The 11th Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Team includes 20 players from 11 states, the American Junior Golf Association announced Tuesday.
Specifically designed for boys and girls ages 12-15, Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Series events present opportunities for younger players to develop their skills and earn entry into AJGA Open tournaments. The team was selected based on the Polo Golf Rankings, and a player had to have competed in at least one Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star event in 2012 in order to be eligible. The team of 10 boys and 10 girls will be honored Friday, Oct. 5, at the Junior All-Star Invitational in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.
Philip Barbaree of Shreveport, La., is the only player returning from the 2011 Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Team. Barbaree, 14, posted three AJGA top-10 finishes in 2012, including a T2 showing at his hometown event, the David Toms Foundation Shreveport Junior.
Also on the boys team is Andy Zhang of Reunion, Fla., who became the youngest player to ever participate in the U.S. Open when he qualified as a 14-year-old this year. Zhangs AJGA season included a pair of top-10 finishes, the best being a T7 showing at the Junior All-Star at Fieldstone.
Jacob Solomon of Dublin, Calif., earned his spot on the team after winning three consecutive AJGA tournaments, including a pair of Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star events. Solomon, 15, began his winning streak in June at the Junior All-Star at Gainey Ranch, and his most recent win came in August at the Stockton Convention and Visitors Bureau Junior All-Star.
The seven other boys on the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Team are: Nick Carlson (Hamilton, Mich.), James Clark, III (Columbus, Ga.), Sean Crocker (Westlake Village, Calif.), Benjamin Griffin (Chapel Hill, N.C.), Cole Madey (West Linn, Ore.), Daniel Martinez (Austin, Texas),and Braden Thornberry (Olive Branch, Miss.).
Jordan Daniel of Newnan, Ga., and Kathleen Scavo of Benicia, Calif., also notched victories at Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior-All Star events this season. Daniels win at the Evitt Foundation RTC Junior All-Star was one of her four AJGA top 10s, while Scavo won the Stockton Convention and Visitors Bureau Junior All-Star.
The six other girls on the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Team are: Abbey Carlson (Lake Mary, Fla.), Rachel Dai (Milton, Ga.), Michaela Owen (Suwanee, Ga.), Grace Park (San Jose, Calif.), Nikolette Schroeder (Avon Lake, Ohio), and Lauren Stephenson (Lexington, S.C.).
Former members of the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Team include college and professional standouts, such as Rickie Fowler (2004), Peter Uihlein (2004), Bud Cauley (2005), Brianna Do (2004), Vicky Hurst (2005) and Cheyenne Woods (2005).