The summer season kicked off this weekend, with five tournaments hosted over Memorial Day Weekend. The Dominican Republic, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Arizona and Georgia played host to 402 juniors chasing the first titles of the 2017 summer.
AJGA Dominican Junior Open presented by the Puntacana Resort & Spa – In the AJGA’s first visit to the Dominican Republic, 72 male juniors competed in the 54-hole open tournament. Prescott Butler of Old Westbury, New York, who was the eventual winner, finished the first round T2. He went on to finish at 8-under-par 208. The victory is Butler’s first win with the AJGA.
AJGA Junior at Penn State – The AJGA returned to Penn State for the first time since 2013 over the weekend. Juniors between the ages of 12 and 19 competed in the 78-player field for the championship title. After finishing the second round T7, Doug Ergood of Mount Laurel, New Jersey, sunk nine birdies in the third round to take the title for the Boys Division. Ergood won by one stroke and finished at 5-under-par 211. After finishing the first round T4, Alexandra Swayne of Maineville, Ohio, began to chip away at the lead, ultimately taking the title. The Clemson verbal commit won with a 3-under-par 213. This is the first AJGA win for both Swayne and Ergood.
AJGA Junior at Gray Plantation – Two first-time AJGA winners were crowned in the AJGA’s second trip to Gray Plantation in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The 54-hole open garnered a 78-player field from three foreign countries and 15 states. Nicholas Arcement of Thibodaux, Louisiana, carded 12 birdies on the way to his 8-under-par 208 win. Katie Yoo of Orlando, Florida, was the wire-to-wire winner of the Girls Division. Although she has only been a competitive golfer for three years, Yoo beat the field by seven strokes. Yoo carded 17 birdies on her way to a 12-under-par 204.
Thunderbird International Junior – Two high school senior golfers solidified their legacy in AJGA golf with wins on the Raptor Course at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. An eagle and six birdies in the final round gave Jacob Bergeron of Slidell, Louisiana, the win at 15-under-par 201. Bergeron is a Rolex Junior All-American and will compete at Louisiana State University next year. Alyaa Abdulghany of Newport Beach, California, won the Girls Division with a 8-under-par 208. Abdulghany is a three-time Rolex Junior All-American and is No. 8 in the AJGA rankings. She has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete at the University of Southern California next year.
AJGA Preview at Château Élan – Hosted at the AJGA National Headquarters, the AJGA Preview at Château Élan marked the last of the Junior Golf Hub Preview Series events for 2017. The 36-hole event hosted 78 juniors. Matt Stuart of Birmingham, Alabama, finished round one T4. Stuart earned the title after carding four birdies in the final round to finish at 1-over-par 143. Tess Davenport of Buford, Georgia, was the wire-to-wire winner in the Girls Division. Davenport carded a tournament total 7-over-par 149 to secure a two-stroke win over the field.