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EDS BOYS JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
QUALIFIER
Oakmont Country Club
Corinth, Texas
July 28, 2002
COOPER GRABS MEDALIST HONORS
AT OAKMONT
Seven players qualify for EDS Boys Junior Championship
CORINTH, Texas -
Chase Cooper of Guymon Okla., fired even-par 72 Sunday to
grab medalist honors in the EDS Boys Junior Championship Qualifier,
held at the 6,941-yard Oakmont Country Club.
The 18-hole qualifier, conducted by the American Junior Golf
Association, gave 102 juniors from nine states and New Zealand
the opportunity to earn one of seven spots available in the
EDS Boys Junior Championship. Eighty-five juniors from Texas
competed in the Qualifier.
Cooper, who began his round on No. 12, started shaky after
a double bogey on No. 13 put him two strokes over par. However,
Cooper recovered, making birdies on Nos. 15 and 17 to return
to even-par.
"I thought it could all go downhill after that double
bogey," Cooper said. "I just told myself to stay
patient because there were a lot of birdie holes left out
there."
The turning point in Cooper's round came on the par-4, 320-yard
14th when he sank a 7-foot putt to save par. The 17-year-old
said he relaxed after that, despite gusty conditions.
"The wind made it tough," said Cooper, who finished
with three birdies. "It made some of the hard holes even
tougher because it seemed like all the tough holes were playing
into the wind."
One shot behind Cooper at 1-over-par 73 were Taylor McNeely
of Ducanville, Texas, and Jae An of Rotorua, New Zealand.
Both McNeely and An carded two birdies for the round. Michael
Haddock of San Antonio, also qualified after shooting 74.
Devin Guilliams of Plano, Texas, and Chris Myers of Southlake,
Texas, survived a seven-player, sudden-death playoff to grab
the final two qualifying spots.
The 72-hole Championship, which starts Tuesday, will feature
150 players from 28 states, Canada, New Zealand and Singapore,
with 35 players hailing from Texas. Thirteen Polo Golf Junior
All-Americans and 13 2002 tournament champions are slated
to compete in the event. Past champions include PGA TOUR players
Tiger Woods, David Duval, Jim Furyk and Ty Tryon.
First-round action starts with the first wave of tee times
beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 30 off the Nos. 1
and 10 tees at Oakmont Country Club. The second wave gets
underway at 12 p.m.
For more information on the EDS Boys Junior Championship,
contact tournament headquarters at (940) 321-5299, ext. 36.
#AJGA#
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