By Georgia Maloney
Communications Intern

Once again, the 2007 AJGA tournament season will come to an end with The PING Invitational, the results of which will go a long way toward determining who will take home Rolex Player of the Year honors in November.

This year’s PING Invitational features one of junior golf’s most competitive fields. Of the 78 players vying for the title at Karsten Creek Golf Club, 29 are Rolex Junior All-Americans, 22 participated in the 2007 Canon Cup and 37 earned at least one AJGA victory in 2007.

Peter Uihlein of Bradenton, Fla.

Leading the way in the Boys Division is the No. 1 player in the Polo Golf Rankings Peter Uihlein of Bradenton, Fla. A three-time Rolex Junior All-American and 2005 Rolex Junior Player of the Year, Uihlein is no stranger to the top of the leaderboard. He recorded five top-10 finishes in 2007 tournaments, including a win at the FootJoy Boys Invitational. The victory was Uihlein’s sixth at an AJGA event. Placing in the top nine at each of his last five Invitationals, Uihlein has proven that he is certainly a force to be reckoned with on the golf course.

Both Uihlein and second-ranked Morgan Hoffmann of Saddlebrook, N.J., will have the opportunity to size up their future home course, as each has verbally committed to Oklahoma State University for 2008. Hoffmann garnered much national attention after his victory at the 2006 Polo Golf Junior Classic. Hoffmann went on to earn a second AJGA Invitational victory in 2007 at the inaugural Junior PLAYERS Championship over Labor Day weekend at TPC Sawgrass – THE PLAYERS Stadium Course.

Rounding out the top-10 ranked players in the field are No. 4 Cory Whitsett of Houston, No. 9 David Sanders of Mt. Laurel, N.J., and No. 10 Andrew Yun of Tacoma, Wash.

Whitsett shot to the top of the Polo Golf Rankings in 2007 after earning an 8 and 7 victory at the U.S. Junior Amateur. He also took home a second-place finish at the FootJoy Boys Invitational. Sanders also had a breakout 2007, as he took home his first AJGA victory at the Aldila Junior Championship. A runner-up finish at the FootJoy Boys Invitational solidified him as a top competitor on the AJGA circuit. Yun, defending champion of The PING Invitational, topped the leaderboard at the I.R.I./Srixon Mixed Team Championship hosted by Jim Furyk with teammate Kimberly Kim of Pahoa, Hawaii.

Kristen Park of Buena Park, Calif.

The Girls Division includes seven of the top 10 players in the Polo Golf Rankings, six of whom won at least one junior title in 2007.

Sitting at the top of the Polo Golf Rankings is Kristen Park of Buena Park, Calif., who defeated Ayaka Kaneko in the finals at the U.S. Girls’ Junior, 4 and 3. In addition, top finishes at the Rolex Tournament of Champions (second) and the McDonald’s Betsy Rawls Girls Championship (third) helped propel her to the top.

Ranked second and third, respectively, are Kimberly Kim of Pahoa, Hawaii, and Vicky Hurst of Melbourne, Fla., each of whom earned one AJGA Invitational and one AJGA Open victory in 2007.

Kim was victorious at the ReBath Heather Farr Classic over Easter Weekend. She followed that with another win at the I.R.I./Srixon Mixed Team Championship hosted by Jim Furyk with partner Yun. She later went on to take home her first AJGA Invitational victory at the Thunderbird International Junior.

Hurst recorded wins at the McDonald’s Betsy Rawls Girls Championship and the Birks & Mayors Junior Championship at Mirasol. She has turned in stellar Invitational performances this year, earning second place at the Thunderbird International Junior and the Rolex Tournament of Champions.

The remaining top-10 ranked players in the girls field are No. 4 Stephanie Kono of Honolulu, No. 5 Mina Harigae of Monterey, Calif., No. 7 Jane Rah of Torrance, Calif., and No. 10 Alexis Thompson of Coral Springs, Fla.

Kono’s high points were tying for second at the ReBath Heather Farr Classic and third at the U.S. Girls’ Junior. Harigae won the Golf World West Coast Championship and the The Verizon Junior Heritage. Rah also took advantage of an Easter Weekend win at the PING Junior at The Woodlands and claimed her first AJGA Invitational victory at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship. Thompson was victorious at the Aldila Junior Classic and became the youngest player to make the field at the U.S. Women’s Open.

Another contender is No. 14 Julie Yang of Phoenix, who placed fifth or better at five AJGA events since turning 12 in early July. Included in that list is a win at the Randy Smith Classic presented by the Lubbock Sports Authority, which made her the second-youngest winner of an AJGA Open event.

Flying under the radar for most of the season is No. 17 Jennifer Johnson of La Quinta, Calif., whose three 2007 Open wins (Mission Hills Desert Junior, Fidelity Investments Stars of Texas Junior, PING Phoenix Junior) are the most of any player in the field.

These are just a few of the talented juniors who will make their way around Karsten Creek Golf Club. We will have to wait until the holiday weekend is over to find out who is going to take home top honors.