In 2010 and 2011, the HP Boys Championship at Carlton Woods
has been the exclamation point to two outstanding AJGA careers. Two years ago,
Bobby Wyatt punctuated his record with his third career win, while Jordan
Spieth notched his fifth victory last year. Combined, the tandem earned Rolex
Junior All-America accolades five times.
In 2012, 28 high school seniors will look to continue the trend and cap their
AJGA careers with a win in their final appearance at the HP Boys Championship
at Carlton Woods.
Among the 78 players are 18 of the top 20 boys in the Polo
Golf Rankings, as well as 39 players who earned Rolex Junior All-America honors
in 2011. In all, the 54-hole championship will feature players from 21 states
and 11 foreign countries (Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Hong
Kong, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and Sweden).
Three Texans, who are each in the top 10 of the Polo Golf
Rankings, will try to keep the trophy in their home state. Humble, Texas,
native Connor Black, and Dallas natives Scott Scheffler and Brad Dalke, are the
three highest-ranked Texans in the field.
Dalke, who has verbally committed to the University of
Oklahoma, became the youngest boy to win an AJGA Invitational last year when he
clinched a win at the Thunderbird International Junior.
Other local players set to compete include David Lee and
Benjamin Arnett of Houston, and Chester Wang and Michael Durio of The
Woodlands.
Cody Proveaux of Leesville, S.C., is the reigning Rolex
Junior Player of the Year and will return to The Club at Carlton Woods after
finishing second a year ago. His career includes wins at the 2010 Polo Golf
Junior Classic and 2011 Junior PGA Championship, as well as seven top-five
finishes. The high school senior is No. 3 in the Polo Golf Rankings and has
signed a National Letter of Intent with Clemson.
Three other players posted
top-five finishes at the 2011 HP Boys Championship at Carlton Woods and will
return in 2012: Wyndham Clark of Greenwood Village, Colo. (third place in
2011); Shun Yat Hak of Lake Mary, Fla. (fourth); and AJ McInerney of Henderson,
Nev. (tied for fifth).