POLO GOLF JUNIOR CLASSIC
Sea Island Golf Club – Seaside and Plantation Courses
Sea Island, Georgia
November 20-26, 2004
GALLETTI, HARIGAE, CROWNED STROKE PLAY MEDALISTS AT SEA ISLAND
Sixty-four golfers advance to Polo Golf Junior Classic match play
SEA ISLAND, Ga. – Roberto Galletti, Jr., of Clayton, Calif., and Mina Harigae of Monterey, Calif., held their own Tuesday as they claimed their respective division titles during the stroke play portion of the Polo Golf Junior Classic at Sea Island’s Plantation and Seaside Courses.
The Polo Golf Junior Classic, conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, is now in its 27th year of bringing junior golf's brightest and best together. Past tournament champions include Stewart Cink, Tiger Woods, Hunter Mahan, Vicki Goetze-Ackerman, Kellee Booth, Grace Park and Beth Bauer.
Comprised of boys and girls ages 12-18, the field featured 175 juniors from more than 30 states and eight foreign countries. More than 90 Polo Golf Junior All-Americans were entered in the field.
After 36 holes of competition, the low 32 boys and 32 girls advanced to match play. The stroke play portion of the event was held on both the Plantation and Seaside Courses at the Sea Island Golf Club. The Seaside Course will serve as the tournament's sole layout once the round of sixteen matches begin.
Harigae was able to continue her solid play, one day after tying the all-time AJGA low-round with a 62 on the Seaside Course. Her second-round even-par 72 was enough to earn medalist honors in the Girls Division. She finished with a stroke play total of 8-under-par 134.
Harigae played solid throughout her round, except for a slight setback on No. 7. She made a double-bogey on the hole, but was able to rebound and finish strong on the Plantation Course.
“I didn’t play that bad, and except for No. 7, everything went well today,” Harigae said. “I’m happy to be the first seed, and if I play like I did yesterday, I’m sure I could go pretty far.”
Catherina Wang of Orlando, shot a 68 on Tuesday and finished with a stroke play total of 4-under-par 138. She will be the No. 2 seed in the Girls Division heading into the match play portion of the event.
Tiffany Joh of San Diego, and Stephanie Kono of Honolulu, finished tied for third with a two-day total of 139. In-Bee Park of Las Vegas, rounded out the top five after shooting consecutive rounds of 70.
Galletti was able to take advantage of his solid play on the Plantation Course, finishing the second round with a 1-under-par 71. He finished with a stroke play total of 4-under-par 138, and medalist honors in the Boys Division.
“I glanced at the leaderboard and saw where I was, and it actually got me playing better,” Galletti said. “I played pretty solid all day, and I didn’t miss any greens,” he added.
Galletti was excited about beginning match play as the No. 1 seed in the Boys Division.
“It makes me feel pretty good to accomplish something like this,” Galletti said. “Anything can happen in match play, between No. 1 and 32. I am definitely looking forward to it,” he said.
Both Blake Trimble of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., and Randy Lowry of Spring, Texas, tied for second with a stroke play total of 3-under-par 139. Rafael Lee of Burnaby, British Columbia, and Erik Flores of Grass Valley, Calif., tied for fourth after carding matching 140s.
Both the Boys and Girls Divisions required a playoff to decide qualifiers for the event. In the Boys Division, 10 players battled for eight spots via a sudden-death playoff. Ashley Freeman of Belleville, Illinois, qualified via a two-hole playoff in the Girls Division.
The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. The AJGA has a membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,000 junior golfers from 50 states and 30 foreign countries.
Titleist, the AJGA’s National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association’s success since 1989. Rolex Watch USA, a supporter of the AJGA since 1983, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004.
Match play will begin Wednesday at 7 a.m. off the first and 10th tees of both the Seaside and Plantation Courses.
For more information about the Polo Golf Junior Classic, please call AJGA Director of Media Relations Steve Ethun at (678) 571-7994.
