AJGA Blog

Sights set on Wyndham Cup

Tiger Woods, Rickie Fowler, Stewart Cink, Hunter Mahan.

For Chad Cox of Charlotte, N.C., and Byron Meth of San Diego, the possibility of adding their names to this list of notable Wyndham Cup participants is becoming more of a reality with each tournament played.

Heading into the FJ Invitational, Meth and Cox were both No. 18 on the Priority List and had work to do to make the Wyndham Cup teams, which will be finalized in less than a month.

“I have this tournament and Rolex Tournament of Champions to try to get on the team, and I really want to make the top eight,” Meth said.

Aside from the honor of playing in such a prestigious event, both players said they think participating would help them as they play at the next level.

“It’d be really fun to go out there and have fun in a tournament and not worry about, in this case making a cut, and to not be worrying about yourself but to worry about your team,” said Cox, who has verbally committed to NC State. “It gets you prepared for college golf.”

Meth, who has signed a National Letter of Intent to play at the University of the Pacific in the fall, echoed Cox’s sentiment.

“It’s a whole different vibe in the tournament because you’re rooting for one another, instead of a tournament like this where you want other guys to do well but you really want to do better yourself,” Meth said. “It’d be nice preparation going into college.”

Heading into the final round of the FJ Invitational at Sedgefield Country Club, Meth and Cox find themselves tied for second, six shots off the lead. With a PGA TOUR exemption on the line, Friday’s final round could pay even bigger dividends for these two Wyndham Cup hopefuls.

By Ben Marshall, AJGA Communications

One week, two cuts

On Saturday, Cory Sciupider finished on top in the Tarheel Youth Golf Association Qualifier to earn his spot in the FJ Invitational, shooting an impressive 6-under-par 29 in the rain-shortened qualifier at Sedgefield Country Club.

Now, Sciupider survived the 54-hole cut and earned his spot in the final round of his first Invitational and third AJGA tournament.

“This is definitely a special event,” he said. “It’s a lot different than the other AJGA events, but it’s a lot of fun.”

Last year, he finished fifth at the Woodward Video Junior at The Greenbrier and was the first-round leader at the Golf Pride Junior Classic. Sciupider, who lives 200 miles away from Greensboro in Etowah, N.C., hasn’t had the low score that he shot in the qualifier, but it hasn’t stopped his mother from supporting him.

“When she’s not moaning at me after missing short putts, then she’s cheering,” he said.

After three rounds, Sciupider is tied for 42^nd with an 8-over-par 218 (71-76-71) tournament total. With nothing to lose, he says he plans on playing aggressively in the final round.

“I’m just going to fire at pins and see if I can shoot in the 60s,” he said. “I’m going for everything. I’m not going to hold anything back for tomorrow. I might as well go as low as possible.”

By Tim Wing, AJGA Communications

Dalke proves age is just a number

Just two months ago, 13-year-old Brad Dalke was competing in the Under Armour® / Hunter Mahan Championship as one of the youngest juniors in the field. At the time, he was No. 858 in the Polo Golf Rankings and playing in his fifth AJGA event. Today, Dalke sits among some of the world’s best junior golfers at the FJ Invitational and has climbed to No. 7 in the Polo Golf Rankings.

Since April, Dalke finished second at the Laredo Energy Junior at Traditions and was victorious at Grayhawk Golf Club in the Thunderbird International Junior, becoming the youngest boy to win an Invitational in AJGA history.

“I went into Thunderbird just trying to get in the top half,” Dalke said. “After the first few days I had a chance to win and it was pretty fun to be able to go through from the first and last day shooting a good round felt awesome.”

As the youngest of seven children, Dalke found his niche to golf at a young age and he continues to improve as he grows older.

“My dad and I would always challenge each other,” Dalke said. “It really got my competitive spirits up.”

Dalke’s competitive edge continues to be displayed throughout his young golf career. Not only has Dalke jumped in the Polo Golf Rankings, his confidence to play with the best is always in mind.

His sights are set on earning a spot on the West Wyndham Cup Team this July, and he plans to play in tournaments ranging from the Junior PGA Championship to the Evian Masters Junior Cup in France.

“I go in there and I know I’m the youngest but I have to go in there and know that I can compete with these guys even on a bad day I’m still in there with them,” Dalke said. “You know to play your best and it doesn’t matter your age you still have to play well.”

By Denae Olberding, AJGA Communications

Kesterson’s comeback starts at Sedgefield

Tanner Kesterson’s FJ Invitational title defense started Tuesday with a ho-hum round of 72. Though he’s nine shots off the pace, his score doesn’t reflect the 246 days that have passed since he last posted an AJGA tournament round.

Last October, Tanner suffered from three fractured vertebrae when he fell off a 12-foot ledge onto concrete in a golf cart accident. Surgery wasn’t needed, but he was bedridden for six weeks and wasn’t able to walk outside the house until eight weeks after the accident.

“This is what I’ve worked for. This is what I do every day. These are my dreams, so it was tough when the doctor said it was going to be six months,” Tanner said. “It was scary, so I’m just thankful to be out here playing again. It makes me look at life a lot differently.”

He tried to play at the HP Boys Championship at Carlton Woods in February, but withdrew after nine holes. Even then, he didn’t have clearance to use every club in his bag – he couldn’t hit driver until mid-March.

“I played well with the 3-wood. It taught me how to score a little bit better, that you don’t always need to bomb it off the tee,” Tanner said.

According to his doctors, it will take 12 to 18 months for his vertebrae to completely heal. After adhering to ball count limitations for several months, Tanner can now practice at his own pace.

“I’ll feel it after a round, probably because I’m walking and I’m grinding everything out. But if I feel it, I’ll take a couple days off and just do short game,” he said. “This is something I want to do for the rest of my life so I’m not in any rush.”

A light summer schedule will include a couple amateur events, including a U.S. Amateur qualifier, but the recent high school graduate said that he’s focused on enjoying his summer before starting at Oklahoma State in the fall.

Tanner said he’s excited to be making his return at Sedgefield Country Club – a course where he claimed his first Invitational title and made his PGA TOUR debut last August. But above all else, he’s focused on the positives that have emerged from his accident last fall.

“I don’t know how most other kids would take it, but you can either take it in a negative way or a positive way. You have to look at the positive things through all of it,” Tanner said. “I just try to look at all the positives because if I look at the negatives, it’d be really hard because there are a lot of them. I just don’t think about them.”

By Chris Richards, AJGA Communications

Photo Finish – Twitter Rewind

With a sponsor’s exemption to the Wyndham Championship on the line, all six players in the final two groups had a piece of the lead during the final round at the FootJoy Invitational.

Read the updates from the AJGA’s Twitter (@AJGAGolf) and see how the exciting ending unfolded.

· Paolucci rolls in a sidehill 20 footer for birdie on No. 14 to pull within one of Kesterson.

· Kang chips in for eagle on No. 15 to get within 3 at 6-under-par.

· After stuffing his tee shot to 3 ft on No. 16, Kesterson answer back with a birdie and reclaims a one-shot lead.

· McCarthy hits his second shot on No. 15 to 15 feet...he doesn't convert the eagle, but taps in for birdie to get to 7-under.

· Paolucci fails to get up-and-down for birdie on No. 15 and settles for par on the short par 5. He remains at 8-under, 2 shots back.

· Kesterson's 3-putt on No. 17 brings him back to 9-under and in a tie with Thomas as they head to the long par-4 18th hole.

· Paolucci rolls in a 5-foot birdie putt on No. 16, which brings him to 9-under and creates a 3-way tie with 2 holes remaining.

· Kesterson pipes his drive on No. 18, Thomas finds the right rough.

· Paolucci smashes his drive on No. 17 and has only 90 yrds in to tucked back left hole location.

· From 205, Kesterson's approach finishes 15 feet behind the hole. Thomas short of the green in 2, tough third shot to front hole.

· Paolucci will have an uphill 20-ft birdie putt on No. 17.

· Thomas tries to use the ridge as a backboard, doesn't come back all the way. Will have a slippery 10 ft par putt to remain at 9.

· Kesterson's gonna give Thomas a bit of a read on his 15-ft birdie bid.

· Kesterson's birdie putt never has a chance, but easily taps in for par to post 9-under.

· While Kesterson was busy 2 putting, Paolucci dies his birdie putt in the side door to take the lead with one to go.

· Thomas also misses his putt on the low side, two putts for bogey and finishes at 8-under.

· With a 1-shot lead, Paolucci snipe hooks his drive into the trees on No. 18.

· Paolucci's drive ends up in No. 10 rough, about 50 yards left of the fairway. No chance to hit the green.

· http://twitpic.com/1xvrfo This was where Paolucci's drive ended.

· http://twitpic.com/1xvs3v After punching out, Paolucci hits hybrid right of green. Impossible up-and-down needed to force playoff.

· Pin sheet says Paolucci has 4 paces to work with. Great flop gives him a chance. Must make 18 footer for bogey and to force playoff

· Paolucci gives his bogey putt a great run, just misses on the low side. Finishes T2 with Thomas.

· Congrats to Tanner Kesterson, winner of the 2010 FootJoy Invitational and Wyndham Championship sponsor's exemption!

Helping Hands at FootJoy

I arrived to the FootJoy Invitational with an open mind. I knew I would have the pleasure of seeing some of the best junior golfers, but I never expected to hear about their incredible efforts off the course.

I helped shoot video for an AJGA video and had no idea what I was about to experience. I arrived to a driving range where Special Olympics athletes were practicing. It almost brought tears to my eyes as they each spoke about a junior, expressing their gratitude and love for him.

The junior everyone spoke so highly of was Drew Johnson, the 2010 winner of the USGA-AJGA Presidents’ Award.

The USGA-AJGA Presidents’ Award recognizes one boy and one girl junior golfer who demonstrate leadership, character and community service through their involvement with Leadership Links – a joint initiative founded in 2010 by the USGA and AJGA to further develop junior golfers through volunteerism and charitable giving.

Johnson spends time with the athletes at the driving range where he gives them lessons. He was unable to be there the day I went and you could tell he was missed. All I heard was, “Where’s Drew? Where’s Drew?”

Johnson has worked over the last eight years to raise money for the Special Olympics through his tournament. It was such an awe-inspiring experience as I was able to see the direct impact Drew has had in their lives.

“It started through a friend at church who’s a Special Olympic athlete,” Johnson said. “We all practiced down at a local driving range, so seeing what it meant to them and how much they enjoyed my company made me want to do more.”

Johnson has raised more than $20,000 from his tournament for the Special Olympics so they can continue to go on trips and buy new equipment.

“It’s a great feeling knowing you can help someone whose had obstacles in their life and can still be optimistic about it,” he said.

With hopes to make the tournament grow even more, Johnson said he plans to continue raising money for the Special Olympics.

“It’s just a great atmosphere,” he said “I’ve become great friends with all of them over the years.”

Johnson has proven himself to be more than just an avid golfer with his continuous efforts of helping others. Hearing his story inspired me to seek out ways to help others and make a difference. I can only hope that the other 98 players in the field can learn from Drew as well.

Written by Lauren Johnson, AJGA Communications

Alternate Route

Less than 12 hours before Charlotte, N.C., native Chad Cox was set to tee it up in the Junior North and South Championship, he got an unanticipated phone call that would completely change his plans for the week.

Cox was in Pinehurst, N.C., with his mom when he found out he was the next alternate for the FootJoy Invitational, which luckily was just two hours away in Greensboro.

“I was so excited,” Cox said about getting into the field. “I just didn’t know what to say. I was really wanting to play in this tournament, so I guess it turned out well.”

Cox quickly changed his plans and made the trip north. But that wasn’t the half of it.

In just his second AJGA event and his third time playing Sedgefield, Cox took full advantage of the opportunity he was granted, firing an opening round 4-under-par 66 to get himself into a tie for third and just one shot back of the lead.

After the round, with a huge smile on his face, Cox admitted that being at the top of the leaderboard, after not even expecting to be in a field, was purely a surreal moment.

But despite all that, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to win any less. Cox likes his chances.

“I just have to hit solid shots and give myself a chance,” Cox said. “I think I have a shot. These guys out here are all good, so we’ll see. I think to win, you’ll just have to keep going under par and you’ll be good.”

Written by Will Perry, AJGA Communications

No Need for Speed

For the past nine years, the FootJoy Invitational has gathered some of the top junior golfers from all over the country to compete for a prestigious title. However, it was a top athlete in another sport who made his way to Sedgefield Country Club on Monday to show what he can do out on the course.

Current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader Kevin Harvick traded in his high-speed NASCAR for a golf cart to play in the Junior-Am Fundraising Tournament that kicked off the events at this year’s FootJoy Invitational. Harvick was able take time away from preparing for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 in Sonoma, Calif., to be part of the team that joined Wyndham Clark of Greenwood Village, Colo., in the Junior-Am.

In addition to helping out with the AJGA’s fundraising efforts by playing, Harvick also generously donated four die-cast model cars which were raffled away to participants during the Junior-Am reception.

In case you were wondering, the average speed of last week’s NASCAR race was 156.386 mph. The average speed of Harvick’s ride on Monday? Around 12-16 mph.

Written by Curt Haag, AJGA Communications