Each week, the AJGA honors the boy and girl junior golfers who shoot the lowest round during the final tournament round. Each of these players will be presented with one of this year's new Scotty Cameron putter covers. In this feature, we will hear from the players each week who take home this honor and what helped them get there.
ClubCorp Mission Hills Desert Junior
“I was just off the green on No. 18 and made a 25-foot putt to put me at 2-under-par heading to the back nine,” said Daniel Slovis of Woodland Hills, Calif., who fired a final-round, 7-under-par 65 in his final round. “It gave me momentum to get four more birdies and shoot 31 on the front.”
“On No. 11, I hit it 50 feet past the pin and then drained it coming back for a birdie,” said Michelle Yang of Los Angeles, whose final-round 69 helped her finish in a tie for fifth.
“On No. 13 I made a 20-foot par putt that kept my momentum going,” said Girls Division champion Kelli Oride of Lihue, Hawaii, who also had a final-round, 3-under-par 69. “At that point I was only 1-under-par, so who knows what would have happened if I would have missed that putt.”
Elbit Systems of America Junior Golf Classic
"I hit some lucky, unbelievable shots and my putting was really good,” said Sandra Lee of Carrollton, Texas, who carded a final-round 69. “I was able to just enjoy the moment and each hole I played and the outcome was good.”
“On No.3, a par-3, I hit my tee shot to about a foot from the hole and tapped in for birdie,” said Gregory Yates of Mansfield, Texas whose 7-under-par 65 helped him win the Boys Division by one stroke. “That moment just got me going through the rest of the round.”
SAP Junior Open
“My moment came when I sunk a 55 footer on No. 5 and that was my longest putt of the tournament,” said Matthew Gerard of Rocky River, Ohio, who finished up the tournament with a final-round 70. “It was really tough putt but the greens were rolling great.”
“My birdie on No. 2 was great,” said John Beringer of Loveland, Ohio, after his 2-under-par 72. “I hit my tee shot into a divot and then knocked that to within four feet and drained the birdie putt.”
“I played it safe on the par-5 No. 6 and laid up on my second shot,” said Cyril Suk of Bradenton, Fla., who also finished with a final-round, 2-under-par 70 to finish in second place for the tournament. “That let me hit my 70-yard wedge shot to 6 inches and made the putt for my third birdie in four holes.”
“On No. 5, I made a 30 footer to put me 4-under-par through my first five holes,” said Emma Talley of Princeton, Ky., who fired a 4-under-par 68 to secure a win in the Girls Division. “I had to aim two feet left and if I didn't hit the hole it would have been off the green.”