AJGA Blog

"It's Just Golf": Winning attitude leaves a lasting impression

By Matt Hanlon, AJGA Communications

Summar Roachell of Conway, Ark., had high hopes going into her final Under Armour®/ Hunter Mahan Championship. Granted, the outcome of the tournament didn’t have any immediate impact on her future. The 17-year-old golf sensation had already signed with her college of choice: University of Arkansas, and had a handful of AJGA wins under her belt. But twice she had come close to winning the Under Armour®/Hunter Mahan Championship and come up short, the second time in a playoff.

We talked before the tournament for several minutes, chatting about a little of everything including her experience with the AJGA, her first red card, her college aspirations, and her love for the game she has played since the age of five.

She was like so many juniors I have been pleasantly surprised in meeting this spring: optimistic, excited for the future and eager to talk about golf. What’s more, it was clear just how bad this high school senior —in her final season with the AJGA— wanted to finally win the elusive Under Armour ®/Hunter Mahan Championship.

“I came in second the past two years, lost in a playoff last year,” she said before the tournament. “I’d really like to get that win, third times a charm, I guess we’ll see if that works. It’s a great field.”

At the end of our chat I asked her if there was a lot of pressure to do well in her final appearance at an event she had come so close to winning, twice.

It was quite the opposite, she explained.

“You don’t want your last tournament to be like oh man I didn’t play as well as I could have,” she said. “I don’t want to put to much pressure on myself”

Even so, her desire to do well was clear. In the first round, she shot an even-par 72, placing her just one stroke behind the first round leader, Sierra Sims. She was within striking distance of the player she’d lost to in a playoff the year before.

But things didn’t go her way on Sunday. She had trouble on the first few holes, and shot 9-over-par through the front nine. I was following some of the leader groups that day and ran into Summar’s group early on the back nine. I knew by this time that Summar had a difficult first nine holes, so when I waved to her group on the twelfth hole and politely asked Summar how the round was going, I did not expect a forthcoming response. I knew the disappointment she must feel with being out of contention of the leaderboard. But if there was any frustration behind her voice, it wasn’t noticeable.

“Not good,” she said matter-of-factly, shrugging her shoulders. “I was 7-over-par through the first four holes.”

Knowing the difficulty that an elite golfer must have in saying this on a final round, I tried to be sympathetic, but she continued, matter-of-factly.

“It happens, it’s just golf,” she said, smiling, as she walked down the fairway.

In the last month, even after watching some of the best, most consistent junior golf I have seen, that moment still stands out to me as one of the most impressive. Amidst so much expectation and desire to do well in a tournament that she had come painfully close to winning, Summar dealt with that disappointment with a professionalism that few professional golfers seem to exhibit. That maturity reminded me of something she said during our chat a few days before.

I had asked her a question I often wonder about, whether elite junior golfers lose any enjoyment of the sport from the stress of high-level competition at such a young age.

Given the poise that I had just witnessed in this college-bound junior golfer, her response could not have seemed more appropriate.

“I love that competition that you get day in day out, when I was younger I had just as much fun as I do now,” Summar had said before the tournament.

Summar shot a 1-over on the back nine Sunday, placing her in the top 15 in the tournament. She admitted it was a tough final Under Armour®/ Hunter Mahan Championship, but yet again she remained positive; she knows that this fall, she’ll be headed to University of Ark. to play the game she loves. In the meantime, she has one more AJGA event left to play, at the KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior Open in Rogers, Arkansas this June.

For me, the month of April has been amazing start to the spring season. And it’s the passion and attitude of juniors like Summar that make me appreciate being a part of the AJGA.

“Everything happens for a reason and I just try to take from that and I learned a lot from that round. You learn a lot from your bad rounds probably more than your good rounds,” said Roachell after the tournament. “I’ll still have a lot of golf left to play and a lot of tournaments let to play in.”

Summar Roachell plans to attend University of Arkansas next fall to play collegiate golf.

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

Egypt, to IMG, to OCU

The international influence within the membership of the American Junior Golf Association grows year after year, with more and more players who were born abroad competing in the United States’ premier junior golf organization.

That international influence had some noteworthy growth at the Preseason Junior at Sterling as Issa Abou el Ela, a native of Egypt who plays out of Bradenton, Fla., and the IMG Leadbetter Golf Academy, played in his first AJGA event.

The move to the United States came in part because of practice limitations back in Egypt.

“My parents knew that I loved golf, but in Egypt school ends at 4 p.m. and it gets dark at six, so by the time I got to the golf course it was almost dark,” Abou el Ela said. “We had heard of IMG, and once my parents saw in me that I wanted to play seriously, they let me go.”

Abou el Ela has been at the IMG Leadbetter Golf Academy since January of 2011. Since then he has decided to attend Oklahoma City University this coming fall, and this week he finished runner-up in his first AJGA event. All of that has made Abou el Ela very thankful to have the game of golf in his life.

“Golf has given me something that I know I want to do,” Abou el Ela said. “I’m going to play college golf, enjoy it as much as I can. If I get good enough where I can turn pro, I’d be lucky, but if not I’ll still play golf no matter what, so it’s all right.”

- by Jenna Galloway and Teddy Newton, AJGA Communications Interns

The Bangkok Connection

When they were seven years old, KK Limbhasut and Pailin Ruttanasupagid played golf together in Bangkok, Thailand. Nearly one decade later and 9,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean, the two were joined together again as champions of the Under Armour ® / Gary Woodland Championship.

Outside the clubhouse at Diablo Grande Golf & Country Club, the pair gathered for champions’ photos, while sharing with the AJGA staff how long they have been friends. After growing up in Thailand, KK, now 16, moved to the States just two years ago; Pailin about a year and a half ago.

Now residing in southern California, KK and Pailin live about 100 miles apart, with KK in Loma Linda and Pailin in San Diego. Sunday afternoon, as they patiently posed for photos, they stood just inches apart – their golf journey taking them from young kids in Thailand to AJGA champions in Patterson, California.

- by Rob Coleman, AJGA Communications

Friendly foes

Twelve of the opening-round matchups at the Polo Golf Junior Classic pitted Rolex Junior All-Americans against each other. In two of the matches, a pair of First-Teamers squared off.

The significance of these first-round matches, Emma Talley vs. Jaye Marie Green and Matthew NeSmith vs. Motin Yeung, weighed heavy on the outcome of the tournament, but also on the friendships between the players.

NeSmith and Yeung were Wyndham Cup teammates, while Talley and Green represented Team USA at this year’s PING Junior Solheim Cup. For the girls, the gravity of the pairing led the two to agree on silence during the round.

“We text each other every morning, so on the first tee I just acted like I didn’t know her because you don’t want to beat someone that you love,” said Green, who was the defending champion.

Predictably, the match went 19 holes, finally ending with a birdie by Talley. And almost as predictably, Talley said the win was bittersweet.

“It was weird, but I was really happy to pull out the win but it was also bittersweet because I didn’t want to play her, especially in the first round,” said Talley, who advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to Nicole Morales, the eventual champion. “We’ve been friends and teammates and it was really difficult.”

Above: Talley holed her bunker shot for birdie on No. 15 to bring her first-round match to all square versus Green.

-- Written by Chris Richards, AJGA Communications

Time to Sign

Wednesday, November 9 marked the beginning of the NCAA’s early signing period. This day signifies the success of the AJGA coming full circle taking the next big step in earning college golf scholarships, thus the AJGA mission is met. Over the course of the last few days, high school seniors signing National Letters of Intent were given the opportunity to let the AJGA know about their college decision through the AJGA Facebook page and twitter @AJGAGolf. Signees were encouraged to tweet or post a photo to the facebook wall sharing their success. As the early signing period continues through November 16, here are some of the thoughts from AJGA’s top-tier golfers expressing their thoughts about their long-aspired goal, college golf.

What three words describe the excitement you felt when signing?

“Proud, nervous, and excited! It was also very "unreal", since I committed in January it seems like years since then. I never thought this day would come!” — Samantha Marks, University of North Carolina

“Humble, thankful, and determined.”— Charlie Danielson, University of Illinois

“Accomplished, excited, and relieved.” — Otto Black, University of Toledo

What are you looking forward to the most about playing college golf?

“I’m looking forward to the team aspect and competitive atmosphere as I go off to college. I'm excited that I get to share my love for the game with girls who feel the exact same way I do. All in all I'm just so excited for my dreams of playing golf at a Division I school coming true.” — Jasmine Wade, Florida International University

“I look forward to getting better, and meeting, playing, and working with some of the best coaches and players in the country.”— Mariana Sims, Wake Forest

“I am really looking forward to the team atmosphere.  Washington is all about having a great time, which is what I am really looking forward to.  I will be able to improve my golf game with two great coaches and having the opportunity to play with some of the best kids in the nation will help to take my game to the next level.” — Jonathan Sanders, University of Washington

How has the AJGA helped you achieve your goal of earning a college golf scholarship?

“AJGA allowed me to compete in the country's top junior golf events which gave me a lot of exposure to college coaches. I would not have had as many opportunities to present myself on such a high level without the AJGA. For this outstanding organization, I am thankful. Words can't express how delighted and grateful I am to be a Stanford Cardinal!”— Mariah Stackhouse, University of Stanford

“AJGA helped me prove to college coaches that I could compete on a big stage in a national tournament scene and play well.”— Miles Death, University of South Dakota

“The AJGA is the most competitive junior golf organization in the nation, so I have played with some of the best competition.  Many college coaches look to the AJGA to recruit and I feel my good play in the AJGA greatly helped me in my commitment to play for UC Santa Barbara.  AJGA tournaments have prepared me for the fierce competition in college, but I feel confident that I can compete at the highest level.”— Lawrence Fu, UC Santa Barbara

For a complete list of the Class of 2012 signings visit the PING College Golf Signing Day website.

- by Denae Olberding, AJGA Communications

Stackhouse stacks up more honors

Mariah Stackhouse is a name seen often in golf media. It seems she’s always accomplishing something new, whether it be her LPGA debut or suiting up as a member of the victorious U.S. PING Junior Solheim Cup Team.

This time, however, Mariah has branched out to the fashion and beauty media as well, and has been named one of Glamour magazine’s Amazing Young Women of 2011.

Each year, Glamour recognizes 10 women who have made a difference, whether it be within popular culture, politics, or volunteerism. Honorees range from Jennifer Lopez to Laura, Barbara and Jenna Bush.

The magazine also recognized 21 young women who are making a difference in their communities, in science and research, as well as in athletics. Mariah was honored thanks to several accomplishments, namely being the youngest winner of the Georgia PGA women’s championship. She was also the only African American to qualify for the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open.

For more information on Glamour’s Amazing Young Women of 2011, visit their website.

Trendsetter

Webb Simpson, Adam Scott, and Keegan Bradley have all won with it, and Vincent Martino of Southlake, Texas, sees no reason why he can’t do the same this week at The PING Invitational.

In March, Vincent made the switch to the belly putter after his future college coach noticed he lifted his left shoulder through impact. The proposed solution: ditch the traditional short stick for the slightly longer short stick.

“I was always a good putter from inside five feet, so I almost use this for the opposite reason,” said Vincent, who has verbally committed to the University of Houston. “With a regular-sized putter, I don’t make good contact on lag putts and this has helped me with my speed and making more consistent putts.”

Since making the switch, Martino has notched three AJGA top 10s, including a win at the Signsational Signs Junior at The Woodlands in June. Vincent said he is one of only three players using a belly putter this week at Karsten Creek, but he expects it to gain popularity among his peers.

“You see a couple more, but not a lot have switched. A lot of kids in my area have seen how much better I’ve gotten since I switched and are starting to think about it,” he said. “I think people are going to try it out more (because of its popularity), not so much stick with it but just to try it. It used to be something only older guys would use to help with short putts, but it really helps all of your putting.”

-Chris Richards, AJGA Communications

From near and far

Now in its fifth year, The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf has featured players from 24 countries, two of which will be represented for the first time in 2011 (Austria and Belgium).

The 18 international invitees in this year’s field bring resumes that include top finishes in some of the world’s best amateur events.

Robin Goger (Austria)

• Medalist, 2011 European Boys Team Championship

Thomas Detry (Belgium)

• Won 2011 Beligum National Match Play

Mads Sogaard (Denmark)

• 2nd, 2011 Danish Amateur

Frederick Hammer (Denmark)

• T10, 2011 Danish Amateur

Maximilian Rottluff (Germany)

• Won 2011 Junior Orange Bowl International

Gary Hurley (Ireland)

• Won 2011 Munster Boys Open

Gavin Moynihan (Ireland)

• T2, 2011 Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters

Richard Broadhurst (Italy)

• T3, 2011 Italian Boys U-18 Stroke Play

Edoardo Torrieri (Italy)

• Won 2011 Italian Boys U-18 Stroke Play

Takahiro Hataji (Japan)

• T3, 2011 Japan Junior Championship (15-17)

Emilio Maurer (Mexico)

• T8, 2011 Mexican International Amateur

Daniel De la Garza (Mexico)

• Three AJGA top-five finishes in 2011

Alvaro Ortiz (Mexico)

• Won 2011 AJGA Bass Pro Shops / Payne Stewart Junior Championship

Kristoffer Ventura (Norway)

• Won 2011 Norwegian Challenge

Joakim Carlsson (Sweden)

• T7, 2011 JSM Slag

Jamie Clare (United Kingdom)

• 2nd, 2011 English Amateur

Matthew Fitzpatrick (United Kingdom)

• 2nd, 2011 Carris Trophy

David Boote (United Kingdom)

• Won 2011 Welsh Boys' Championship

Shih collects golf balls for a worthy cause

At every AJGA event, all players in the field receive a dozen Titleist golf balls. At the Genesis Junior at White Beeches, one player did his best to give golf balls away.

 

After reading a letter on golf.com, Harrison Shih of Saddle River, N.J., made it his mission to support the troops in the best way he can.

“I read a letter from a staff sergeant stationed in Afghanistan talking about how he and his company like to relax by hitting golf balls into the mine fields outside of the base,” Shih said. “Obviously it is too dangerous for them to retrieve them, so he asked for a donation of used golf balls.”

Shih saw the Genesis Junior at White Beeches as an opportunity to amplify the impact from junior golfers by asking his fellow competitors in the field to participate.

“I’m not involved in any charities, but I figured that this one would be good because it is right up my alley,” Shih said. “This is something worthwhile that I wanted to get other people involved in. I got the members of my home club involved with it and I knew that this event was coming up.”

Shih encourages other players to realize that their used golf balls can serve a worthwhile purpose.

“I’ve got a bunch of golf balls just lying around the house, and I know that a lot of the other players in the field do as well,” Shih said. “I never know what to do with my old golf balls, because I don’t want to throw them away. So, I figured that this would be a good way to get them off of my hands while helping out the troops and supporting a good cause."

At the end of a competitive week at White Beeches Golf & Country Club, Shih was excited about the generous donations from his fellow-competitors.

“At the practice round, I was given two five-gallon buckets filled to the top with Titleist Pro-V1s and some really good golf balls,” Shih said. “I know another player donated about 60 golf balls by himself.

This is my first attempt at this project, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was hoping that it would be successful, and I’ve been proud of the support it has received. I can’t even imagine the stressful nature of being in Afghanistan. They do so much for us that the least we can do is give them our used golf balls.”

Over the course of the week, players at the Genesis Junior at White Beeches donated 1,200 golf balls, which Shih and his family will ship to Afghanistan.

To read Staff Sergeant Brandon Michael Edwards’s letter, and for more information on donating to this worthwhile cause, please visit the golf.com blog.

-Written by Andrew LeSaicherre, AJGA Communications