Exide Technologies Junior Open presented by Mizuno The Country Club of the South Johns Creek, Georgia April 19 21, 2013 TOURNAMENT FACT SHEET

Transcription

1 Exide Technologies Junior Open presented by Mizuno The Country Club of the South Johns Creek, Georgia April 19 21, 2013 American Junior Golf Association Contact: Amanda Herrington (678) TOURNAMENT FACT SHEET Quick Facts 78 players, 36-hole stroke play event Tournament field includes players from 15 states, Mexico and Taiwan 19 players from Georgia will compete 9 Rolex Junior All-Americans will compete Tournament Storylines Back for more Girls Division champion Samantha Wagner of Windermere, Fla., will return to defend her title. She will have competition from 2012 runner-up Cindy Ha of Demarest, N.J., and T3 finishers Jessica Haigwood of Roswell, Ga., and Rachel Dai of Milton, Ga. Seven top-five finishers in the Boys and Girls Divisions will return in On the Boys side, 2012 runner-up Joshua Martin of Pinehurst, N.C., will compete, in addition to Nick Hardy of Northbrook, Ill., and Zachary Healy of Peachtree Corners, Ga., who tied for fourth in 2012.

2 2 Local players highlight the field While the event will feature junior golfers from all over the country, 19 Georgia natives will compete, including juniors from the local area. Jake Fendt, Suwannee, Ga. Westridge Christian Academy Jessica Haigwood, Roswell, Ga. Roswell High School Ben Holm, Alpharetta, Ga. Johns Creek High School Emily Kurey, Alpharetta, Ga. Centennial High School Jason Mendel, Norcross, Ga. Norcross High School Rinko Mitsunaga, Roswell, Ga. Centennial High School Michaela Owen, Suwannee, Ga. Lambert High School Nicholas Smith, Johns Creek, Ga. Johns Creek High School Ryan Stachler, Alpharetta, Ga. Cambridge High School John Yi, Marietta, Ga. Walton High School Playing at the next level The event will feature 35 juniors who have either signed a Letter of Intent or given a verbal commitment to play golf at the collegiate level. Haley Austin Mercer Ji Eun Baik Mississippi State (verbal) Sierra Brooks Florida (verbal) Justin Connelly Mercer Katelyn Dambaugh South Carolina Ben Dietrich South Carolina Clark Engle Ohio State Jonathan Goldstein DePaul Cindy Ha Vanderbilt (verbal) Jessica Haigwood Augusta State Jonathan Hardee Alabama (verbal) Nick Hardy Illinois (verbal) Zachary Healy Georgia (verbal) Tyler Hitchner Alabama (verbal) Jessica Hoang Clemson Ben Holm Loyola Chicago Emily Kurey Louisville Sammi Lee Georgia Matthew Mahle College of Charleston Zachary Martin UNC Chapel Hill Jason Mendel South Alabama Rinko Mitsunaga Georgia (verbal) Ryan Mondy Virginia Tech Sydney Needham - Samford Andrew Novak Wofford (verbal) Kristine Odaiyar Central Florida (verbal) Tanner Owen Wake Forest (verbal) Colin Proctor Illinois (verbal) William Register North Carolina (verbal) Ben Schlottman Auburn (verbal) Connor Slane North Alabama Jimmy Stanger Virginia Lauren Stephenson Clemson (verbal) Payton Taylor Wisconsin (verbal) Samantha Wagner Florida (verbal) 2012 Open Tournament of the Year The Exide Technologies Junior Open presented by Mizuno was named the 2012 Open Tournament of the Year. In just three short years, the tournament has distinguished itself on the AJGA schedule with excellent community involvement and player hospitality. Overall, the tournament has resulted in an economic impact of more than $270,000 to the community. Producing All-Americans Five of the six past champions went on to receive Rolex Junior All-America honors in the same year. Nine 2012 Rolex Junior All-Americans will compete in 2013.

3 3 Schedule of Events Friday, April 19 8 a.m. shotgun Practice Round 1 p.m. shotgun Junior-Am Fundraising Tournament Saturday, April a.m. First Round off Nos. 1 and 10 tees Sunday, April a.m. Final Round off Nos. 1 and 10 tees 2:30 p.m. Awards Ceremony Players to Watch Samantha Wagner, Windermere, Fla. (2013) The 2012 champion, Wagner returns to defend her title. No. 5 in the Polo Golf Rankings, Wagner is the highest-ranked girl in the field and looks to add another victory to her record which includes two titles and 15 top-10 finishes in national junior golf competition. A three-time Rolex Junior All-American, Wagner will continue her career on the collegiate level at Florida. Rachel Dai, Milton, Ga. (2015) Dai will return to The Country Club of the South after tying for third in Dai has recorded nine top-10 AJGA finishes including a victory at the 2012 Evitt Foundation RTC Junior All-Star. At No. 35 in the Polo Golf Rankings, Dai received honorable mention Rolex Junior All-America honors in Mai Dechathipat, Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. (2015) Dechathipat makes her debut at the Exide Technologies Junior Open presented by Mizuno and looks for her first victory. She has recorded six top-10 AJGA finishes and sits at No. 15 in the Polo Golf Rankings. Zachary Healy, Peachtree Corners, Ga. (2014) The highest-ranked local player in the field, Healy tied for fourth in the 2012 Exide Technologies Junior Open presented by Mizuno. Healy has posted 10 top-20 performances in national junior competition and has verbally committed to Georgia. Joshua Martin, Pinehurst, N.C. (2015) Martin makes his third straight trip to The Country Club of the South after posting second-place and third-place finishes in 2012 and 2011, respectively. The highest-ranked boy in the field at No. 20, Martin looks for his second AJGA victory, after previously winning the 2010 Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior. A two-time Rolex Junior All-American, Martin comes off a T12 finish at the TaylorMade-adidas Golf Junior at Innisbrook hosted by Sean O Hair in March. Jimmy Stanger, Tampa, Fla. (2013) Stanger makes his debut at the Exide Technologies Junior Open presented by Mizuno. He has recorded six top-10 finishes in national junior golf competition, including a second-place finish at the 2012 Jones Cup Junior Invitational. He is coming off an eighth-place finish at the TaylorMadeadidas Golf Junior at Innisbrook hosted by Sean O Hair in March.

4 2012 Results The Country Club of the South (April 13-15, 2012) Boys Division 1 Lee McCoy Clarkesville, Ga Joshua Martin Pinehurst, N.C Grant Daugherty Alcoa, Tenn T4 Nick Hardy Northbrook, Ill T4 Zachary Healy Peachtree Corners, Ga Girls Division 1 Samantha Wagner Windermere, Fla Cindy Ha Demarest, N.J T3 Annie Park Levittown, N.Y T3 Mariah Stackhouse Riverdale, Ga T3 Sophia Schubert Oak Ridge, Tenn T3 Jessica Haigwood Roswell, Ga T3 Rachel Dai Milton, Ga Past Champions Year Boys Division Score 2012 Lee McCoy Clarkesville, Ga JD Tomlinson Gainesville, Fla **Stephen Behr, Jr. Florence, S.C. 69 Year Girls Division Score 2012 Samantha Wagner Windermere, Fla *Mariah Stackhouse Riverdale, Ga **Simin Feng Orlando, Fla. 71 * Won via sudden-death playoff **2010 was shortened to 18 holes due to weather

5 5 Media Accommodations The Exide Technologies Junior Open presented by Mizuno will have AJGA communications representatives on hand to assist media throughout the week. Prior to the tournament the AJGA will provide information about the event and its participants, as well as assist with player interviews. After each round, media officials on-site will write a recap with the day's results. These will be ed to all media outlets. Interviews with AJGA Tournament Directors, Tournament Chairmen and juniors may be conducted before or after tournament rounds. For more information about the AJGA and tournaments, please refer to ajga.org. Tournament websites are accessible from the homepage and include recaps, list of participants, tee times, live scoring, course and sponsorship information. About the AJGA The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. The AJGA provides valuable exposure for college golf scholarships, and has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 6,000 junior golfers from 49 states and more than 50 countries. To ensure scholarship opportunities for all junior golfers who have the skill, the AJGA created the Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant program to provide financial assistance to young players in need. Titleist, the AJGA's National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association's success since Rolex, which is in its third decade of AJGA support, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in In 2007, after 12 years of support, Ralph Lauren became the AJGA's second Premier Partner. AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 500 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Brandt Snedeker, Bubba Watson, Webb Simpson, Hunter Mahan, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Stacy Lewis, Vicky Hurst, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Britney Lincicome and Morgan Pressel. Tournament Field Boys Division Michael Abrahamson Patrick Albanesi Eric Bae Matt Cheng Jack Comstock Justin Connelly Will Dickson Ben Dietrich Clark Engle Jake Fendt Luis Gerardo Garza Jonathan Goldstein Alex Green Will Grimmer Chicago, Ill. Avon, Conn. Cary, N.C. Taipei, Taiwan Jacksonville, Fla. McDonough, Ga. Providence, R.I. Bluffton, S.C. Springfield, Ohio Suwanee, Ga. Leon, Mexico Northbrook, Ill. Fairhope, Ala. Cincinnati, Ohio

6 6 Jonathan Hardee Nick Hardy Zachary Healy Tyler Hitchner Lee Hodges Ben Holm Nathan Jeansonne Tiger Lee David Mackey Matthew Mahle Joshua Martin Zachary Martin Jason Mendel Camilo Mexsen Carter Mobley Curren Mody Ryan Mondy Andrew Novak Kaito Onishi Tanner Owen Colin Proctor William Register Billy Tom Sargent Ben Schlottman Corey Shaun Connor Slane Nicholas Smith Ryan Stachler Jimmy Stanger Payton Taylor Aaron Terrazas Samuel Uhland Dominick Vennari Robin Wang John Yi Carl Yuan Juan Yumar Greer, S.C. Northbrook, Ill. Peachtree Corners, Ga. Tuscaloosa, Ala. Elkmont, Ala. Alpharetta, Ga. Keithville, La. (Hong Kong) Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. Bogart, Ga. Lexington, Ky. Pinehurst, N.C. Pinehurst, N.C. Norcross, Ga. (Mexico) Howey In The Hills, Fla. Waynesboro, Ga. Monmouth Junction, N.J. Blacksburg, Va. Mount Pleasant, S.C. (Japan) Irvine, Calif. High Point, N.C. Anderson, Ind. Burlington, N.C. Georgetown, Ky. Advance, N.C. Encinitas, Calif. Helena, Ala. Johns Creek, Ga. Alpharetta, Ga. Tampa, Fla. Vero Beach, Fla. Veracruz, Mexico Jacksonville, Fla. Stuart, Fla. (China) Lake Mary, Fla. Marietta, Ga. (China) Lake Mary, Fla. (Venezuela) Miami, Fla.

7 7 Girls Division Karen Arimoto Haley Austin Ji Eun Baik Sierra Brooks Rachel Dai Katelyn Dambaugh Mai Dechathipat Harley Dubsky Cindy Ha Jessica Haigwood Gracie Henderson Jessica Hoang Grace Kil Emily Kurey Hanna Lee Sammi Lee Madison Lellyo Mika Liu Carolyn Markley Rinko Mitsunaga Sydney Needham Kristine Odaiyar Michaela Owen Lauren Stephenson Susana Vik Samantha Wagner (Japan) Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. McDonough, Ga. (South Korea) Newnan, Ga. Sorrento, Fla. Milton, Ga. Goose Creek, S.C. (Thailand) Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. Valparaiso, Ind. Demarest, N.J. Roswell, Ga. Norcross, Ga. North Augusta, S.C. (South Korea) Arlington Heights, Ill. Alpharetta, Ga. Cincinnati, Ohio Winter Park, Fla. Windermere, Fla. Beverly Hills, Calif. Maineville, Ohio Roswell, Ga. Villa Rica, Ga. Ocala, Fla. Suwanee, Ga. Lexington, S.C. Greenwich, Conn. Windermere, Fla. Field as of April 11, 2013 Bold indicates Georgia native