Golf and family have always been intertwined for Jaden Dumdumaya and his people.
When his father, Stan, was courting his mother, Jenny, Stan’s future father-in-law gave his blessing to the union with one caveat: “He kind of was like, ‘Oh, if you want to marry my daughter, you have to play golf,’ ” says Jaden. “So that kind of changed all of our lives.”
Stan was a high-level tennis player in high school and golf came easily to him, aided by Golf Channel tutorials and instructional pieces in glossy magazines (Growing up in the Philippines, he had no conception of the sport.) Stan taught the game to a son, Vohn, and a daughter, Angela, who both excelled at Rodriguez High in Fairfield. They could have had opportunities at the next level but both walked away from the game, burnt out by the grind. Jaden arrived 12 years after his sister and 14 years after his big brother. For Stan, this offered a mulligan on raising a golfer.
“The golf course was my playground growing up,” says Jaden. “I just listened to my dad and learned from him—we learned together. We definitely had our ups and downs. We had some diverging ideas. I mean, sometimes it's hard listening to your dad, especially when things aren't filtered like they would be with another coach. We both have passion. There’s a fire that is lit between us.”
Nicknamed Little Dragon, Jaden turned into a terror on the Junior Tour of Northern California; he still holds the record for career wins. He moved to Benicia for high school, attending De La Salle, where was a two-time CIF North Section and CIF state champion. Jaden was renowned for a deadly short-game and precise iron play. This skill set was a necessity as he topped out at 5 feet, 5½ inches. USC recognized Jaden’s polish and was unbothered by his size; he matriculated to Troy in the fall of 2024.
His freshman year was compromised by injury, so Jaden’s expectations were modest when he arrived at the 58th Pacific Coast Amateur at Eugene (Ore.) Country Club, one of the elite events in amateur golf, in July. “I was pretty pumped just to be there,” Jaden says. “But I started to play well and get my swagger up (shooting 66 in the third round) and next thing you know it’s the final round and I’m in the final group and then I’m up two strokes with three holes to play. I was just in the moment the whole time but it finally hit me like, ‘Wow, I have what it takes to win these big tournaments, and I deserve to be here and I can compete with anybody.’”
Jaden has filled out since arriving at USC—“all we do is eat”—and now tips the scales at 150 pounds. With clubhead speed around 115 miles per hour and ball speed in the high 160s, he can drive it 290 yards, long enough to compete pretty much everywhere. “I put every pound I got into the swing,” he says. In fact, his hat often flies off during his follow-through, which is becoming a mini-trademark. Jaden takes inspiration from fellow short kings Rory McIlroy and, especially, reigning U.S. Open champ J.J. Spaun, who is also of Filipino descent. “The golf ball has no idea how tall you are,” he says. “It just does its job and goes in the hole, if that’s what you tell it to do. It’s fine, I’ve always been the smallest guy out there. It gives me a chip on my shoulder.”
As for who’s calling the shots on the golf course, of course there is a family connection, as Vohn has become Jaden’s caddie at the elite summer events, including the victory at the Pacific Coast Am.
It is part of family lore that Jaden was 9 years old when he beat his bro for the first time. Vohn now works as a sales manager for a pharmaceutical company and his kid brother hails him for his wisdom. Says Jaden, “I’m lucky to have him as a caddie because we tell each other how it is in the moment. It's unfiltered, and we're able to connect on a deeper level. We have that brotherly bond, and we're able to feed off each other's energy.”
Vohn also serves as a mediator with Jaden and his father when they are bickering about the golf swing. “We still have diverging ideas sometimes,” says Jaden, “and he's like a bridge between me and my dad. He always gets us to a positive place.”
With a laugh, Jaden adds, “In my family, golf is a team sport.”
Carmel Valley resident Alan Shipnuck is the author of nine books, including “Phil,” and “LIV and Let Die.”
