AJGA Blog

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

In Charge at the Women's Open

The players on the course are not the only AJGA alumni at the 2011 U.S. Women's Open. The USGA's man in charge, Director Ben Kimball, is a former AJGA tournament director now at the helm of the USGA's national championship.

From 2002-2005, Kimball was an exemplary tournament director at the AJGA before departing to the USGA as a Manager of Competitions. After conducting various USGA championships during his early years, Kimball's role was elevated this year as the director of the U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Amateur.

At The Broadmoor, Kimball is reunited with top professional women who also played junior golf during his AJGA years. Inbee Park, the 2008 Women's Open champion was the 2002 Rolex Junior Player of the Year. Defending Women's Open champion Paula Creamer was the 2003 Rolex Junior Player of the Year.

Other players that Kimball saw with the AJGA in the early 2000s, and who also have made the jump to this week's Women's Open, include Morgan Pressel, Amanda Blumenherst, Brittany Lincicome, Stacy Lewis, In-Kyung Kim and Julieta Granada (pictured below with Kimball), among others. The AJGA will be rooting for the success of all our former players -- and former staff -- this weekend.

Beat the Pro

It’s not every day that you get to meet a PGA TOUR player. It’s even rarer to actually compete against a PGA TOUR player. Nonetheless, the AJGA juniors that competed in the Under Armour® / Hunter Mahan Championship had the opportunity to do just that—compete against Hunter Mahan.

Held on Gleneagle Country Club’s Queen’s Course in Plano, Texas, 30 young players showcased their skills and ability during the Academy Sports Big Break Challenge in an attempt to knock off the weekend’s biggest name. While the juniors participated in their practice round, Hunter worked his way through the challenge, setting the standard for competition in which the juniors would have to best later that evening. Divided into four different challenges – long drive, chipping, lob shots and putting – juniors worked their way through the Academy Sports Big Break Challenge with the goal of beating Hunter Mahan’s own personal score.

“The Academy Sports Big Break Challenge was such a great activity to have this week,” said Anna Sophia Bohmer of Cali, Colombia, one of the 72 juniors that competed in the Under Armour® / Hunter Mahan Championship last weekend. “Hunter is such an inspiration to all of us young golfers. Just to know that he played AJGA and is now on the TOUR, it shows us that we can make it too. Going head-to-head with him on the Academy Sports Big Break Challenge was a great way for us to interact with Hunter and see how all our abilities compare.”

Two juniors came out on top—Lorens Chan of Honolulu who shot a 20 in the Boys Division and Summar Roachell of Conway, Ark., who notched an Academy Sports Big Break Challenge best of 21 points in the Girls Division.

At the end of the day, though, no one was able to top Hunter, whose score of 22 was tested, but not bested.

Written by Mickey Rouse

Oh to be at Pebble Beach!

            Team 3 has made it to our second tournament of the spring in Patterson, Calif., where the AJGA Junior at Diablo Grande will take place starting Saturday. Since we got to the tournament a little early, our wonderful tournament director, Casey Ceman, decided we should take a day off and head up to Pebble Beach and the 17 Mile Drive for the day.

            Wednesday morning arrived and we hopped in the car and drove the two hours up to Pebble Beach. Let me tell you, it was absolutely worth the trip. When we first got there, before seeing Pebble Beach, there were other courses we saw such as Spyglass Hill Golf Course, the Links at Spanish Bay, and Del Monte Golf Course. Some of the holes on these course were amazing, but I was glad I wasn’t playing them. They hugged the Pacific Coast and I’m sure more than a handful of golf balls have found their way into those waves.

            The coastline was absolutely beautiful and the waves were huge. If you have ever watched a tournament on TV from Pebble Beach, you always see the Lone Cypress, well we saw it. Absolutely breath-taking to put it simply.

            Finally, we reached the point we were all looking forward to, Pebble Beach, and believe me, it didn’t disappoint. When you looked out onto the 18th hole with the waves crashing in the background you almost thought it was a postcard, that’s how perfect it was. To see where Tiger Woods, Graeme McDowell and Tom Watson have won will be a memory I will cherish forever. If someone asks if you want to go to Pebble Beach and the 17 Mile Drive, I suggest you go. 

-Written by Cassandra Stein, AJGA Communications

Wyndham Cup Quartet Makes Masters Debut

They’ve come a long way in just five years. The Wyndham Cup has always featured immensely talented players in its 21-year history, but the 2006 edition is something special. Five years after the fact, four of its participants have earned their way into the 2011 Masters.

Peter Uihlein, David Chung and Lion Kim played for the East Team in 2006 and after hugely successful amateur seasons in 2010, all three punched their tickets to Augusta National.

Oklahoma State’s Uihlein defeated Stanford’s Chung in the 2010 U.S. Amateur, and by way of tradition, both finalists were invited to participate in the following Masters. Michigan’s Kim earned his invitation by winning another USGA trophy, the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.

Representing 50 percent of the field’s six amateurs, Uihlein, Chung and Kim are enjoying the privilege of staying in the Crow’s Nest in the Augusta National Clubhouse.

The West squad is represented by the 2010 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year Rickie Fowler, who qualified by virtue of his Official World Golf Ranking and top-30 position on last year’s PGA TOUR money list.

Chung and Fowler have been contributing daily diaries to Masters.com, documenting their experiences at their first Masters. Here are a couple of highlights:

David Chung’s Tuesday Diary: “No. 16 was so cool today. You can hear the roars before you even get there because the guys are skipping the ball over the water. I got up there, skipped it across on the first try, and got it on the green. Everybody was cheering, I raised my arms, and they roared even louder. They just loved it. I loved it, too.”

Rickie Fowler’s Wednesday Diary: “I'm really looking forward to Thursday. I've always dreamed about playing in the Masters since I was a little kid. It'll obviously be a special time. The Par 3 Contest was something I was always looking forward to. Driving down Magnolia Lane. So it'll be good to get the week started.”

The build-up to the competition has been a special experience for all during their inaugural Masters experience. Hopefully it will be the first of many to come. And perhaps some of their 2006 Wyndham Cup teammates will be joining them.

By Rob Coleman, AJGA Communications