Caparros Capitalizes at Genesis Junior at White Beeches
Henderson wins first AJGA event at White Beeches Golf & Country Club
HAWORTH, N.J. — Kristian Caparros of Miami Lakes, Fla., took the Boys Division by one stroke, finishing the final round with a 2-under-par 69 for a tournament total of 5-under-par 208. Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ontario won the Girls Division with a final round score of even-par 71 to finish with a tournament total of 4-under-par 209.
The Genesis Junior at White Beeches was a 54-hole stroke play event conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at White Beeches Golf & Country Club in Haworth, N.J. The tournament field boasted 78 boys and 24 girls, ages 12-18, from 13 states, Canada, South Korea, China and the United Kingdom. The Boys Division played the par-71 course at 6,510 yards and the Girls Division played at 5,995 yards.
Caparros played a consistent final round, carding five birdies and 10 pars to push him into the lead.
“I started off with four birdies on the first 10 holes,” Caparros said. “Then I finished with a birdie on No. 16 which pretty much sealed it.”
This is Caparros's second victory of the summer having won the Junior All-Star at Stonelick Hills in May.
Matthew Lowe of Farmingdale, N.Y., finished in second place with a final-round score of 4-under-par 67 for a tournament total of 4-under-par 209. Rounding out the Boys Division were Harrison Shih of Saddle River, N.J., John Voetsch of New Vernon, N.J., and Jimmy Dengler of Rumson, N.J., who tied for third with a tournament total of 3-under-par 210.
Coming into the final round, Henderson's main focus was to improve from the previous days and try to finish with a solid round.
“I was hitting fairways and greens and made good putts,” Henderson said. “It wasn't the best round but I made some key up and downs, which got my momentum started.”
“It feels great to win,” Henderson said. “It's my first AJGA victory and I'm really excited to take home this win.”
Lauren Kim of Los Altos, Calif., finished second with a final round score of 5-under-par 66 for a tournament total of 1-under-par 212. Anne Cheng of Torrance, Calif., Nicole Morales of South Salem, N.Y., and Elisabeth Bernabe of Anaheim Hills, Calif., tied for third place with tournament totals of 2-over-par 215.
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 provides valuable exposure for college golf scholarships, and has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,000 junior golfers from 49 states and more than 40 countries. To ensure scholarship opportunities for all junior golfers who have the skill, the AJGA created the Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant program to provide financial assistance to young players in need.
Titleist, the AJGA's National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association's success since 1989. Rolex, which is in its third decade of AJGA support, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004. In 2007, after 12 years of support, Polo Ralph Lauren became the AJGA's second Premier Partner.
AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 500 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Stewart Cink, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Inbee Park and Morgan Pressel.
For more information about the Genesis Junior at White Beeches, please contact AJGA Headquarters at (770) 868-4200.
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