Keeping Pace with the Pros
FootJoy Invitational returns to Sedgefield Country Club

The FootJoy Invitational epitomizes the AJGA’s strong ties with the PGA TOUR. For the second year in a row, Sedgefield Country Club will host PGA TOUR professionals at the Wyndham Championship in August, and during the tournament week, 99 of the world’s best junior boys will be tested by the Donald Ross layout.

Anthony Paolucci

Five players that finished in the top 10 in 2008 will return to Greensboro, N.C., with hopes of claiming both an Invitational crown and an exemption to the Wyndham Championship. Though only 15 years old, Jordan Spieth has constructed a junior career that already includes three AJGA victories and 13 top-10 finishes, including a sixth-place finish at last year’s FootJoy Invitational.

Last June, Rak Cho of Brea, Calif., carded a 3-under-par total and finished tied for second. A high school sophomore, Cho recorded a perfect 4-0-0 record as a member of the victorious Canon Cup West Team and earned second-team Rolex Junior All-America honors in 2008.

James Back of Cerritos, Calif., notched his third career AJGA victory earlier this year after defeating Ben Itterman of Carlsbad, Calif., in a sudden-death playoff at the Heather Farr Classic presented by Longbow Golf Club. The victory moved the high school junior up to the sixth spot in the Polo Golf Rankings.

Phillip Choi of Orlando, Fla., tied for fourth last year, and Anthony Paolucci of Dallas, finished tied for 10th, and both players will return to Sedgefield Country Club with their eyes on the top prize. Andrew Yun of Chandler, Ariz., won the 2006 FootJoy Invitational at Forest Oaks Country Club and will look to become the second repeat champion in the event’s history.

Patrick Winther of Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla., will lead the contingent of players making their first trip to the FootJoy Invitational. Winther’s ascent up the Polo Golf Rankings has been highlighted by two AJGA Invitational victories – the HP Boys Championship at Carlton Woods and the Polo Golf Junior Classic.

Over the course of the last eight years, the FootJoy Invitational has been a highlight of many junior and amateur careers. The 2009 field features 28 players who have signed a National Letter of Intent, which means golf’s future will be on display once again.