SEA ISLAND, Ga. – The East team came out firing in Tuesday’s first round of the AJGA Canon Cup. The squad won seven of 10 four-ball matches in the morning and went on to win three of the five mixed foursome matches in the afternoon to take a 10-5 lead.

The tournament is being conducted at the Sea Island Golf Club, Seaside Course. The 40-player event consists of 32 Polo Golf Junior All-Americans among the East and West teams, each composed of 10 girls and 10 boys. Past competitors in the event include Charles Howell III, Kelli Kuehne, Grace Park and Tiger Woods.

The tournament features three days of match play competition. The first two days include foursome and four-ball matches, and the final day is played in singles format. In the 13-year history of the event, the East team has claimed victory seven times, while the West has captured five titles, including three of the last four. One tie occurred in 1998.

The East team got off to a strong start in the morning four-ball session by winning the first three matches of the day. Brian Harman of Savannah, Ga., and Chris Kirk of Woodstock, Ga., got the ball rolling early by holding off the team of Charlie Holland of Dallas, and Will Osborne of Wichita Falls, Texas, 1-up.

Harman, who recently won the U.S. Junior Amateur, is ready to build upon his win on opening day.

“I’m going to try to win my foursome match in the morning,” Harman said. “I’m hoping we’ll be able to get two good players from the West and beat them pretty good.”

In the third match of the day, Luke List of Ringgold, Ga., and Brendon Todd of Cary, N.C., came back from a 4-down deficit after eight holes to defeat Anthony Kim of La Quinta, Calif., and Jonathan Moore of Portland, Ore., 1-up. The pair won hole Nos. 14 through 16 en route to its come-from-behind victory.

In the ninth match of the morning, East team representatives Jon Curran of Hopkinton, Mass., and Robert Gates, Jr., of Gainesville, Fla., did not lead their match until the final hole, when a par on the 18th catapulted them past the team of Seung Su Han of Chino Hills, Calif., and Daniel Im of La Mirada, Calif.

Brett Lange of Atlanta, who won the 2002 Western Junior at Sea Island, also enjoyed a successful day. Lange teamed up with Jarred Texter of Millersville, Pa., to defeat Jeff Gerlich of Austin, Texas, and Zac Reynolds of Edmond, Okla., 2-and-1 in the morning four-ball. He joined Chris Brady of Cary, N.C., in the afternoon to claim a victory in the mixed foursomes.

“This course sets up perfect for me,” Lange said. “I’m a straight hitter. I don’t hit the ball long at all. I don’t need to change anything because I played very well today.”

When the morning matches were complete, the East owned a 7-3 lead over the West team.

The afternoon continued to treat the East team with Southern hospitality as the squad claimed three of the five afternoon mixed-foursome matches. Although the West team is behind the eight ball, there is still plenty of optimism.

“Not only do we play for us, but we are going to be representing all of the states on the western coast,” Amanda Blumenherst of Scottsdale, Ariz., said.

Blumenherst teamed up with Im in the afternoon session and claimed a 4-and-3 victory against Curran and Jenny Suh of Fairfax, Va. “It’s going be a lot of fun, but we also need to focus and buckle down.”

Day two of the event will begin with foursome matches at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday with tee times continuing until 9 a.m. In the afternoon session, which begins at approximately 1:30 p.m., the teams will compete in mixed four-ball matches. For more information, please contact AJGA Canon Cup headquarters at (912) 634-4435.

SEA ISLAND, Ga. – Day one results from the 14th annual Canon Cup, conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at Sea Island Golf Club, Seaside Course, par 35-35—70. Yardage: Boys 6,945; Girls 5,991.

DAY ONE TOTAL: EAST 10, WEST 5

MORNING FOUR-BALL MATCHES
EAST 7, WEST 3

Brian Harman, Savannah, Ga. (2005) & Chris Kirk, Woodstock, Ga. (2003) EAST def. Charlie Holland, Dallas, Texas (2005) & Will Osborne, Wichita Falls, Texas (2004) WEST, 1 up

Brittany Lincicome, Seminole, Fla. (2004) & Christie Reed, Coral Springs, Fla. (2004) EAST def. Lauren Espinosa, Irving, Texas (2005) & Taylor Leon, Dallas, Texas (2005) WEST, 3&2

Luke List, Ringgold, Ga. (2003) & Brendon Todd, Cary, N.C. (2003) EAST def. Anthony Kim, La Quinta, Calif. (2003) & Jonathan Moore, Portland, Ore. (2004) WEST, 1 up

Jennie Lee, Huntington, Calif. (2005) & Jennifer Tangtiphaiboontana, Long Beach, Calif. (2003) WEST def. Chris Brady, Cary, N.C. (2003) & Mallory Code, Tampa, Fla. (2003) EAST, 2 up

Randy Lowry, Spring, Texas (2005) & Chad Wilcox, Peoria, Ariz. (2003) WEST def. Chanin Puntawong, Bradenton, Fla. (2006) & Martin Ureta, Wesley Chapel, Fla. (2003) EAST, 1 up

Hannah Jun, San Diego, Calif. (2003) & Angela Park, Torrance, Calif. (2006) WEST def. Whitney Myers, East Berlin, Pa. (2004) & Amber Prange, Noblesville, Ind. (2003) EAST, 1 up

Brett Lange, Atlanta, Ga. (2004) & Jarred Texter, Millersville, Pa. (2004) EAST, def. Jeff Gerlich, Austin, Texas (2005) & Zac Reynolds, Edmond, Okla. (2003) WEST, 2&1

Julieta Granada, Bradenton, Fla. (2005) & Jennifer Pandolfi, Navarre, Fla. (2004) EAST def. Ki-Shui Liao, Alameda, Calif. (2005) & Kristen Svicarovich, Hillsboro, Ore. (2003) WEST, 3&2

Jon Curran, Hopkinton, Mass. (2005) & Robert Gates, Jr., Gainesville, Fla. (2004) EAST def. Seung Su Han, Chino Hills, Calif. (2005) & Daniel Im, La Mirada, Calif. (2004) WEST, 1 up

Jenny Suh, Fairfax, Va. (2003) & Sukjin Wuesthoff, Toms River, N.J. (2005) EAST def. Amanda Blumenherst, Scottsdale, Ariz. (2005) & Amie Cochran, Torrance, Calif. (2004) WEST, 2&1

AFTERNOON MIXED FOURSOME MATCHES
EAST 3, WEST 2

Christie Reed, Coral Springs, Fla. (2004) & Chris Kirk, Woodstock, Ga. (2003) EAST, def. Taylor Leon, Dallas, Texas (2005) & Anthony Kim, La Quinta, Calif. (2003) WEST, 3&2

Lauren Espinosa, Irving, Texas (2005) & Jonathan Moore, Portland, Ore. (2004) WEST def. Mallory Code, Tampa, Fla. (2003) & Chanin Puntawong, Bradenton, Fla. (2006) EAST, 5&4

Chris Brady, Cary, N.C. (2003) & Brett Lange, Atlanta, Ga. (2004) EAST def. Angela Park, Torrance, Calif. (2006) & Chad Wilcox, Peoria, Ariz. (2003) WEST, 3&2

Julieta Granada, Bradenton, Fla. (2005) & Jarred Texter, Millersville, Pa. (2004) EAST def. Kristen Svicarovich, Hillsboro, Ore. (2003) & Zac Reynolds, Edmond, Okla. (2003) WEST, 5&4

Amanda Blumenherst, Scottsdale, Ariz. (2005) & Daniel Im, La Mirada, Calif. (2004) WEST def. Jenny Suh, Fairfax, Va. (2003) & Jon Curran, Hopkinton, Mass. (2005) EAST, 4&3

Day Two Results

Day Three Results