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SPRINT JUNIOR GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
QUALIFIER HOSTED BY THE LAS VEGAS FOUNDERS
Boulder Creek Golf Club
Boulder City, Nevada
June 15, 2003
12 BOYS AND THREE GIRLS
QUALIFY AT BOULDER CREEK GOLF CLUB
Erik Coover and Esther Choe top Boys and Girls Divisions
BOULDER CITY, Nev. - Amid windy conditions
and hot temperatures at Boulder Creek Golf Club, Erik Coover
of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Esther Choe of La Quinta, Calif.,
lead a field of 12 boys qualifiers and 3 girls qualifiers
into this week's Sprint Junior Golf Championship hosted by
the Las Vegas Founders.
Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, Sunday's
field included 83 boys and 16 girls from 11 states.
Coover topped the Boys Division, carding a 70. Coover totaled
four birdies, compared to only two bogeys, on his way to qualifying
for his fourth AJGA event.
"I birdied two of the first three holes," commented
Coover. "I also putted well, especially from within eight
feet."
Coover was well prepared for the windy conditions at Boulder
Creek.
"I figured that it would be windy because of the course
being open and in the desert, so all last week I worked on
kockdown shots," said Coover.
Coover's preparation showed, allowing him to join the 51 boys
already in Tuesday's first round.
"I've really played well the last couple of weeks and
that has really helped my confidence for today, and now Tuesday
and the rest of the tournament," commented Coover.
Following Coover was Joshua Kelley of Upland, Calif., and
Jin Hur of Indio, Calif., who shot even-par 72, to tie for
second.
Kelley will be making his third appearance in an AJGA event
following a round that included an eagle, one birdie and only
three bogeys despite the windy conditions.
"The wind was brutal," commented Kelley. "I
just tried to minimize the damage by taking safe shots and
trying to keep the ball in play."
Joining Coover, Kelley and Hur will be nine other boys. Billy
Olsen of Fountain Valley, Calif., carded a 73 to place fourth.
He was followed in fifth by JJ Scurich of Corralitos, Calif.,
Ryan Block of Temecula, Calif., Bobby Martin of Bakersfield,
Calif., and Anoop Shah of Tarzana, Calif., who all carded
74s. Derek Zellmer of Huntington Beach, Calif., Meen Huh of
La Palma, Calif., and Johnny Pinjuv of Las Vegas, Nev., also
qualified, both carding 75. In addition, qualifying in a two-hole
sudden-death playoff was Ryan Dunham of West Covina, Calif.
In the Girls Division, 13-year-old Esther Choe carded a 75,
to qualify for her fourth AJGA event. With Choe qualifying,
the Sprint Junior Championship hosted by the Las Vegas Founders
Founders will have a family touch to it as Choe's older brother,
18-year-old Ben, will be in the Boys Division.
"I am really excited to qualify for the tournament and
play with my brother," said Choe.
Like her competitors, Choe was also troubled by the elements.
"The wind was really tough," remarked Choe. "The
wind was especially hard for the last eight holes and made
putting difficult."
Also qualifying in the Girls Division was Darlene Gayle Bognot
of Sylmar, Calif., and Vanessa Sinclair of Allyn, Wash. Gayle
Bognot carded a 6-over-par 78, while Sinclair totaled an 8-over-par
80.
The first round of the Sprint Junior Championship hosted by
the Las Vegas Founders begins Tuesday with first-round tee
times starting at 7 a.m. off Nos. 1 and 10 tees.
For more information on the Sprint Junior Golf Championship
hosted by the Las Vegas Founders, please contact tournament
headquarters at (702) 294-6534..
#AJGA#
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