2007 Canon Cup Teams Finalized

Top names in junior golf to gather at The Honors Course July 30-Aug. 2

Teams are now set for the 18th annual Canon Cup, the American Junior Golf Association announced Wednesday. Forty of the nation’s best juniors golfers will come to The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tenn., July 30 - August 2, adding their names to the impressive list of past participants that includes Tiger Woods, Stewart Cink, Hunter Mahan, Charles Howell III, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Cristie Kerr and Grace Park.

The Canon Cup pits East vs. West (divided by the Mississippi River) in a team match play format over three days. The first two days of competition include foursome and four-ball matches, with the final day reserved for singles matches. Each team consists of 10 boys and 10 girls with the rosters based on the current Polo Golf Rankings.

The West Team, which has won four of the past five Canon Cup matches, includes 18 Rolex Junior All-Americans. The West Team’s boys are 10 of the top 35 ranked players in the Polo Golf Rankings while the girls are 10 of the top 15. The East Team, which at one point won six consecutive Canon Cup matches from 1993-1998, has 12 Rolex Junior All-Americans on the squad. The East Team includes 10 of the top 19 ranked boys and 10 of the top 27 girls.

The Honors Course, which hosted the 1991 U.S. Amateur and the 1996 Men’s NCAA Championship, becomes the third course to host the Canon Cup for the second time, joining Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Md. (1997, 2004) and Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Ill. (2002, 2006). The event was last held at The Honors Course in 1995 when the East defeated the West by a score of 27-23. Some notable participants of the 1995 event were current PGA TOUR players Howell III and Ryuji Imada and LPGA players Beth Bauer, Nicole Castrale, Kerr, Stephanie Louden, Park and Reilley Rankin.

The West Team will look to retain the Canon Cup after its victory in 2006 at Conway Farms Golf Club. With a nine-point cushion heading into the final day last year, the West quelled an East Team rally by winning nine and halving three of its morning singles matches to clinch the cup.

This year, the West is anchored by 18 Rolex Junior All-Americans, including Mina Harigae of Monterey, Calif. She recently received attention for winning the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship and making the cut at the U.S. Women’s Open. She will be competing in her third Canon Cup. Now the No. 1 ranked junior in the Polo Golf Rankings, Harigae is a four-time Rolex Junior All-American. This year, she has yet to finish outside the top 10 of an AJGA event (T-5, ReBath Heather Farr Classic; T-8, Thunderbird International Junior; 2nd, Rolex Girls Junior Championship).

She will be joined by Kimberly Kim of Pahoa, Hawaii, Stephanie Kono and Ayaka Kaneko, both of Honolulu, Jane Rah and Jenny Shin, both of Torrance, Calif.,Taylore Karle of Scottsdale, Ariz., Joanne Lee of San Carlos, Calif., Kristen Park of Buena Park, Calif., and Lisa McCloskey of Montgomery, Texas. This group of girls are all Rolex Junior All-Americans and carry an average ranking of 8.4.

Andrew Yun of Tacoma, Wash., will return for the second time to the Canon Cup, this time as the No. 5 ranked boy in the Polo Golf Rankings – the highest on the boys’ side of the West Team. His AJGA career now includes four victories and back-to-back Rolex Junior All-America honors in 2005 and 2006.

Yun will team with Cody Gribble of Dallas, Alex Shi Yup Kim of Fullerton, Calif., Sang Yi of Carrollton, Texas, Josh Jones of The Colony, Texas, Andrew Putnam of University Place, Wash., Cory Whitsett of Houston, William Kropp of Edmond, Okla., Connor Driscoll of Encinitas, Calif., and Sam Chien of San Diego. This team includes eight Rolex Junior All-Americans and players with an average ranking of 22.1.

The East will look to reclaim the Canon Cup with a team compiled of 12 Rolex Junior All-Americans, namely 2005 Rolex Junior Player of the Year Peter Uihlein of Bradenton, Fla. Uihlein will be competing in his third consecutive Canon Cup. Ranked No. 2 in the Polo Golf Rankings, Uihlein is a two-time first-team Rolex Junior All-American. This season, he has three top-five finishes including a victory at the FootJoy Boys Invitational.

Uihlein will be joined by Arnond Vongvanij, also of Bradenton, Bud Cauley of Jacksonville, Fla., Morgan Hoffmann of Saddlebrook, N.J., Wesley Graham of Port Orange, Fla., John Hahn of Kent, Ohio, Lion Kim of Lake Mary, Fla., Spencer Cole of Greer, S.C., Luke Guthrie of Quincy, Ill., and David Sanders of Mt. Laurel, N.J. Vongvanij, Cauley, Kim and Cole were all members of the 2006 team. These players have an average ranking of 11.2.

On the Girls East Team, Vicky Hurst of Melbourne, Fla., leads the way as the No. 2 ranked player in the Polo Golf Rankings. Hurst, a 2006 first-team Rolex Junior All-American, has four career AJGA victories, including the Birks & Mayors Junior Championship at Mirasol in June. Hurst recently finished in a tie for second at the Rolex Tournament of Champions, the AJGA’s oldest and most prestigious event.

Joining Hurst will be Courtney Ellenbogen of Blacksburg, Va., Isabelle and Marika Lendl and Kristina Wong, all of Bradenton, Cydney Clanton of Concord, N.C., Alexis Thompson of Coral Springs, Fla., Allie White of Lancaster, Ohio, Michelle Shin of Cape Coral, Fla., and Lindy Duncan of Daytona Beach, Fla. Hurst, the Lendl sisters and Wong are returning from the 2006 team. These girls have an average ranking of 16.6.

“Canon U.S.A. is proud to partner with the AJGA in bringing together the country’s most talented young golfers for a unique match play competition,” said Tod Pike, senior vice president, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “Each year, the Canon Cup provides these aspiring athletes with an experience that emphasizes the teamwork, sportsmanship and integrity inherent in golf.”

The tournament sponsor, Canon U.S.A., Inc., delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions. The company is listed as one of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies in America and is on the 2006 BusinessWeek list of “Top 100 Brands.” Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), is a top patent holder of technology, ranking third overall in the U.S. in 2006, with global revenues of $34.9 billion. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company’s RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/pressroom .

THE WEST
Overall Record: 8-8-1
Team Captain: Beth Reuter, AJGA

West Boys (By Polo Golf Rankings)
(5th) ANDREW YUN, Tacoma, Wash. (2009) *
(6th) CODY GRIBBLE, Dallas, Texas (2009) *
(12th) ALEX SHI YUP KIM, Fullerton, Calif. (2008)
(21st) JOSH JONES, The Colony, Texas (2008) *
(22nd) SANG YI, Carrollton, Texas (2008)
(27th) ANDREW PUTNAM, University Place, Wash. (2007)
(28th) CORY WHITSETT, Houston, Texas (2010)
(31st) WILLIAM KROPP, Edmond, Okla. (2008)
(34th) CONNOR DRISCOLL, Encinitas, Calif. (2007)
(35th) SAM CHIEN, San Diego, Calif. (2008)

West Girls (By Polo Golf Ranking)
(1st) MINA HARIGAE, Monterey, Calif. (2008) *
(3rd) KIMBERLY KIM, Pahoa, Hawaii (2009) *
(4th) STEPHANIE KONO, Honolulu, Hawaii (2008) *
(5th) JANE RAH, Torrance, Calif. (2009) *
(9th) TAYLORE KARLE, Scottsdale, Ariz. (2007) *
(10th) JOANNE LEE, San Carlos, Calif. (2007)
(11th) AYAKA KANEKO, Honolulu, Hawaii (2008)
(12th) KRISTEN PARK, Buena Park, Calif. (2012)
(14th) LISA MCCLOSKEY, Montgomery, Texas (2009)
(15th) JENNY SHIN, Torrance, Calif. (2010)
* Returning from last year’s Canon Cup team

THE EAST
Overall Record: 8-8-1
Team Captain: Walker Hill, AJGA

East Boys (By Polo Golf Rankings)
(2nd) PETER UIHLEIN, Bradenton, Fla. (2008) *
(7th) BUD CAULEY, Jacksonville, Fla. (2008) *
(8th) ARNOND VONGVANIJ, Bradenton, Fla. (2007) *
(10th) MORGAN HOFFMANN, Saddlebrook, N.J. (2008)
(11th) WESLEY GRAHAM, Port Orange, Fla. (2008)
(13th) JOHN HAHN, Kent, Ohio (2007)
(14th) LION KIM, Lake Mary, Fla. (2007) *
(15th) SPENCER COLE, Greer, S.C. (2007) *
(17th) LUKE GUTHRIE, Quincy, Ill. (2008)
(19th) DAVID SANDERS, Mt. Laurel, NJ. (2008)

East Girls (By Polo Golf Rankings)
(2nd) VICKY HURST, Melbourne, Fla. (2008) *
(6th) COURTNEY ELLENBOGEN, Blacksburg, Va. (2009)
(8th) ISABELLE LENDL, Bradenton, Fla. (2009) *
(13th) MARIKA LENDL, Bradenton, Fla. (2008) *
(17th) CYDNEY CLANTON, Concord, N.C. (2007)
(21st) KRISTINA WONG, Bradenton, Fla. (2009) *
(23rd) ALEXIS THOMPSON, Coral Springs, Fla. (2013)
(24th) ALLIE WHITE, Lancaster, Ohio (2008)
(25th) MICHELLE SHIN, Cape Coral, Fla. (2009)
(27th) LINDY DUNCAN, Daytona Beach, Fla. (2009)
* Returning from last year’s Canon Cup team