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An
Easter Weekend Tradition Continues |
Holiday
events part of an expanded spring schedule |
By
John Egnot
Manager of Media Relations
The 2006 AJGA season is about to kick into full gear with an
expanded spring schedule that will include 10 tournaments in
April alone.
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| Donovan,
seen here at the 2005 PING Junior Solheim Cup, will be
looking for her second straight Mizuno Junior at Chateau
Elan crown. |
However, as much as things change, some things just stay the
same. That is the case once again in 2006 as the AJGA gears
up for its Easter Weekend tournaments in Georgia, Texas and
Arizona, April 13-16.
For the 13th time, the AJGA will spend part of its Easter Weekend
in the mountains of North Georgia with the Mizuno Junior at
Chateau Elan. Playing host to the event for the sixth consecutive
year, Chateau Elan Resort in Braselton, Ga., will provide a
stiff early-season test to some of the nation’s top junior
golfers.
The
Mizuno Junior at Chateau Elan boasts an impressive list of past
champions. Charles Howell, Ryuji Imada, Brittany Lincicome and
Virada Nirapathpongporn are just a few of the names that appear
on the list. As impressive as this list is, nothing is as impressive
as Beth Bauer’s dominance of the event in the mid-late
90s, where she won the tournament five consecutive times (1994-1998).
Kimberly Donovan of Hopkinton, Mass., will return to defend
her tournament title in 2006. A first-team Rolex Junior All-American,
Donovan captured the title by two shots in 2005 after the event
was shortened to 27 holes due to inclement weather. Donovan
will be joined by another first-team Rolex Junior All-American
in Megan Grehan of Mamaroneck, N.Y.
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| Kevin
Tway returns to the PING Junior at The Woodlands |
In the Boys Division, a number of players from last year’s
top five will return to Chateau Elan for another shot at the
title. Corey Nagy of Charlotte, N.C., returns after finishing
tied for second place in 2005, one shot behind tournament champion
David Holzworth. Four players finished in a four-way tie for
fourth place in 2005 and three of them will return in 2006,
including David Yujin Chung of Fayetteville, N.C., Philip Chauncey
of Durham, N.C., and Chase Carpenter of Salyersville, Ky.
Meanwhile,
the Panther Trail Course at The Woodlands Resort & Conference
Center in The Woodlands, Texas, will host the 22nd edition of
the PING Junior at The Woodlands. Much like the Mizuno Junior
at Chateau Elan, this Easter Weekend event claims a litany of
talented champions, including Lucas Glover, Bob May, Morgan
Pressel, Brittany Lang, Candie Kung, Grace Park and Cristie
Kerr.
In 2006, Sarah Zwartynski of Allen, Texas, will return to defend
her tournament title. Looking to dethrone the champion will
be Jenny Kim of Los Angeles, who finished in second place in
2005, just one shot back of Zwartynski. Also providing tough
competition will be Sydney Burlison of Salinas, Calif. Burlison
finished tied for third in 2005, two shots behind the champion.
Two first-team Rolex Junior All-Americans will be on the prowl
at the Panther Trail Course in the Boys Division. Rolex Junior
Player of the Year Peter Uihlein of Bradenton, Fla., and Arnond
Vongvanij, also of Bradenton, join three players who finished
tied for fourth in 2005, including Will Griffin of San Antonio,
Kevin Tway of Edmond, Okla., and Dustin Morris of Crosby, Texas.
Last but certainly not least, the eighth annual Heather Farr
Classic will be contested at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Ariz.
Past champions of the event include Hunter Mahan, Paula Creamer
and Amanda Blumenherst.
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| Rory
Hie will look to add another victory to his impressive
record at the Heather Farr Classic. |
In 2006, second-team Rolex Junior All-American Drew Kittleson
of nearby Scottsdale, Ariz., will attempt to win the Heather
Farr Classic crown for the second consecutive year. He will
face very strong competition, including 2004 champion and 2005
runner-up Rory Hie, a first-team Rolex Junior All-American from
Lakewood, Calif. Hie finished just one shot out of the winner’s
circle in 2005 and will be seeking his second tournament title.
Richard
Lee of Chandler, Ariz., who finished tied with Hie for second
in 2005 will also return to Longbow Golf Club. He will be joined
by first-team Rolex Junior All-American Philip Francis of Scottsdale,
and 2005 Polo Golf Junior Classic champion Jamie Lovemark of
Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
In the Girls Division, 2005 champion In-Bee Park will not be
returning, but a host of talented players will be seeking this
prestigious AJGA title. Second-team Rolex Junior All-American
Sydnee Michaels of Temecula, Calif., will be looking to improve
upon her third-place finish a year ago. A who’s who of
first-team Rolex Junior All-Americans will join in the fray
as well, including Esther Choe and Taylore Karle of Scottsdale,
as well as Mina Harigae of Monterey, Calif., and Jane Rah of
Torrance, Calif.
In addition the three traditional Easter Weekend Open events,
the AJGA will also conduct the Medicus Preseason Junior at RTJ
Grand National in Opelika, Ala., April 14-16. The tournament,
to be held at the Lakes Course at Grand National Golf Course
is the second in a series of Medicus Preseason/Postseason events
to be held throughout the 2006 season. |
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