By John Egnot
Manager of Media Relations

Thirty-one Rolex Junior All-Americans. Thirty-three Canon Cup Team members. Forty-nine AJGA victories in 2006.

This impressive list of accomplishments is reflective of the quality of the field of 84 players taking to Karsten Creek Golf Club in the inaugural PING Invitational, Oct. 6-9. And, while finishing at the top may seem like a daunting task, two players will be standing alone as winners of what will soon come to be known as one of junior golf’s most prestigious titles.

The PING Invitational features one of the best fields you will ever find in junior golf. Not only are 84 of the best in the world seeking to be the first name etched on The PING Invitational trophy, but they are also making one last push to make the prestigious Rolex Junior All-America teams, which will be determined after the tournament.

One player to watch out for will be 2005 Rolex Junior Player of the Year Peter Uihlein of Bradenton, Fla. Ranked No. 2 in the AJGA Rankings, Uihlein has one victory in 2005 and came painstakingly close in three AJGA Invitationals, including second-place finishes at the Rolex Tournament of Champions and FootJoy Boys Invitational.

Challenging Uihlein will be Rickie Fowler of Murrieta, Calif. Fowler has had a solid 2006, winning his first AJGA Invitational at the HP Boys Junior Championship. Fowler also advanced to the quarterfinals at the U.S. Amateur Championship and is rated No. 3 in the AJGA Rankings.

Rickie Fowler won the HP Boys Junior Championship and advanced to the quarterfinals at the U.S. Amateur.

Now participating in his sixth Invitational of 2006, Andrew Yun of Chandler, Ariz., has been a constant at the top of leader boards. Yun won the FootJoy Boys Invitational in June on the heels of a final-round 66 to defeat Uihlein by a single stroke.

Other players in the top 10 in the AJGA Rankings on the boys’ side include Richard Lee (No. 5), also of Chandler, Ariz., Arnond Vongvanij (No. 7) of Bradenton, Fla., Tadd Fujikawa (No. 8) of Honolulu, Drew Kittleson (No. 9) of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Josh Jones (No. 10) of The Colony, Texas.

The Girls Division will be just as strong, with seven of the top-10 ranked girls participating. Heading the charge will be top-ranked Esther Choe of Scottsdale, Ariz. Choe has had a phenomenal run in 2006, finishing in the top three at all five AJGA events she has entered. She won her second career AJGA Invitational at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship in June and advanced to the round of 16 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur.

No. 2-ranked Isabelle Lendl of Bradenton, Fla., will be looking for her second Invitational victory of the year after claiming her first at the Thunderbird International Junior in May. The win marked Lendl’s second AJGA title.

Mina Harigae of Monterey, Calif., No. 3 in the current AJGA Rankings, has also had a memorable 2006. Besides winning the Heather Farr Classic in April, Harigae has advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Girls’ Junior and the round of 16 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur.

Taylore Karle recently won the PING Phoenix Junior and is looking for her first Invitational win.

Taylore Karle (No. 5) of Scottsdale, Ariz., will be in search of her third win of the year. Stephanie Kono (No. 6) of Honolulu, Jenny Shin (No. 7) of Torrance, Calif., and Sydney Burlison (No. 8) of Salinas, Calif., round out the remainder of top-10 girls who will be in pursuit of the championship.

Not to mention, the 14th-ranked girl in the AJGA Rankings, Kimberly Kim of Pahoa, Hawaii, just won the U.S. Women’s Amateur.

So who will be the best on the plains of Oklahoma? Fifty-four holes of outstanding golf at Karsten Creek will tell the tale and provide two worthy Invitational champions.