Field Set for AJGA Junior at Wenatchee

Wenatchee Golf & Country Club to host 99 junior golfers, Aug. 9-12

 The American Junior Golf Association’s only event in the state of Washington will be held at Wenatchee Golf & Country Club, Aug. 9-12. This is the AJGA’s third year in Wenatchee, and the tournament will feature 99 junior golfers from 10 states and Canada, with the host state being represented by 22 participants.  Last year’s Boys Division champion, Macgregor Hoobery of Santa Maria, Calif., will return to defend his title. Hoobery bested the field by two strokes after firing a final-round 5-under-par 67. Sulman Raza Eugene, Ore., and Mark Wyllie of San Jose, Calif., will both return with experience after tying for third in the 2009 AJGA Junior at Wenatchee. Lorens Chan of Honolulu, will return as well after an eighth-place showing in 2009. Chan is the highest-ranked boy in the field at No. 77 in the Polo Golf Rankings and has already notched a win in 2010 at the AJGA Nebraska Junior at Quarry Oaks. Jennifer Yang of Coquitlam, British Columbia, is the highest-ranked player in the field and will play in her second tournament at Wenatchee. Ranked No. 53 in the Polo Golf Rankings, she has compiled four top-five junior golf finishes and placed 11th at last year’s event. Morgan Thompson of Tualatin, Ore., picked up a third-place finish at Wenatchee Golf & Country club in 2009. A rising senior, Thompson is ranked No. 64 in the Polo Golf Rankings and has finished inside the top 15 in each AJGA event she has entered. A shotgun practice round will be held Monday, Aug. 9, at 2 p.m. First-round play will begin Tuesday, Aug. 10, with tee times for each round running from 7 a.m. – 12:20 p.m off the first tee at Wenatchee Golf & Country Club. An awards ceremony will immediately follow the final round, Thursday, Aug. 12. Guests are welcome to attend and admission is free. Prior to the event, an 18-hole K¹² Qualifier will be held on Monday, Aug. 8, at Wenatchee Golf & Country Club. K¹² Qualifiers give juniors an opportunity to “play their way in” to coinciding AJGA Open tournaments or earn a Tournament Exemption or Performance Star for a future event. The K¹² Qualifier Series offers opportunities for AJGA juniors at approximately 50 AJGA Open events. During the tournament week, some of the top juniors who will be participating in the AJGA Junior at Wenatchee will also take part in the Junior-Am Fundraising Tournament Monday, Aug. 9. The Junior-Am will be a 9 a.m. shotgun start at Wenatchee Golf & Country Club.  An excellent opportunity to entertain clients, reward employees or enjoy a tournament round with some friends, the Junior-Am allows amateurs to play a competitive round of golf with future stars of the game. Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Davis Love III, Justin Leonard, Charles Howell III, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel and Grace Park are just a few of the thousands of talented players who participated in AJGA Junior-Ams when they were teenagers. Supporting golf at the grassroots level, Junior-Ams allow the AJGA to make contributions to local junior golf charities and programs in hosting communities. In 2010, the proceeds of the AJGA Junior at Wenatchee Junior-Am will benefit the Washington Junior Golf Association. To participate, contact Sean Riley at (678) 425-1710. For more information, please contact Kristi Bradley (kbradley@ajga.org) in the AJGA Communications Department at (678) 425-1790 or visit the AJGA website at ajga.org.