AJGA Blog

Old Stomping Grounds: From an AJGA event to a TOUR event

 

(left) Bud Cauley at the 2006 Polo Golf Junior Classic; (right) Brian Harman at the 2003 Wyndham Cup. Both events were conducted on the Seaside Course at Sea Island.

By Amanda Herrington, AJGA Communications

As players tee off this weekend at The McGladrey Classic, AJGA alumni will be making their return to the Seaside Course at Sea Island, Ga., a past venue for the Polo Golf Junior Classic and Wyndham Cup. Sea Island Golf Club hosted the AJGA Invitational from 2004 to 2006, a span that saw champions including Morgan Pressel (2004), Esther Choe (2006) and Morgan Hoffman (2006). In 2003, the 14th annual Wyndham Cup was contested on the Seaside Course, a year the West retained the Cup in a comeback victory.

In the field, Bud Cauley, Bobby Gates, Brian Harman, Chris Kirk, Brendon Todd, Cameron Tringale and Chase Wright all previously played the Seaside Course in AJGA events. At the 2003 Wyndham Cup, Gates, Kirk, Todd and Harman represented the East. Harman also played in the Polo Golf Junior Classic held at Sea Island in 2004, the same year as Tringale. Cauley played in both the 2005 and 2006 event, while Wright made an appearance in 2005.

Cauley found the most success on the Seaside Course. In 2006, the Jacksonville, Fla., native tied for eighth during stroke play and advanced to round one of match play. Building on that experience, Cauley returned with a quarterfinal appearance at the 2007 tournament at Reunion Resort. This is not the first time Cauley has played a PGA TOUR event at a former AJGA venue. Last year, Cauley made headlines as the first player to go from the Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf to The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass.

 

The Seaside Course at Sea Island

 

 

Hangin’ with Webb

AJGA alum and 2012 U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson stopped by Bryan Park Golf & Conference Center Tuesday and spent some time with the juniors playing in the tournament that bears his name. While there, he talked to members of the local media, signed autographs for juniors and met with a few of the players on the putting green.

The four-time first-team Rolex Junior All-American spoke to the media about his recent run on the PGA Tour — including the U.S. Open title — and about his junior golf experience with the AJGA. Simpson spoke highly of his time in the AJGA, talking about how it helped him prepare for life in professional and competitive golf.

After the interviews, Simpson met with the juniors playing in his tournament, talked about their rounds today, signed autographs for the kids, and posed for photos with everyone, including Alaina Yeatts of Durham, N.C. (pictured right).

Simpson isn’t in the Greensboro, N.C., area just for his AJGA tournament, however. He begins his quest to earn a second consecutive Wyndham Championship title Thursday at Sedgefield Country Club. Following his victory in 2011, Webb has collected two more wins on the PGA TOUR, including his U.S. Open victory June 17 at Olympic Club in San Francisco.

Watch the Golf Channel feature on Webb Simpson here.

By Kyle Scholzen and Stephanie Dittmer, AJGA Communications

The AJGA at the U.S. Women's Open

Among a record 14 AJGA members playing in the 2012 U.S. Women’s Open, Emma Talley led them all. Talley and Alison Lee were two of only three amateurs to make the cut, with Talley shooting 73-75-81-72 to tie for 46^th place. Lee finished just behind her, with rounds of 75-74-79-78 to finish in a tie for 60^th.

Talley now prepares to join Alabama’s national championship team in the fall, while Lee preps for Wyndham Cup, where she hopes to bring the Cup back West this year.

Talley, of Glasgow, Ky., closes out her AJGA career with 10 victories, including four-in-a-row during a record-setting streak in the summer of 2011. She has been honored four times as a Rolex Junior All-American.

Lee, a rising senior from Valencia, Calif., has enjoyed a long run of success in AJGA competition, earning first-team Rolex Junior All-America honors in four straight years. Her victory at the 2012 ANNIKA Invitational was her fifth - and biggest - AJGA victory.

NOTES FROM THE OPEN

WRONG KIND OF BIRDIE: A stroke of bad luck at the 12^th hole will be difficult for Kyung Kim to forget. As she fought to stay inside the cutline during her second round, Kyung hit an apparently good approach into 12, but her ball struck a bird in flight. Instead of being on the green, her ball fell into a bunker 50 yards short, leading to a double bogey. She missed the cut by one stroke.

EMMA’S RALLY: After a dismal start to her third round, Emma Talley was 9-over through 6 holes. She never stopped fighting, however, as she shot even-par over her final 12 holes. Her chip for birdie at No. 18 was dead-on target, but bounced off the flagstick. In the fourth round, Emma continued to hold steady, firing her low round of the week – and even-par 72.

KENTUCKY CONNECTION: On the bag for Talley was Fred Sanders, the former caddie of a fellow Kentucky great, Kenny Perry.

ROLEX GREATS: Four former Rolex Junior Players of the Year contended throughout the week. Cristie Kerr (1995 Rolex Junior POY), Inbee Park (2002), and Paula Creamer (2003) are all previous champions of the U.S. Women’s Open and finished in the top 10, while Vicky Hurst (2007) is the youngest of the foursome whose best major finish was her T11 at the 2012 Kraft Nabisco Championship. Hurst tied for 18th place.

BUSY WEEK: Stacy Lewis is the second-ranked player in the world, yet with the Women’s Open looming this week, she still took time out Sunday to spend with AJGA juniors at the KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior Open in her home state of Arkansas. Classy.

THE MAN IN CHARGE: Former AJGA tournament director Ben Kimball ran the U.S. Women’s Open for the second straight year. After fighting through severe thunderstorms in Colorado last year that led to a Monday finish, it was a nice change of pace to experience a year without weather delays.

RULES GURU: Another former AJGA tournament director, Rob Ockenfuss, was the author of the Rules Corner Blog throughout the week. Ockenfuss is the Manager of Rules Inquiries at the USGA.

SIGNING DAY: Briana Mao, a former AJGA player who just completed her freshman year at Virginia, signed autographs for young fans at the driving range on Saturday.

- Rob Coleman, AJGA Communications

News and Notes: KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior Open

The 2012 KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior Open started off on a high note with a visit from the No. 2 ranked female golfer in the world, Stacy Lewis herself.

 Stacy Lewis takes a photo with AJGA member, Cheyenne Knight

As she prepared to head to Wisconsin for the 2012 U.S. Women's Open, Lewis took time out of her busy schedule to attend a barbeque and meet-and-greet with volunteers and players of the first-year AJGA event, opening the floor to questions, autographs, and pictures.

An alum of the American Junior Golf Association, Lewis played in eight tournaments during the 2001 and 2002 seasons, crediting the organization for giving her great opportunities in the world of golf and helping her to realize her potential.

“My initial involvement [with the AJGA] was back in high school when I played in a few tournaments,” Lewis said to the crowd of over 100 people, “I didn’t play in a lot, but it got me enough exposure to get to college.”

A four-time NCAA All-American golfer and graduate from the University of Arkansas, Lewis jumped at the opportunity to host an event in the state that helped her to mature and develop both as a person and player.

“I got a call from the city of Bentonville about this time a year ago asking if I would be willing to put my name on a tournament,” Lewis recalled as if it was yesterday. “I’m all about creating opportunities for juniors to play. The more tournaments they play in the better.”

Closing in on becoming the No. 1 golfer in the world, Lewis wasn’t always as good as she is today, noting that her best finish in an AJGA event was fourth place. Lewis, however, stressed the importance of enjoying golf, not just playing it.

“I would say to just enjoy it and have fun. If it feels like a job, then you’re playing for the wrong reasons.”

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior Open is a 54-hole stroke play event held at Bella Vista Village - Highlands Golf Course. The tournament field consists of 96 boys and 36 girls, ages 12-18, from 21 states, including 23 from Arkansas. The Boys Division is playing the course at 6,969 yards while the Girls Division playing it at 5,959.

By James Millard

HP Boys champ Spieth lands at top of college rankings

On Feb. 21, 2011, Jordan Spieth concluded his AJGA career with a win at the HP Boys Championship at Carlton Woods.  On Feb. 6, 2012, less than one year after his final AJGA appearance, Spieth moved into the No. 1 spot in the Men’s Collegiate Individual Golfweek / Sagarin Rankings.

For those counting, that’s 350 days.

Pretty quick turnaround for the Dallas native and University of Texas freshman, I’d say. With the collegiate season in full swing, Spieth has quickly cemented his place in college golf, and that place is at the top.

With his 2011 win at the HP Boys Championship
at Carlton Woods, Spieth added his name -
and a banner - to an illustrious list of past champions
including Tiger Woods, Kyle Stanley and Rickie Fowler.

As a junior, Spieth saw the top of the charts as well. He was named the Rolex Junior Player of the Year in 2009 and was a first-team Rolex Junior All-America selection three consecutive years (2008-2010), in part due to his strong play at the HP Boys Championship at Carlton Woods during that time.

Spieth is also ranked No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, second to UCLA’s Patrick Cantlay, another AJGA alum who had success at the HP Boys Championship at Carlton Woods. Cantlay finished fourth at the event in 2010, his final AJGA tournament.

Both Spieth and Cantlay are teeing it up at the PGA TOUR’s Northern Trust Open this week. Next year, that could be any of the 78 juniors competing at Carlton Woods this week. For those 78, the future is bright and the sky is limit. The road to success, however, winds through The Club at Carlton Woods’ Fazio Championship Course, or at least it did for Jordan Spieth.

-Written by Ashley O'Dell, AJGA Communications

King of the Island

“Whenever you see Jack Nicklaus in the airport, you say ‘Hi Mr. Nicklaus,’ never ‘Hi Jack.’ Unless you want to be arrested.” This was just one small bit of the inspired wisdom provided by Chi Chi Rodriguez to the 79 boys playing this week at the Puerto Rico Junior Open.

The Puerto Rico native took some time to come out to Trump International Golf Club this week to speak to the field and put on a clinic following the first round. Rodriguez entertained the crowd with stories about his idols Ben Hogan and Mother Teresa and reliving his biggest thrill in golf; winning the Denver Open Invitational.

With his brilliant charisma we have come to love and adore, Chi Chi emphasized the importance of honesty and integrity while always believing in yourself. Rodriguez reminded the players that “a hero dies only once, but a coward dies every single day,” as they prepared to tee it up this week in search of the coveted exemption into the Puerto Rico Open that will be awarded to the champion.

Each and every junior was able to soak up guidance and advice from the legend that won eight times on the PGA TOUR and 22 times on the Champions Tour, something they will never forget. Thanks to Chi Chi for being a great role model for all of us and an even better ambassador for the game of golf!

-Photo and blog by Casey Ceman, AJGA Tournament Director

Familiar Faces in 2011 Solheim Cup

For those watching the final singles matches in the 2011 Solheim Cup, you’re seeing a great exhibition of golf. What you may not know is that nine of the 24 participants in this year’s matches got their first taste of international match play competition as juniors in the PING Junior Solheim Cup.

On the European side, four players have combined for six years of PING Junior Solheim Cup experience. Azahara Munoz made three appearances (2002, 2003, 2005), while Melissa Reid (2005), Anna Nordqvist (2005) and Caroline Hedwall (2007) each suited up in blue once before making the leap to the pros and joining the Solheim Cup team.

For the Americans, five were once PING Junior Solheim Cup participants. Morgan Pressel (2002, 2005), Paula Creamer (2002, 2003), Brittany Lincicome (2002, 2003), Brittany Lang (2002), and Vicky Hurst (2007) all wore the red of the U.S.A. team.

Pictured is the 2002 U.S. PING Junior Solheim Cup Team, which featured 2011 Solheim Cup participants Morgan Pressel, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome and Brittany Lang.

While many of these ladies competed in the same years, only once were they matched up to play together, or against one another. In 2005, Morgan Pressel defeated Azahara Munoz in the final singles match of the day.

Of the nine, two went straight to the Solheim Cup two years after competing in the PING Junior Solheim Cup. Paula Creamer has been a member of the Solheim Cup team four times now, her first coming in 2005, just two years after her final PING Junior Solheim Cup appearance in 2003. Also moving straight from the PING Junior Solheim Cup to the professional ranks of the biennial match play event was Morgan Pressel who is making her third appearance in the Solheim Cup. Pressel first competed in the Solheim Cup in 2007, having made her final PING Junior Solheim Cup appearance in 2005.

Morgan Pressel and Anna Nordqvist are the only two of the nine to have gone undefeated in PING Junior Solheim Cup play. Pressel holds a record of 4-0-2, while Nordqvist boasts a record of 3-0-0. Their success has carried over into their Solheim Cup experiences. Having gone undefeated in 2011 Solheim Cup matches, Pressel now has a Solheim Cup record of 7-2-2. Nordqvist has a Solheim Cup record of 4-4-0.

If history is bound to repeat itself, we’ll be seeing even more familiar names when the Solheim Cup returns to the U.S. in 2013.

Even more to play for

One of the world’s most prestigious junior titles is on the line this week at The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf, and TPC Sawgrass General Manager Bill Hughes added even more incentive and prestige Thursday night.

During his closing remarks at the Golf World Media Presentation, Hughes proudly announced to the 78-player field that the champion of this year’s event will be given a sponsor's exemption to the Nationwide Tour's Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open Presented by Planters.

“It goes to show that Winn Dixie is 100 percent behind the growth of the game of golf and in fostering an experience to one special junior golfer that will be a memory of a lifetime,” Hughes said. “I am humbled and thankful to Peter Lynch, President and CEO of Winn Dixie, for his tremendous support of The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf.”

In 2010, Michael Johnson of Birmingham, Ala., was the first champion to earn the sponsor’s exemption and compete in the Nationwide Tour event. Now a freshman at Auburn, Johnson carded rounds of 74-73 – 147 and missed the cut in his professional debut.

The champion to-be will get a preview of the course he’ll compete on in 47 days, as Saturday’s second round will be played on Dye’s Valley Course, which also hosts the Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open Presented by Planters.

-Chris Richards, AJGA Communications

A Visit from Webb Simpson

When 96 AJGA juniors attended players’ registration on Monday, August 15 they were asked the trivia question, “How many FedEx Cup points does Webb Simpson have?” Little did many of these players know that the PGA TOUR player, who sits with 1,361 FedEx Cup Points, would be hanging out with them at the social activity later that week.

North Carolina native, Webb Simpson made an appearance at the Webb Simpson Junior Championship to interact with some of the AJGA juniors who are participating in the tournament at Tanglewood Park’s Championship Course this week. The juniors and Webb set out Tuesday and went head-to-head in an obstacle putting challenge.

Webb not only competed with the juniors throughout the activity but also wouldn’t hesitate to strike up conversation or challenge the players in a putting competition at any time. Simpson opened up many opportunities for parents, spectators and staff to chat and hang out with him throughout the afternoon. During the putting challenge Webb enjoyed dishing out friendly fire to the juniors participating while each of them was able to respond right back.

“He is a great player and you wouldn’t have expected him to be as nice to you as one of your friends would be on the golf course, but he was extremely nice,” said Mitchell Schneider of Charlotte, N.C.

Not only did these juniors get the chance to hang out with a professional golfer, but Webb Simpson’s success is at a peak, where he currently is 14^th on the money list. His easy-going personality made it even more enjoyable as he treated every junior as a friend. At one point in Webb’s golf career he was also concerned more about Performance Based Entry like today’s juniors, but he now stands tall among the world’s best golfers. With 12 top-10 PGA TOUR career finishes and currently sitting 12^th in the FedEx Cup standings, Webb’s welcoming demeanor and modesty established a bond with all the juniors that crossed his path. As a former AJGA player, Webb can relate to the juniors who spend the majority of their summer on the links.

Schneider was one of many juniors that attended the social activity and appreciated the time spent with Webb during the putting competition.

“Webb is really nice and it was really cool that he actually spent his time putting with us,” said Schneider. “The social activity took a little bit of the pressure off of all of us and gave us a break; even though we were still practicing it helped us out.”

The social activity was a time for the players to break away and enjoy the company of a PGA TOUR player while practicing their putting.

Webb and the juniors played two rounds of the obstacle putting challenge. Davis Womble of High Point, N.C., and Jonathan DiIanni of Kernersville, N.C., competed against Webb in the final round and won the challenge.

“It was fun to compete against Webb and hang out because he was very social with all of us,” DiIanni said. “Davis and I won the first round, then won the second round when we played against Mr. Simpson. It was a lot of fun to see him putt and interact with the other players.”

Webb’s AJGA career was defined by his win at the 2001 Rolex Tournament of Champions (where the photo above was taken). He was a four-time, first-team Rolex Junior All-American and a three-time Wyndham Cup participant. Webb went on to attend Wake Forest University and was a three-time All -American and the ACC Player of the Year in 2008 before he turned professional in June of that year.

Simpson will be participating in the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club this week. There’s no doubt that he now has many more fans in the AJGA who will be rooting him on.

 - by Denae Olberding, AJGA Communications

AJGA alumni a strong presence at The Open Championship

At Royal St. George’s today, 156 of the world’s best teed off in hopes of coming one step closer to the coveted Claret Jug- the trophy hoisted only by the winner of The Open Championship. Of those players, 58 are AJGA alumni.

Their time with the AJGA ranges from the very first tournament the Association conducted- the 1978 Tournament of Champions, in which Mark Calcavecchia tied for 53^rd, to the 2010 Rolex Tournament of Champions where Denmark native and recent 2011 graduate Lucas Bjerregaard ended his junior career with a top-10 performance.

By the Numbers: The Open Championship and the AJGA
-3 of the five amateurs competing are AJGA alumni
-5 participants were named Rolex Junior Player of the Year during their junior career, including Phil Mickelson who was bestowed the honor three times and Peter Uihlein who was twice honored
-7 of the 15 returning past winners of The Open Championship are AJGA alumni
-41 competitors at The Open Championship have been named a Rolex Junior All-American a total of 79 times
-58 AJGA alumni in the tournament field representing nine countries

As the weekend draws near, keep your eye on The Open Championship leaderboard. With one round in the books, seven AJGA alumni are in the top 10, led by Lucas Glover and Webb Simpson who are tied for third one stroke off the lead.

-Written by Ashley O'Dell, AJGA Communications