Union City native, Aston Lim, has had an incredible golf journey competing at a great level. Now he is entering his freshman year at 14-years-old on the boy’s team at James Logan High School.
This past summer, Lim has played at several tournaments across the country placing well at several of them. His top finishes since March this year include champion at American Junior Golf Association (AJGA), All-Star at Quail Creek at the Quail Creek Country Club and Resort in Robinson, Illinois held July 3-5, 2024 for boys age 12-15 with a score of 69-70-69 (-7). He was also champion at the Southern Alameda County Middle Athletic League (SACMAL) Middle School League Championship at Redwood Canyon Golf Course in Castro Valley in May for middle school boys with a score of -1. Another championship title was earned by Lim at the United Stated Kids Golf (USKG) San Francisco Tour at the Bay View Golf Club in Milpitas in April with a score of 71 (-1). He earned a close second place at AJGA Junior All Star at Meadowbrook Country Club in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin also in May with a score of 74-68-74. Aston’s personal record (PR) is a 66 which is -6, with seven birdies and one bogie on that score.
“To represent Union City golf on a national stage feels amazing because whenever I go to tournaments, and they announce where I’m from, a lot of people have never heard of this city before. So, it’s great for me to put the city on the map,” said Aston.
Aston’s first ever AJGA tournament first place win was at the Quail Creek Country Club All-Star tournament. After an exciting 2nd place in Racine, Wisconsin in May 2024, Aston was disappointed to find himself outplayed in July 2024 at Mahoning, Ohio finishing at 22nd place. Many were impressed with his resilience, as they watched him plan, practice and put into play what he needed to be at the top.
“I compete with the best of the best in the country in the AJGA,” added Aston. “Winning my first AJGA tournament let me know that I’m able to compete at a really high level and gave me even more points to keep elevating to qualify for even bigger tournaments.”
Each year, a player is only allowed to compete in five AJGA tournaments. The tournament usually consists of over 200 boys from ages 12-15 competing. The initial field size is usually over 200 players. However, only the top 60 players who applied are allowed into the tournament based on the Rolex Golf World Ranking. After the 2nd day of competition, about 40% of the field will be cut based on the scores from the first two days. In the final round, scores from all three days are tallied to reveal the champion.
“My Quail Creek win is the most memorable moment of my career because I finally got an AJGA golf bag that only the winners get and it solidified my position in this sport.”
Aston Lim
On the first day at Quail Creek Country Club, Aston finished third. On the second day, he took first place with a one stroke lead. On the final day, July 5, Aston took a decisive lead of five strokes scoring 70-69-70 (-7) to earn his first AJGA title which he was not expecting until his senior year of high school.
“My Quail Creek win is the most memorable moment of my career because I finally got an AJGA golf bag that only the winners get and it solidified my position in this sport,” said Aston.
His family and coaches are very proud of him and glad to see his years of honing his skills come to fruition at such an early age. He was able to meet Tiger Woods in 2023 at the Tiger Woods Junior Invitational.
“Tiger Woods said during a speech at his invitational that ‘Nothing is ever going to be given to you and that you have to work for everything,’” said Aston.
Aston will be competing in other local tournaments like JTNC and JJGANC until the season starts at James Logan. He is most looking forward to competing in the AJGA Invitational in Louisiana this October, which he qualified for by winning the AJGA tournament in Illinois this past summer, giving a great honor to Aston.
“Being sponsored by certain golf companies gives him a certain swagger and confidence when competing at large tournaments,” said Aston’s father Adrian Lim.
When Aston started winning bigger tournaments it helped him get sponsored. He is currently sponsored by Adidas and Mizuno, who give him free gear to play in. Adidas sponsored him this past June and Mizuno sponsored him in October 2023. Some of the perks of being sponsored is that Aston receives invitations to those company sponsored tournaments and the golf gear he gets supplied with help cut down the costs of the expensive sport.
“Coach KenYetta Agregado – my middle school and now also high school coach – has helped me mentally and physically getting me ready for this next phase of my career,” shared Aston. “To win the invitational in Louisiana would be incredible because some of the golfers that will be there are ranked first in the nation.”
The James Logan boy’s golf season, which competes at the Division 1 level, begins in April 2025 and Aston is more than prepared to begin his high school career. Aston’s goal is to go on to play college golf at one of the top universities in the country like Stanford, Chapel Hill or Vanderbilt. There are many college scouts from top schools present at the AJGA tournaments watching Aston to see how he performs and if he would be a good fit for their school. Golfers in AJGA tournaments are grouped together by skill set, and because Aston is among the top, he has scouts from many colleges watching him.
This is rare for a high school freshman to already have this type of national attention surrounding him so early in his career. Aston wants to choose a college not only for golf, but for its academic reputation. After graduating college, he plans to go pro. Aston is in prime position to make history not just for himself, but also to be the first major golfer to represent Union City on a national level.
