AJGA CANON CUP
Biltmore Forest Country Club
Asheville, North Carolina
August 6-9, 2001

WEST DOMINATES DAY THREE TO WIN BACK CANON CUP
West squad wins for second time in three years

ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- The West started strong again, only this time they maintained it.

The West team won or halved 19 of 20 matches to overcome a three-point deficit and claim the Canon Cup by a 30 ½ - 19 ½ decision. The 11-point differential was one of the largest margins of victory in Canon Cup history. The West team has claimed the Canon Cup two of the last three years, after the East had won or split the six previous years. The East still leads the all-time series 7-4-1.

The 12th annual Canon Cup, conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, featured the country's top 40 junior golfers, ages 13-18. The competition pits the East vs. West in a match-play format similar to the Ryder Cup. Teams (10 boys and 10 girls) were selected based on a point system and include four captains' picks per squad. In the field are 28 Polo Golf Junior All-Americans, including eight first-teamers. Past participants include Tiger Woods, Stewart Cink, Grace Park, Kelli Kuehne and David Gossett.

The West, who trailed after day two, 16 ½-13 ½, started with a flurry for the third straight day. Brittany Lang of McKinney, Texas, got the ball rolling for the West squad with a birdie on No. 1 to take a lead she would never give up. She would go up by as many as six holes in her match against Elizabeth Janangelo of West Hartford, Conn., before coasting to a 6 and 5 victory. Lang's round featured two birdies, including holing out from a greenside bunker on No. 4.

"I was pretty nervous at the start, but that birdie gave me a lot of confidence and let me relax," Lang said. "I knew that I was going to play well after that."

The win gave Lang a bit of redemption as she lost in a playoff to Janangelo at the AJGA McDonald's Betsy Rawls Junior Girls Championship. It also gave the West the start they were looking for.

"We came in with nothing to lose and all the pressure was on them," the 15-year-old said. "We knew what we had to do, and we all knew we could do it."

Ryan Baca of Richmond, Texas, kept it going for the West in the second match. Baca jumped out to a six-hole lead after No. 10 against James Vargas of Miami, Fla. Vargas cut the lead to two with two to play, but Baca closed out the match on No. 17, 3 and 1.

West Captain Gus Montano said the early matches gave his team the boost it needed for victory.

"The word spread around the course, and the players didn't want to lose," Montano said. "It was just kind of a 'snowball effect'. Our team would hear how their teammates were doing, and it just gave them a lot of confidence. It was important to get off to a good start today, and we did that."

Anthony Kim of La Quinta, Calif., had perhaps the most impressive West victory with a 3 and 2 victory over Chan Song Wonglukiet of Bradenton, Fla. Wonglukiet came into the day with a glossy 9-1-1 Canon Cup record over three years, but Kim got out of the gates early, taking a 5-up lead after seven holes.

"I birdied No. 1 from about a foot, so I knew that it was going to be a good day," Kim said. "I knew that he would have some pressure on him with his Canon Cup record, so I was really happy for a chance to play him."

"Going into today, I knew we were in good position. I loved our match-ups," Montano said. "We got the breaks and went out and took it.

Mark Donnell of Mobile, Ala., captured the East's only victory of the day with a 3 and 2 decision over Nathan Lashley of Scottsbluff, Neb. Ina Kim of Encino, Calif., Lani Elston of Spokane, Wash., and Brian Duncan of Greenville, S.C., had the tournament's best records at 3-0-1.

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ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Final results from the 12th annual Canon Cup, conducted by American Junior Golf Association at Biltmore Forest Country Club, par 35-35-70. Yardage: Boys 6,602; Girls 5,957.

Final Score: WEST 30 1/2 EAST 19 1/2
Day One: EAST 8 1/2 WEST 6 1/2
Day Two: EAST 16 1/2 WEST 13 1/2

Day Three: WEST 17 EAST 3

Brittany Lang, McKinney, Texas (WEST) def. Elizabeth Janangelo, West Hartford, Conn. (EAST), 6 & 5
Ryan Baca, Richmond, Texas (WEST) def. James Vargas, Miami, Fla. (EAST), 3 & 1
Whitney Code, Tampa, Fla. (EAST) vs. Sunny Oh, Torrance, Calif. (WEST), halved
Jonathan Moore, Portland, Ore. (WEST) def. Colby Beckstrom, North Muskegon, Mich. (EAST), 1up Whitney Welch, Las Vegas, Nev. (WEST) def. Lisa Tyler, Lighthouse Point, Fla. (EAST), 1up
Mark Donnell, Mobile, Ala. (EAST) def. Nathan Lashley, Scottsbluff, Neb. (WEST), 2 & 1
Lisa Ferrero, Lodi, Calif. (WEST) def. Jackie Beers, Midlothian, Va. (EAST), 2 & 1
Nicholas Thompson, Coral Springs, Fla. (EAST) vs. Jay Choi, Buena Park, Calif. (WEST), halved
Allison Martin, Bakersfield, Calif. (WEST) def. Brittany Lincicome, Pinellas Park, Fla. (EAST), 2 & 1
Jeff Bell, Plano, Texas (WEST) def. Webb Simpson, Raleigh, N.C. (EAST), 2 & 1
Paula Creamer, Pleasanton, Calif. (WEST) def. Mallory Code, Tampa, Fla. (EAST), 1up
Drew Pigg, Plano, Texas (WEST) def. Casey Wittenberg, Memphis, Tenn. (EAST), 1up
Nicole Melton, San Antonio, Texas (WEST) def. Whitney Wade, Glasgow, Ky. (EAST), 1up
Ryan Moore, Puyallup, Wash. (WEST) def. Brendon Todd, Cary, N.C. (EAST), 2 & 1
Stella Lee, Irvine, Calif. (WEST) def. Kelly Husted, Sarasota, Fla. (EAST), 2 & 1
Anthony Kim, La Quinta, Calif. (WEST) def. Chan Song Wonglukiet, Bradenton, Fla. (EAST), 3 & 2
Ina Kim, Encino, Calif. (WEST) def. Aimee Cho, Orlando, Fla. (EAST), 4 & 3
Roberto Castro, Alpharetta, Ga. (EAST) vs. Matt Rosenfeld, Plano, Texas (WEST), halved
Lani Elston, Spokane, Wash. (WEST) def. Ashley Hoagland, Palmetto, Fla. (EAST), 3 & 2
Brian Duncan, Greenville, S.C. (EAST) vs. Jay Reynolds, Austin, Texas (WEST), halved