AJGA alum claims first Web.com Tour title
Web.com
Grayson Murray won the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship at 12-under-par 272, claiming his first Web.com Tour win at The Ohio State University Golf Club – Scarlet Course. The 22-year-old shot a final round 3-under-par 68, taking the title from Cameron Smith by one stroke. Murray donated $2,000 from his winnings to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship on Sunday. Kevin Tway and Martin Flores finished in third at 10-under-par 274. Alumni Kelly Kraft and Cody Gribble finished in fifth with Brett Drewitt and Will Mackenzie at 8-under-par 276. Xander Schauffele, recording his third top-10 finish this season, finished tied in ninth with Meen-Whee Kim and Zack Sucher at 7-under-par 277.
In his AJGA career, Murray won the 2008 Sta-Green Junior All-Star Championship. He competed in total of 14 AJGA events, seven of which were Invitational. His best Invitational finish was when he placed sixth at the 2010 Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf.
Tway claimed two wins recorded eight top-10 finishes out of the 13 AJGA tournaments he played. In 2005 and 2006 he was named a Rolex Junior All-American.
As a junior Gribble played in 26 AJGA events, placing in the top-10 13 times including his victories at the 2006 Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior and the 2007 Wellstone Communities Junior at Craig Ranch. Starting in 2006, he was a back-to-back Rolex Junior All-American.
Kraft won the 2005 Ashworth Junior at South Padre Island and had his next best finish at the 2007 PING Junior at The Woodlands where he placed second.
Schauffele had a runner-up finish at the 2010 ClubCorp Mission Hills Desert Junior and recorded three other top-10 finishes during his time with the AJGA.
PGA TOUR
Fifteen AJGA alumni competed in the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club this past weekend, five finished in the top-10. Tournament host and alum Ryan Moore and alum Kevin Chappell entered a sudden death play-off with Rory Mcllroy, all tied at 12-under-par 268. Chappell dropped after the first playoff hole where he made par and his competitors birdied. Moore battled on to the fourth playoff hole where Mcllroy grabbed the title with his birdie putt. Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas finished tied for sixth at 5-under-par 275. Rounding out the top-10, Emiliano Grillo, Si-Woo Kim and Charl Schwartzel finished in tenth at 2-under-par 278.
Moore had a successful AJGA career with three wins and six top-10 finishes. In 2000 and 2001, he was named a Rolex Junior All-American. The 33-year-old hosted two events in 2015 and two events in 2016, Ryan Moore Junior Championship at Anthem and the ACDS / Ryan Moore Junior at Oakbrook.
Chappell competed in the 2004 I.R.I Arizona National Mixed Team Championship hosted by Annika Sorenstam and Jim Furyk, where he placed fifth.
Johnson was played the majority of his AJGA events in 2001. His best finish was at the 2001 AJGA Greater Greensboro Chrysler Junior where he placed tenth.
In his junior career, Thomas participated in 30 AJGA events. He won three events and had nine top-10 finishes. In 2009 and 2010, Thomas was named a Rolex Junior All-American. The alum hosted his first AJGA tournament this year: Justin Thomas Junior Championship.
Grillo was a two-time Rolex Junior All-American the same period as Thomas. In 2009, Grillo won the AJGA PING Invitational.
PGA Tour Champions
After carding 15-under-par 198, Scott McCarron and Colin Montgomerie were in a sudden death play-off at the Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship. The play-off went for three holes where Montgomerie overcame McCarron with a birdie. Scott Dunlap and Doug Garwood finished tied for third at 13-under-par 200. Marco Dawson placed seventh with Olin Browne and Bernhard Langer at 12-under-par 201. Finishing tied in tenth at Bear Mountain Resort was Jeff Maggert and Fred Funk at 11-under-par 202.
McCarron played in the 1981 and 1983 AJGA Lake Tahoe Memorial Junior.
Dunlap, Dawson and Maggert made appearances in the 1981 AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions. Dawson and Maggert were repeat competitors the following year. Maggert also participated in the AJGA Future Legends of Golf Championship in 1981 and 1982.
European Tour
AJGA alum Florian Fritsch finished tied in seventh with Richard Bland, Eduardo De la Riva, Gregory Havret, Jean Hugo and Matthew Southgate at 13-under-par 200 at the Porsche European Open. Fritsch was six shots shy of the champion Alexander Levy, who won in a sudden death playoff against Ross Fisher.
Fritsch was named a 2004 Honorable Mention Rolex Junior All-American.