina junior golf before. Rarely have they done it together, simultaneously, and at this level.

The Scalettas didn’t just finish strong—they closed the year by redefining what sustained excellence looks like, blending family support, personal drive, faith, and a program that knows how to grow champions.

For South Carolina junior golf, it’s a moment worth pausing on.

For Bennett and Marissa Scaletta, it’s simply the next step.

Ed: Marissa Scaletta will receive her award from Beth Daniel at the Country Club of Charleston, Bennett Scaletta will receive his award from Jay Haas at Thornblade Club. Dates are yet to be finalized