12.05.03
TOURNAMENT RECAPS
* AJGA Polo Golf Junior Classic
Brian Harman deemed his approach into the 18th green on Disney's
Magnolia Course his ''luckiest shot ever.'' Harman's 7-wood from the right
rough bounced once, hit the flagstick and dropped 2 1/2 feet from the hole,
securing his first Polo Golf Junior Classic title.
For Harman, it was a fitting end to a phenomenal year. The 2003 U.S. Junior
champion battled back from a three-hole deficit Nov. 29 to defeat
Christopher Anderson, 2 up.
In the girls division, Jennie Lee downed In-Bee Park, 2 up, to
capture her third AJGA title of the season.
* FCWT at Omni Tucson National
Colin Wilcox shot a closing 3-under 69 to complete a wire-to-wire
victory Nov. 30 at the FCWT at Omni Tucson (Ariz.) National.
Finishing five back in second at even-par was Tim McKenney. McKenney,
16, earned an exemption into May's FCWT National Championship with his
runner-up finish.
In the girls division, Mina Harigae, who opened with a 1-over 74,
played her remaining holes in even par to take the title.
* FCWT at Golden Horseshoe
Seth Brandon's final-round 71 was good for a 3-over 219 total and his
first major junior victory Nov. 30 at the FCWT at Golden Horseshoe in
Williamsburg, Va.
Brandon, a medalist in a handful of AJGA Monday qualifying events, called
the victory his biggest.
Christopher Gold, who has already had three top-10 finishes this
season, finished second, two shots back at 221.
* FCWT Thanksgiving Junior Golf Classic at Innisbrook
Josh An carded back-to-back 70s to take the title at the FCWT's
Thanksgiving Junior Golf Classic at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Fla.
Raj Nahal (69) finished second Nov. 30 and earned an invitation in
the FCWT's National Championship at PGA West in May.
In an FCWT first, three players finished tied at 231 after 54 holes in the
girls division. Jordan Craig holed a 10-footer for birdie at the
first extra hole to edge Vanessa Vela and Brittany Nelson.
* The Junior Tour at Singing Hills Resort
Michael Pena closed with a 1-under 71 to win the Junior Tour event
Nov. 30 at Singing Hills Resort in El Cajon, Calif. Pena finished at 220,
one shot better than Anoop Shah (70-75-76).
In the girls division, Sommer Scholl shot a final-round 73 to hold
off Ryann O'Toole by four shots. Scholl, who picked up 100 points in
the Player of the Year race with the victory, had rounds of 76-71-73.
* IJGT at TPC Sawgrass
Michael Quagliano and Canada's Ashlen Christie won the boys
and girls titles respectively Nov. 30 at the IJGT at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte
Vedra Beach, Fla.
Quagliano came from eight strokes back with a final-round 70 to win the
first major of the IJGT season. Quagliano, who recently signed a letter of
intent to play for Duke, edged second-round leader Diego Munoz of
Mexico, and Reed Howard.
Christie got up-and-down for par from 60 yards on her final hole to finish
tied with Elizabeth Alger and the Canadian took the title on the
first playoff hole.
* IJGT at Pinehurst
Timothy Freund held off Alan Bell and Mike Jarvis Nov.
23 to win the IJGT Pinehurst (N.C.). Freund shot a closing 3-over 75 on Tom
Fazio's No. 8 course to edge Jarvis (74) and Bell (77).
In the boys 13-15 division, Japan's Shoya Mitsui had rounds of 78-74
for a 152 total and a three-stroke victory over Lawrence Kennedy.
- For more, visit www.g
olfweek.com/articles/2003/juniorgolf/boys/36826.asp
- For complete results, visit www.golfweek.com/juniorgolf/
- For complete results, visit www.golfweek.com/juniorgolf/
- For complete results, visit www.golfweek.com/juniorgolf/
- For complete results, visit www.golfweek.com/juniorgolf/
- For complete results, visit www.golfweek.com/juniorgolf/
- For complete results, visit www.golfweek.com/juniorgolf/
Elliott: Georgia's Harman
In the shadows of Paula Creamer's unbelievable 2002-03 season stood
5-foot-7 Brian Harman, who may have arguably recorded the best season
by a junior boy in recent history.
Harman, 16, of Savannah, Ga., competed in eight Golfweek/Titleist
ranked events last season, battled 787 players, beat 722 of them, and played
the hardest schedule, according to Jeff Sagarin's computers, of any
ranked boy in junior golf.
Baldry: Creamer's star
Michelle Wie played alongside the men; Brian Harman won three
AJGA majors and the U.S. Junior Amateur; and Morgan Pressel battled
for the lead on Day 1 of the U.S. Women's Open.
A number of juniors made a splash on the national level, but Paula
Creamer had the premier season in junior golf.
achieves big in 2002-03
- For more, visit www.g
olfweek.com/articles/2003/juniorgolf/boys/36836.asp
shines brightest in '03
- For more, visit www.
golfweek.com/articles/2003/juniorgolf/girls/36835.asp
NEWS AND NOTES
* Japan's Kaori Fujiki had a tough debut in her maiden start in the
United States. Before the start of the opening round of the Polo Junior Nov.
25, Ibaraki was informed by officials she would not be allowed to use her
driver. Her Callaway ERC II was on the U.S. Golf Association's
non-conforming list and Ibaraki had to use a rental club from the pro shop.
"It was a little heavier than my driver," said Ibaraki through her
interpreter Toshio Ono. "It was kind of tough but I had to play with it."
After opening with 75, a second-round 83 ended her run for her first title
in the United States. As for the golf course and the rest of the country,
Ibaraki added, "I like it over here very much."
* The 8:33 a.m. group on Disney's Palm Course put on a clinic during the
first round of the AJGA Polo Golf Junior Classic. The trio of Morgan
Pressel, Jennie Lee and Adriana Zwanck combined for a 15
under total and held the top three spots on the leaberboard.
Pressel, an AJGA first team All-American, posted a flawless, course-record
7-under 65. Lee came one stroke shy of her playing partner while Zwanck
finished at 2 under, good for a three-way tied for third.
''I wasn't really thinking all that much,'' said Pressel. ''I was just kind
of playing and it all fell into place.''
The 15-year-old captured the Florida State High School Athletic Association
Class A title Nov. 13 after rounds of 70-68.
* Jennifer Tangtiphaiboontana was awarded the Jerry Cole
Sportsmanship Award last month during the AJGA's Polo Golf Junior
All-America Awards Banquet.
Tangtiphaiboontana, a freshman at Stanford, was honored for her exemplary
sportsmanship both on and off the golf course.
''Jennifer possesses the qualities of a true competitor,'' said Peter
Ripa, AJGA chief operations officer. ''Despite the challenges she has
experienced over the past two years, she always has a smile on her face.''
Others honored at the banquet include the Polo Golf Junior Players of the
Year (Brian Harman and Paula Creamer), Polo Golf Junior All-America teams
and HP Scholastic Junior All-America team.
* Several members of the class of 2004 have signed letters of intent to play
college golf. Check Golfweek's complete list of college signings:
* Click
here for men signings.
* Sarah Zwartynski, a freshman on the Lady Eagles High School (Allen,
Texas) golf team, shot 74-66 at the Ennis Invitational. Zwartynski won by
eight strokes with a 4-under 140 total.
Her second-round 66 tied the women's course record at Ennis Country Club.
Cindy Shin, currently a freshman on Yale's golf team, also shot 66.
* The first Golfweek/Titleist Junior Rankings of the 2003-04 season
will be published Dec. 8 on www.golfweek.com/juniorgolf/.
* Short Shots: The AJGA has released its 2004 schedule. For a
complete list of tournaments, visit www.ajga.org/TournInfo/2004
sch.asp. . . . . . The IJGT at Lost Canyons Golf Club has been canceled
due to fire damage. The IJGT has added events at Morgan Run in San Diego
(Feb. 6-8) and Reunion Resort in Orlando, Fla. (Jan 16-18). . . . Brian
Harman was named the Southern Golf Association's Amateur of the Month
for November.
* Click
here for women signings.
THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE
FCWT
IJGT
SOUTHEASTERN JUNIOR GOLF TOUR
THE JUNIOR TOUR
INDEPENDENT
Dec. 13-14 -- World Woods, Brooksville, Fla.
Dec. 5-7 -- Berkeley Hall, Bluffton, S.C.
Dec. 5-7 -- Bayonet & Black Horse, Seaside, Calif.
Dec. 12-14 -- Clemson (S.C.) University
Dec. 13-14 - SJGT Tournament of Champions, Camp Creek GC, Panama City, Fla.
Dec. 13-14 - Landmark Golf Club, Indio, Calif.
Dec. 6-7 -- The Junior Champions Tour National Championship
RECRUITING CENTRAL
One of the key elements in the college selection process is deciding which
schools and coaches to send letters of introduction and resumes.
Prospects would be wise to identify institutions offering majors and degrees
in their preferred area of study. It's possible to earn a degree in business
or philosophy at most colleges and universities, but if specific majors such
as architecture, journalism or forensic science are the primary interest,
more research is necessary to identify possible schools that meet a
student's criteria.
Prospective student/athletes should use the same diligence in evaluating
their athletic ability when choosing where to write. Coaches want to hear
from high-school players who can help them build or maintain a winning team.
Coaches at top- and mid-level competitive programs want to recruit new
players whose scores fit with the stronger players currently on the team,
and they already have several players on the roster competing for the Nos. 4
and 5 positions on the traveling team. However, at other schools, coaches
might be looking for a solid No. 4 or 5 man.
Prospects and parents should be aware they are wasting their time, as well
as the coach's time, by sending a letter where the student would not be a
good academic or athletic match.
- For more college recruiting information, visit the Ping American College
Golf Guide at www.collegegolf.com/.
THIS WEEK IN GOLFWEEK
Check the Dec. 20/27 issue of Golfweek for a complete year-ending
review of pro, college and amateur golf as well as the unveiling of our
Juniors of the Year.
POLL QUESTION
How do you think the Presidents Cup should have ended?
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.