The Boys are back in town!

With names such as Furyk, Duval and Woods on the list of former champions, it is easy to see that the 18-year history of the HP Boys Junior Championship has been filled with some of the best junior golfers the game has to offer.

This year will be no different as 22 Rolex Junior All-Americans, 13 2004 AJGA tournament champions and a host of junior golf’s top boys from 27 states and two foreign countries tee it up at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge.

One junior that definitely has his eye on the title is third-team Rolex Junior All-American George Gandranata of Bradenton, Fla. The rising high school senior finished one stroke behind Tom Davis in the 2003 HP Boys Junior Championship to finish in sole possession of second place.

That was not Gandranata’s only flirtation with victory, as the 18-year-old has finished second at four AJGA events in the past two years, including a tie for second at this year’s Thunderbird International Junior.

Lance Lopez of Missouri City, Texas, is also making a return trip after finishing three strokes behind Gandranata and in a tie for sixth last year. The third-team Rolex Junior All-American is already on a roll in 2004 as he carded his second AJGA win earlier this month at the PING Harvey Penick Junior.

Another third-team Rolex Junior All-American in the hunt is Ben Leong of Orlando. The University of Central Florida-signee has five career top-10 finishes in AJGA events, including third at the 2003 First American Title Avila Junior and a tie for ninth at the 2003 Rolex Tournament of Champions.

Joining Leong on the Golden Knights golf team in the fall is Christopher Anderson of Lake Mary, Fla. Anderson has seven top-10 finishes in AJGA events, with his best showing coming at the 2003 Polo Golf Junior Classic where he lost to Rolex Junior Player of the Year Brian Harman in the finals, 2-up.

A trio of second-team Rolex Junior All-Americans are also coming in with their eyes on the prize.

Jon Curran of Hopkinton, Mass., comes in with a win in 2004 already under his belt. The 17-year-old shot rounds of 67-68-66–201 to capture the title at the Scott Robertson Memorial held in May.

Curran is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American with 10 top-10 finishes in AJGA events and two AJGA victories. He is also serving this year as the player representative on the AJGA Board of Directors.

Like Curran, two-time Rolex Junior All-American Robert Gates Jr. of Gainesville, Fla., is also looking for victory this week. Gates, who will be playing for Texas A&M in the fall, had one of his best AJGA finishes earlier this year at the Thunderbird International Junior where he finished in a four-way tie for second.

Rounding out the second-team Rolex Junior All-Americans is Chanin Puntawong of Bradenton, Fla. The three-time Rolex Junior All-American is no stranger to the HP Boys Junior Championship as he finished in a tie for third in 2002. The rising high school junior has nine top-10 finishes in AJGA events, including four wins.

Another Rolex Junior All-American who is familiar with this event is Seung-Su Han of Bradenton, Fla. Han put together rounds of 68-71-71-66–276 to take the title at the 2002 HP Boys Junior Championship. The win was one of four he collected en route to being named the 2002 Rolex Junior Player of the Year.

Other Rolex Junior All-Americans in this year’s field include: Cornelius Carroll of Windermere, Fla., Noah Goldman of Longwood, Fla., Jake Hermes of Durango, Colo., Charlie Holland of Dallas, Sihwan Kim of Fullerton, Calif., Lucas Lee of Torrance, Calif., Jon McLean of Weston, Fla., Glenn Northcutt of Dothan, Ala., Cole Peevler of Keokuk, Iowa, Toby Ragland of Jacksonville, Fla., Samuel Saunders of Windermere, Fla., Nicholas Smith of Ocala, Fla., Ryan Solan of Charlotte, N.C., Nathan Stamey of Canton, N.C., and Bobby West of Watertown, S.D.

For the 84 players competing at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge this week, a true test awaits them. The nation’s top junior golfers, coupled with a PGA TOUR course in an event with the prestige of the HP Boys Junior Championship should prove to be a captivating preview to what lies ahead for golf’s next generation.

HP Boys Junior Championship
Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge
Orlando, Fla. • July 26 - 30