AJGA Blog

News & Notes: TaylorMade-adidas Golf Junior All-Star at Chateau Elan

By Chris Richards (@AJGARichards), AJGA Communications

The TaylorMade-adidas Golf Junior All-Star at Château Élan was a 54-hole stroke play competition played on the par-71 Château Course at Château Élan. The event featured 102 boys and 36 girls, ages 12-15, from 28 states and six countries. The Boys Division played the course at 6,601 yards and the Girls Division played the course at 5,604 yards.

The junior Junior All-Stars…
Both the youngest boy and youngest girl in the 138-player field made the cut in their AJGA debuts. Tyler Lipscomb of Carrolton, Ga., (12 years, 23 days) and Isabella Fierro of Mexico (12 years, 3 months, 5 days) were among the 56 boys and 19 girls to qualify for Sunday’s final round.

…the senior Junior All-Star…
By contrast, 15-year-old Lauren Stephenson of Lexington, S.C., competed in her fourth AJGA tournament at Château Élan. Her track record at the Château Course remains stellar, as she added a win to a resume that includes co-medalist honors at the 2011 Preseason Junior at Château Élan and a third-place finish at this event in 2012.

…and the AJGA All-Stars.
The extended AJGA family came together at Château Élan this weekend, as the volunteers were largely made up of former staff, future staff, current players and staff families.

Among the guest rules officials were recently departed tournament directors, including Annie Giangrosso (@Annie_jo_g), who is a rules official on the Symetra Tour. Two members of the AJGA Intern Class of 2013 got their first taste of AJGA competition by serving as timing station volunteers alongside 2011 Rolex Junior All-American Rinko Mitsunaga (@RinkoMitsunaga), who traveled 38 miles from her home in Roswell, Ga., to volunteer Easter Sunday.

Spouses of current employees drove shuttles, while the parents of Tournament Director Katie Tahara (@KatieJoTahara) managed FJ Live Scoring and monitored their daughter at work.

The roots of the AJGA Family Tree are deep, and they were on full display during one of the AJGA’s busiest weekends.

ANNIKA Invitational Press Conference

By Chris Richards, AJGA Communications

The fifth-annual ANNIKA Invitational began Friday with a press conference that featured Annika, President of the AJGA Board Jim Nugent, AJGA Player Representative Nicole Morales, and ANNIKA Invitational Europe champion Linnea Ström.

The event’s first four champions have hailed from four countries, as China’s Simin Feng (2009), Argentina’s Victoria Tanco (2010), France’s Celine Boutier (2011) and the United States’ Alison Lee (2012) have helped embody the spirit of Annika’s vision.

“The purpose of this event is for me to give back to the game that’s been so great to me,” Annika said. “It wasn’t that long ago that I was in these girls’ shoes so I remember it very clearly.”

Annika’s support of the AJGA goes far beyond this week’s championship, as she is an AJGA National Chairman and has endowed an ACE Grant.

“We’re very proud that, through her Foundation, Annika has endowed an ACE Grant and that means a great deal to us as an organization and the kids that have benefitted from it,” Nugent said.

The American version of the ANNIKA Invitational began in 2009 and is one of Annika’s three invitationals worldwide, as the ANNIKA Invitational at Mission Hills (China) crowned its second champion in 2012, while Ström won the inaugural ANNIKA Invitational Europe in August.

“To start the ANNIKA Invitational in Europe and China really makes it a global game,” Annika said. “I want every little girl in the world to play this wonderful game and to have events on different levels to encourage them to follow their dreams.”

For Ström, her experiences playing in Annika events started when she played in the first of three ANNIKA Cups when she was 13 years old.

“ANNIKA Cup really took me to a new golf level and this is the first time I’ve played an AJGA tournament and this will give me the chance to maybe go to college in some years,” said Ström, who is now 16. “I’m really happy that Annika supports and inspires the future golfers.”

Morales will be one of Ström’s top competitors, as she is currently No. 6 in the Polo Golf Rankings and earned first-team Rolex Junior All-America honors in 2012.

“The fact that Annika is here makes the event so much more memorable,” said Morales, who finished T34 at this event in 2012. “To come back again this year means having the opportunity to be around that wealth of information and to be around such an amazing leader in the game of golf.”

Championship primer

By Abby Liebenthal and Chris Richards, AJGA Communications

Four players remain at the Polo Golf Junior Classic. Here’s a closer look at the finalists that will compete for the coveted title.

• If Ariya Jutanugarn wins, she will become the first reigning Rolex Junior Player of the Year to win the Polo Golf Junior Classic since Vicky Hurst won in 2007. Other girls to accomplish this feat are Esther Choe (2006), Beth Bauer (1997), Grace Park (1996, 1994), Kellee Booth (1993), Emilee Klein (1991), Vicki Goetz (1989, 1988), and Jenny Lidback (1981).
• If Angel Yin wins, she will become the youngest girl to win the Polo Golf Junior Classic in the tournament’s 35-year history (based on available records). She is 14 years, 1 month, and 20 days old today, which is younger than Lexi Thompson (won in 2009 at the age of 14 years, 9 months, and 18 days) and Heather Farr (won in 1979 at the age of 14 years, 8 months, and 13 days).
• If Adam Wood wins, he’ll have done so having survived a pair of matches that went to at least the 18th hole, including a 20-hole win in the first round and a 1-up win in the quarterfinals. “I’ve seen 18 one too many times,” Adam said Thursday evening. “My dad told me I’d better get some Ian Poulter in me so I don’t make it all the way to 18 (in my semifinal match).”
• If Scott Scheffler wins, he will be the first No. 1 seed to win the Polo Golf Junior Classic since Vicky Hurst took the prize in 2007. The Texan ousted four Rolex Junior All-Americans to earn his way into Friday’s final match.

Quarterfinal primer

By Chris Richards, AJGA Communications

After 48 matches and 794 holes, the two 32-player brackets have been whittled down to eight players each as Thanksgiving begins at the Polo Golf Junior Classic. A few notes about each of the quarterfinal fields:

• In all, there are five matches that feature a pair of Rolex Junior All-Americans:
  1. Scott Scheffler (2nd Team) vs. Rigel Fernandes (Honorable Mention)
  2. Brad Dalke (1st) vs. Matt Gilchrest (HM)
  3. Angel Yin (HM) vs. Casey Danielson (1st)
  4. Ariya Jutanugarn (1st) vs. Simin Feng (2nd)
  5. Alexandra Kaui (HM) vs. Nicole Morales (1st)
• Three of the quarterfinalists in the girls’ bracket have never trailed through the first two rounds of match play: Bethany Wu, Alexandra Kaui and Nicole Morales. Wu has led 28 of the 30 holes she’s played, while Morales has led 30 of the 33 holes she’s played. Kaui posted 1-up victories over two Rolex Junior All-Americans, Annie Park and Alison Lee, and her match has been all square after 14 of the 36 holes she’s played.
• By contrast, all eight quarterfinalists on the boys’ side of the draw faced a deficit at some point during Tuesday’s matches. Adam Wood never led his first-round match until his par on the 20th hole secured a win against Jacob Solomon; he has led after every hole since that point. Scott Jaster is the owner of the biggest comeback among the quarterfinalists, as he erased a 2-down deficit through four holes to beat Robby Shelton, IV, 2 and 1, in the second round.

Follow FJ Live Scoring for hole-by-hole coverage of Thursday’s quarterfinal and semifinal matches at PGA National Resort & Spa.

A good 10 minutes

By Chris Richards, AJGA Communications

Last week, Joshua Lee was focused on signing his National Letter of Intent and had no intentions of signing scorecards at the Polo Golf Junior Classic.

Thursday morning, Joshua had just returned his NLI to Southern California when he received a phone call from the AJGA tournament director at PGA National Resort & Spa. Li Wang had withdrawn from the tournament field, and within a 10-minute span, Joshua had committed to the college of his choice and also accepted the final spot in the boys’ field at the Polo Golf Junior Classic.

Six days later and 273 miles from his home in Orange Park, Fla., Joshua is the No. 26 seed in match play after carding rounds of 71-79 – 150. Follow his first-round match against France’s Romain Langasque with FJ Live Scoring.

The Junior PLAYERS in the Twitterverse

By Chris Richards, AJGA Communications

Professional caddies and access to the TPC Sawgrass TOUR locker rooms are part of recreating THE PLAYERS experience. All 78 players were granted the use of lockers used by a pro at the 2012 PLAYERS Championship, and for Grant Hirschman, his PLAYERS experience also included an interaction with his locker-mate Trevor Immelman.

 

Federico fights back

By Chris Richards, AJGA Communications

For Italy’s Federico Zucchetti, Saturday started with two steps backwards. Fortunately for him, he rebounded and ended up taking 27 steps forward.

After hitting his opening tee shot out of bounds on No. 10, a double bogey marked the start of his round on Dye’s Valley Course. Next came the most difficult par 3, the 227-yard 11th, which on the day yielded just five birdies, one of which was made by Federico.

The comeback continued on No. 12, where he holed his approach shot with his pitching wedge from 105 meters (or, as we say in America, 115 yards). Suddenly, 2-over became 1-under. Three more birdies and zero bogeys followed, and the result was a 4-under-par 66 and an improvement of 27 spots on the leaderboard.

“It’s not easy because after a double-bogey, you get upset,” said Federico, who is tied for seventh at 1-over-par. “I hit a very good shot on 11 and then I made 2 on No. 12, so it was easy for me to keep moving ahead.”

Making his AJGA debut this week, Federico said that the strength and diversity of the field have impressed him the most.

“In Europe we play a lot of tournaments, but it’s all European players,” said Federico, whose last start in the States was the Dixie Amateur last December. “Here, we have European guys, American guys, and it’s great.”

Pre-tournament notes: Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf

The sixth-annual Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf will feature 78 players from 22 states and 19 countries (Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States).

Tournament field
First-round pairings
Golfweek preview

INTERNATIONAL INVITATIONS

Kade McBride, Australia

• Junior Male Amateur Golfer of the Year (2011)
• Won 2012 Boys' Victorian Amateur

Matt Williams, Canada

• T4, 2012 Junior World Golf Championship
• No. 2 in CN Future Links National Jr. Boys Order of Merit

Jose Mendez, Costa Rica

• No. 111 in World Amateur Golf Rankings
• Won 2012 Costa Rica National Match Play

Emil Sogaard, Denmark

• No. 104 in European Golf Rankings
• 2nd, 2012 European Boys Team Championship

Bobby Keeble, England

• 2nd, 2012 English U18 (Carris Trophy)

Robert Burlison, England

• No. 81 in European Golf Rankings
• 17th, 2012 English Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship

Pierre Mazier, France

• No. 52 in European Golf Rankings
• Semifinalist at 2012 British Boys Amateur

Gareth Lappin, Ireland

• Won 2012 Irish Boys Amateur Open

Paul McBride, Ireland

• Top scorer for his province in winning 2012 Boys Interprovincial Championship
• 12th, 2012 Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters

Federico Zucchetti, Italy

• No. 41 in European Golf Rankings
• 11th, 2012 St. Andrews Links Trophy

Reo Hiruta, Japan

• No. 5 in the Japan Junior Golf Association rankings
• Won 2012 JJGA Junior Players

Alfredo Ruiz Gomez, Mexico

• T14, 2012 AJGA Golf Pride Junior Classic

Diego Gudino, Mexico

• Won the 2012 Campeonato Nacional Interzonas LII

Kristoffer Ventura, Norway

• 2nd, 2012 European Nations Cup
• Making third start at this event

Antonio Cruz-Conde, Spain

• 15th, 2012 Barcelona Men's Championship

Hampus Bergmann, Sweden

• 5th, 2012 European Boys Team Championship

PAST CHAMPIONS

• 2011 – Gavin Hall (Pittsford, N.Y.)
• 2010 – Michael Johnson (Birmingham, Ala.)
• 2009 – Bobby Wyatt (Mobile, Ala.)
• 2008 – Evan Beck (Virginia Beach, Va.)
• 2007 – Morgan Hoffmann (Saddlebrook, N.J.)

TOURNAMENT RECORDS

From 2007-2010, all three rounds were played on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course. Since 2011, Dye’s Valley Course has been played during the second round.

• Lowest first round: 66 – THE PLAYERS Stadium Course; Bobby Wyatt (2009)
• Lowest second round: 64 – Dye’s Valley Course; Gavin Hall (2011)
• Lowest final round: 66 – THE PLAYERS Stadium Course; Cody Proveaux (2010)
• Scoring averages: 75.54 (2011 total) – 76.81 (THE PLAYERS Stadium Course), 73.00 (Dye’s Valley Course); 76.71 (2010); 76.72 (2009); 76.14 (2008); 76.28 (2007)

News and Notes: Wyndham Cup (day one)

> Off the bench
Jack Maguire (above) didn’t start his four-ball match, but he was the one that ended it.

A bloody nose kept Maguire off the course for the first four holes Tuesday morning. His partner Tae Wan Lee held his own against Brandon Pierce and Sam Burns, as Lee birdied Nos. 1 and 4 and kept the match all square until his partner was able to join him on No. 5.

After he hit his tee shot to eight feet on the par-3 17th, Maguire made the match-clinching birdie. Said his father: “Good thing he’s not a boxer.”

> Something’s gotta give
The ninth foursome match Wednesday morning features a pair of teams that succeeded in the format in 2011. For the East, Matthew NeSmith and Cody Proveaux combined for a 1-up victory last year, while Scott Scheffler and Connor Black shot 30 on the front nine at Eagle Point en route to a 7-and-5 win.

> Wake up, make up and then warm up
Matthew NeSmith and Sierra Sims having late morning matches is part strategy, part publicity. The two players will travel 4.5 miles down the road and appear on the Golf Channel’s Morning Drive. Their days will begin with a pre-6 a.m. wake-up call, a 6:45 a.m. make-up appointment at the studio, and after their 7:15 a.m. interviews, they will return to Bay Hill to begin warming up by 7:45 a.m.

The strategy probably came into play Tuesday more than anything, as NeSmith and Sims both played in the afternoon mixed foursome matches, meaning they only have to play 18 holes Wednesday.

> Winning
Three players posted a pair of wins Tuesday. Connor Black and Thomas Lim each posted a pair of points for the West, while Tae Wan Lee prevailed twice for the East. Lim’s day was especially bright, as he never trailed en route to his two victories.

> Looking ahead…
Based on Tuesday’s afternoon foursome pairings, it’s certain that Wednesday’s afternoon four-ball pairings will be comprised of the 20 players below:

East Boys

• Parker Derby, Columbus, Ga. (2013)
• Jack Maguire, St Petersburg, Fla. (2013)
• Cody Proveaux, Leesville, S.C. (2012)
• Adam Wood, Zionsville, Ind. (2014)
• James Yoon, Bradenton, Fla. (2012)

East Girls

• Sierra Brooks, Sorrento, Fla. (2016)
• Casey Danielson, Osceola, Wis. (2013)
• Yu Liu, (China) Aventura, Fla. (2013)
• Anna Newell, Tampa, Fla. (2014)
• Mariah Stackhouse, Riverdale, Ga. (2012)

West Boys

• Brad Dalke, McKinney, Texas (2016)
• Zecheng Dou, (China) Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. (2015)
• Brandon Pierce, Covington, La. (2013)
• Scott Scheffler, Dallas, Texas (2014)
• Dylan Wu, Medford, Ore. (2014)

West Girls

• Hee Wook Choi, (South Korea) San Diego, Calif. (2013)
• Allisen Corpuz, Honolulu, Hawaii (2016)
• Alison Lee, Valencia, Calif. (2013)
• Andrea Lee, Hermosa Beach, Calif. (2016)
• Lindsey Weaver, Scottsdale, Ariz. (2012)

Written by Chris Richards, AJGA Communications

News and Notes: Wyndham Cup (East preview)

> Recurring Dream
In 2011, the 20 players on the East Team each donned a red wristband (foreground above) with the words “One Team, One Dream.” In the 12 months since last year’s Wyndham Cup, Matthew NeSmith has worn that in every tournament he’s played in. This week it is being retired, only to be replaced with a new one with the same mantra.

> Recurring Pairing
Jaye Marie Green and Casey Danielson won their four-ball match in 2011, and they’ll look to do the same in 2012. The duo will face Lindsey Weaver and Sierra Sims in the eighth match of the day.

> Recurring Success?
Matthew NeSmith and James Yoon will team-up as the only senior-senior team Tuesday morning. Each player will look to draw upon their flawless performances from a year ago, as NeSmith went 4-0-0 last year, while Yoon went 1-0-3.

Written by Chris Richards, AJGA Communications