By Chad Crunk
Communications Intern

The Thunderbird International Junior typically draws one of the strongest fields in junior golf. This year is no different. Thirteen of the top 15 players, boys and girls, in the Polo Golf Rankings will try to tame Grayhawk Golf Club’s Raptor Course in Scottsdale, Ariz., and bring home the first Invitational title of 2007.

Philip Francis comes into the Thunderbird International Junior as the top ranked player in the field.

The Thunderbird International Junior is also known for the diverse field that it brings to the Phoenix area. This year, 17 states and 14 countries will be represented in the tournament field.

In the Boys Division, top-ranked Philip Francis of Scottsdale, will look to become the first boy to successfully defend his title. The Thunderbird International Junior will be the first AJGA event of the year for Francis, who is coming off a season that saw him win five national junior golf events and earn the Rolex Junior Player of the Year award.

Andrew Yun of Tacoma, Wash., enters the event ranked third in the Polo Golf Rankings. Yun, a 2006 first-team Rolex Junior All-American, won two majors in 2006 – the FootJoy Boys Invitational and The PING Invitational.

Fellow first-team Rolex Junior All-American and fifth-ranked Richard Lee of Chandler, Ariz., will look to improve on his fifth-place finish from last year. Lee is coming off his recent victory in his home state at the ReBath Heather Farr Classic.

Other first-team Rolex Junior All-Americans in the Boys Division include Bud Cauley of Jacksonville, Fla., Jhared Hack of Sanford, Fla., Conrad Shindler of Westlake, Texas, Kevin Tway of Edmond, Okla., Peter Uihlein of Bradenton, Fla., and Arnond Vongvanij of Bradenton.

Mu Hu of Shen Zhen, China, leads a strong field of international players in the Boys Division. Hu, a three-time AJGA winner, is currently ranked 40th in the Polo Golf Rankings. He is a three-time Rolex Junior All-American and has recorded 21 top-10 finishes in his career.

Isabelle Lendl is the defending champion at the 2007 Thunderbird International Junior.

As always, the Boys Division will have a lot of international flavor. Four players from the United Kingdom will travel across the Atlantic to try to claim victory. Matthew Haines from Chatham, England, Jack Hiluta from Chelmsford, England, Matthew Nixon from Manchester, United Kingdom, and Darren Wright from Rowlands Castle, England, will all be playing in the event.

Additional international players in the Boys Division field include Mauricio Azcue of Mexico City, Sean Einhaus of Borken, Germany, Sergio Franky of Bogota, Colombia, Tommy Chung Hao Mou of Taipei, Taiwan, Daniel Nisbet of Caboolture, Australia, Jakob Nordstrom of Perstorp, Sweden, Pontus Widegren of Danderyd, Sweden, and Tomoyuki Otsuka of Higashi-Matsuyama, Japan.

The Girls Division features an equally strong field. Top-ranked Esther Choe of Scottsdale, will try to win her third-straight Invitational, as she won The PING Invitational and the Polo Junior Golf Classic to close out 2006. Choe, who has committed to play college golf at the University of Arizona, will be making her first appearance of 2007 at the Thunderbird International Junior.

Defending champion and third-ranked Isabelle Lendl of Bradenton, looks to follow up a successful 2006 campaign, which saw her finish in the top-10 at three Invitationals.

Juniors have fun at the pool party during the Thunderbird International Junior.

Reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion Kimberly Kim of Pahoa, Hawaii, will look for her second victory early in the 2007 season. Kim, currently ranked sixth in the Polo Golf Rankings, was victorious at the ReBath Heather Farr Classic, shooting a tournament total 4-under-par 209.

Other first-team Rolex Junior All-Americans in the Girls Division include Sydney Burlison of Salinas, Calif., Mina Harigae of Monterey, Calif., Vicky Hurst of Melbourne, Fla., Taylore Karle of Scottsdale, Stephanie Kono of Honolulu, Marika Lendl of Bradenton, Lisa McCloskey of Montgomery, Texas, and Jenny Shin of Torrance, Calif.

Sally Watson of Scotland is one of the many international players in the Girls Division. Watson, currently ranked No. 32 in the Polo Golf Rankings, notched a second-place finish at the 2007 Mizuno Junior at Chateau Elan. In 2006, Watson placed 12th at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship.

Two players in the field will represent South America. Maria Uribe of Bucaramanga, Colombia, finished fifth in the 2006 Rolex Girls Junior Championship and has signed a National Letter of Intent with UCLA. Kiara Hayashida of Lima, Peru, will also be playing in the event.

Additional international players in the Girls Division field include Serena Aoki of Maebashi-City, Japan, Zoe-Beth Brake of Whakatane, New Zealand, Jacqueline Hedwall of Loddekopinge, Sweden, Louise Larsson of Forshaga, Sweden, Haeji Kang of Clear Island Waters, Australia, Marta Silva Zamora of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, and Jessica Wallace of Langley, British Columbia.

This star-studded field promises to deliver another exciting chapter in the history of the Thunderbird International Junior. Click here to visit the Thunderbird International Junior Web site.