Field Finalized for Inaugural Horseshoe Bend Junior Classic to be held April 18-20
BRASELTON, Ga. – The American Junior Golf Association is set to tee off at Horseshoe Bend Country Club in Roswell, Ga., April 18-20, for the Horseshoe Bend Junior Classic. This will be the first time since 1993 that the AJGA has hosted an event at the Atlanta-area club. Top junior golfers from across the country will be represented in this 78-player field.
The field will host 12-18-year-old boy and girl junior golfers hailing from 15 states and two foreign countries. Nine Rolex Junior All-Americans will be participating in the tournament. In the Girls Division, two of the top-11 players will be present, including Polo Golf Ranked No. 9 Alexis Thompson of Coral Springs, Fla., who became the youngest player to ever qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open in 2007, when she was 13 years old. Thompson will be joined by Courtney Ellenbogen of Blacksburg, Va.
Numerous local players will also be participating in the tournament. Alpharetta High School students Logan Knebels (2009) and Franco Castro (2010) will tee it up during the Horseshoe Bend Junior Classic. This is Knebels second year participating in AJGA events. His top finish in 2007 came at the Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior in Ashland, Ky., where he finished ninth after firing a 73-75-69-217 tournament total. This event will be the first AJGA tournament for Castro.
Seth Reeves (2009) of Duluth, Ga., will also be on hand representing Peachtree Ridge High School. Reeves participated in the AJGA Championship at Traditions over Easter Weekend where he finished tied for 27th. His top finish in 2007 came at the Aldila Junior Classic in Durham, N.C. He fired a 76-73-149 to finish ninth.
Rounding out the local players in the Boys Division is The Westminster Schools senior John Solms (2008) of Atlanta. Solms found luck in 2007 at the Ringgold Telephone Company Junior Classic where he carded a 71-70-73-214 and finished 11th.
Challenging these players are Rolex Junior All-Americans Bo Andrews of Raleigh, N.C., and Brinson Paolini of Virginia Beach, Va. Andrews currently holds three AJGA titles, two of which he earned in 2007. He was victorious at the Burgett H. Mooney, Jr. Rome Classic where he shot a 71-70-67 – 208 tournament total. He also took home top honors at the Golf Pride Junior Classic after firing a 69-70-69 – 208 tournament total.
Paolini had his best AJGA Invitational finish in 2007 at The Junior PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass over Labor Day Weekend where he finished ninth after carding a 75-75-70 – 220. Paolini currently sits on the AJGA Board of Directors as a Player Representative.
In the Girls Division, Thompson earned first-team Rolex Junior All-America honors in 2007 after taking home a victory at the Aldila Junior Classic. She became the youngest player in AJGA history to win a tournament (although this record was broken twice later in the year). Thompson took home her first victory of the 2008 season over Easter Weekend at the AJGA Championship at Traditions.
Fellow first-team Rolex Junior All-American Ellenbogen will also participate in the Horseshoe Bend Junior Classic. Ellenbogen earned two victories in 2007, at the Mizuno Junior at Chateau Elan and the Rolex Tournament of Champions. The No. 11-ranked player in the Polo Golf Rankings, Ellenbogen is looking for her first victory of 2008.
Player practice rounds will take place Friday, April 18. A Junior-Am Fundraising Tournament will take place immediately prior to the afternoon practice round. All proceeds will benefit the Georgia Junior Golf Foundation and the ACE Grant. For information regarding the Junior-Am, please contact Roger Wise at 678.525.8802. Tournament play will begin Saturday, April 19 and finish Sunday, April 20. An awards ceremony will immediately follow play April 20. Spectators are welcome to attend and admission is free of charge.
About The American Junior Golf Association
The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf.
The largest Association of its kind, the AJGA has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of more than 5,000 junior golfers from 49 states and more than 25 foreign countries.
Titleist, the AJGA’s National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association’s success since 1989. Rolex Watch USA, which is in its third decade of AJGA support, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004. In 2007, after 12 years of support, Polo Ralph Lauren became the AJGA’s second Premier Partner.
AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. More than 160 former AJGA juniors currently play on the PGA and LPGA Tours and have compiled more than 300 wins. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink, Davis Love III, Cristie Kerr, Pat Hurst, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel and Julieta Granada.
For more information contact Drea Braxmeier (dbraxmeier@ajga.org) in the AJGA Communications Department at (678) 425-1789, or visit the AJGA Web site at ajga.org.
About Horseshoe Bend Country Club
Named after the magnificent horseshoe formed by the Chattahoochee River as it sweeps southwest, Horseshoe Bend was the original setting for the Atlanta Steeplechase – a springtime tradition. Since then, traditions have helped weave a rich tapestry into the daily life of this incomparable community. At the center of this spectacular setting is the private Horseshoe Bend Country Club.
Originally designed in 1974 by Joe Lee and redesigned by Bill Boswell in 1999, Horseshoe Bend features five holes along the historic Chattahoochee River, with more than two miles of beautiful river frontage. Lakes, streams and creeks are intertwined along the course to add both beauty and challenge to the golf experience at Horseshoe Bend.
Horseshoe Bend Country Club has a storied history having hosted numerous prestigious professional and amateur tournaments including three PGA Champion Tour events, multiple AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions, U.S. Open qualifying events, as was as, a number of other notable Georgia amateur championships. For more information on Horseshoe Bend Country Club, visit www.horseshoebendcc.com or call (770) 992-2310.
Horseshoe Bend Country Club is professionally managed by OB Sports Golf Management, a diversified, golf-oriented company with a long history of success. OB Sports currently manages 30 premier golf courses and country clubs throughout the United States and Mexico. Known for its comprehensive and personalized services since 1972, OB Sports has become widely acclaimed as the leader in boutique-style golf course management. For more information on OB Sports, visit www.obsports.com or call (480) 948-1300.
Contact:
Drea Braxmeier, AJGA
678.425.1789 dbraxmeier@ajga.org
Kris Strauss, OB Sports
(480) 518-5003 kstrauss@obsports.com
