TOURNAMENT RECAPS Paula Creamer of Pleasanton, Calif., shot a final round 4-under
66 Nov. 3 to win the girls 13-18 division at the Junior Champions Tour
National Championship played at the Westin Innisbrook Resort in Palm
Harbor, Fla.
Creamer, who finished ranked 3rd in the 2001-02 Golfweek/Titleist
Ranking, finished at 1-under 139 on the 5,900-yard par-70 Highlands
course.
Taylor Leon of Dallas had a final-round 74 to finish second 11
shots back at 150, while So Hyun Park of Seoul Korea took third
with 76-78.
* The Junior
Champions Tour National Championship
- For complete results, visit www.golfweek.com/amateur/
MAZUR: NCAA
REFORMS The powers that be in the NCAA recently sent a message to all
prospective high school athletes -- either make the grade or you won't
make the field. All I can say is it's about time.
The NCAA Division I Board of Directors Oct. 31 approved a package of
reforms (NCAA approves proposals of new academic standards) which will
place greater emphasis on high school GPAs and ''core'' high-school
courses for incoming students.
STEP IN RIGHT DIRECTION
- For more, visit www.golfweek.com/juniorgolf/.
NEWS AND
NOTES Wittenberg had narrowed his choices down to Texas and Oklahoma State
but was wooed by the Cowboys last weekend when he attended the Stillwater,
Okla., campus for his official visit. * The 2002-03 Golfweek/Titleist Performance Index list of ranked
tournaments has been compiled.
To be ranked throughout the season a player must have played in a
minimum number of tournaments (two tournaments by Jan. 1, three by May 1,
four by June 30, five by July 29). To be included in the year-ending
rankings a player must have played in six events from September 2002 to
September 2003. * The Tiger Woods Foundation received final go-ahead to build a $25
million golf education center in Anaheim, Calif., to help youngsters who
can't afford country club dues.
The Anaheim City Council approved an agreement Oct. 29 to allow the
charity to build the nation's first Tiger Woods Learning Center at the
city-run H.G. Dad Miller Golf Course. * ESPN is expanding its involvement in golf, but its newest endeavor
has nothing to do with TV. The cable network that has become virtually
synonymous with sports announced it will enter the instructional business
with ESPN Golf Schools and launch a two-player team amateur tournament,
the ESPN National Golf Challenge, beginning in 2003.
To give its golf schools credibility, ESPN has partnered with Jim Flick
Golf. The renowned instructor and his staff will provide instruction for
the ESPN programs, which include three-day resort schools at Boca Raton
Resort & Club in Boca Raton, Fla., TPC of Scottsdale (Ariz.) and Lake
Las Vegas Resort in Las Vegas. In addition, ESPN will offer one-day
seminars at 24 locations and seven-day junior camps.
* Short Shots: A court-ordered plan to restructure some sports
seasons was filed Oct. 30 by the Michigan High School Athletic
Association. The plan proposes, among other changes, moving boys' golf and
girls' tennis from fall to spring, and girls' golf and boys' tennis from
spring to fall, in the Lower Peninsula. . . . The National High School
Golf Coaches Association selected Tiffany Greens Golf Club in Kansas City,
Mo., as its official training facility. Tiffany Greens also will play host
to the NHSGCA Golf Coaches School in 2003.
* Casey Wittenberg, Golfweek's 2001 Junior of the
Year, will be heading to Oklahoma State next fall Golfweek has learned.
The deal should be official Nov. 13, when Wittenberg and other high school
seniors are allowed to sign a national letter of intent.
- For more, visit www.golfweek.com/juniorgolf/.
- For all of the boys' ranked events, visit: www.golfweek.com/juniorgolf/.
- For all of the girls' ranked events, visit: www.golfweek.com/juniorgolf/.
- For more, visit www.golfweek.com/juniorgolf/.
PLAYER TO
WATCH ''I didn't have any idea I was going to win,'' Pimm said. ''It was
great to win and it was a good experience.''
Pimm won his first national tournament in April at the IJGT New Mexico
Open (13-15), with rounds of 73-74-75. After his victory, he decided that
he will concentrate more on golf.
Pimm also enjoys playing basketball, hanging out with his friends and
watching TV.
Name: Dustin Pimm
Age: 16
Golfweek/Titleist
Ranking: 391st
Residence: Sandy, Utah
The Skinny: Pimm
started playing golf at age 9 and hasn't put a club down since. Pimm, who
plans on playing in more than 25 tournaments in 2003, recently won the
Utah 5-A State golf championship.
Golfweek/Titleist
Performance Index GIRLS
BOYS
The first edition of the 2002-03
Golfweek/Titleist Performance Index will be published in early December.
- For final 2001-02 rankings, visit www.golfweek.com/juniorgolf/ratings/boys.asp
The first edition of the 2002-03 Golfweek/Titleist
Performance Index will be published in early December.
- For final
2001-02 rankings, visit www.golfweek.com/juniorgolf/ratings/girls.asp
WINNER'S
MOVEMENT
The first edition of the 2002-03 Golfweek/Titleist
Performance Index will be published in early December.
RECRUITING
CENTRAL The new rules go into effect Aug. 1 and will affect current high school
seniors.
- For more college recruiting information, visit the Ping American
College Golf Guide at www.collegegolf.com/.
The NCAA Board of Directors has approved a change for
Division I freshman eligibility which will place greater importance on the
GPA from high-school core courses and a lesser emphasis on SAT/ACT scores.
The new regulations include increasing the number of required core courses
from 13 to 14 used to calculate the grade-point average. The 2.0 minimum
GPA would be remain the same, however the sliding scale currently used by
the NCAA relating test scores to GPA will be changed with the current
test-score minimums being relaxed.
THIS WEEK'S EVENTS
IJGT FCWT Teens on the Green JAGS
Nov. 8-10 -- Chardonnay Golf Club, Napa, Calif.
Nov. 8-10 -- FCWT Galloway National Jr. Classic, Galloway
National, Atlantic City, N.J.
Nov. 9-10 -- Teens on the Green at Miami
Nov. 9-11 -- Orange County Junior Championship
THIS WEEK IN
GOLFWEEK
Be sure to check out the Nov. 16/23 issue of Golfweek
which features a story on the PGA Tour Championship. Log on to
golfweek.com and participate in the ''It's Your Honor'' poll question.
This week: Which ''Silly Season'' event are you most likely to watch?
Have a question about the Golfweek/Titleist Performance Index? E-mail
rankings@golfweek.com.
Have an
interesting junior note to report, or know an interesting junior we can
profile? E-mail Golfweek scoreboard editor Graham Elliott at gelliott@golfweek.com.