Tanco earns record-breaking victory in Girls Division in Cape Girardeau
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The conclusion of the Rolex Tournament of Champions was a nail-biting finish as fans anxiously watched Byeong-hun An, T.J. Vogel and Gavin Hall, who ended the final round at 6-under-par 282, battle in a playoff Saturday. In the end, T.J. Vogel of Cooper City, Fla., came up victorious after an eagle on the second playoff hole. Victoria Tanco of Bradenton, Fla., kept her momentum from the first three rounds to fire a record-low score in the Girls Division with a 13-under-par 275.
Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the Rolex Tournament of Champions was a 72-hole stroke play event held at Dalhousie Golf Club. The 144-player field featured players from 30 states and six foreign countries. The Boys Division played the par-72 Dalhousie Golf Club at 7,282 yards, while the Girls Division played at 6,304 yards. This year marks the 32nd edition of the AJGA’s flagship tournament. Past champions of this event include David Duval, Charles Howell III, Jamie Lovemark, Phil Mickelson, Grace Park, In-Bee Park and Morgan Pressel.
Vogel held the lead coming into the final round, but An and Hall were determined to put up a fight. The three participated in the first Rolex Tournament of Champions Boys Division playoff since 1998. Vogel, playing in his last AJGA event before he attends the University of Southern California in the fall, earned his first AJGA win.
Each player made birdie on their first playoff hole, sending them back to the 18th tee to try it again, as rain started to fall on the gallery amassed at the 18th green.
“On No. 18 (the second playoff hole), I was about 185 yards to the flag and got up there and knew this was my shot,” Vogel said.
Vogel’s second shot landed three feet left of the green, and he was left with a delicate 18-foot attempt at eagle. With Hall and An staring down short birdie putts, Vogel needed to hole his chip to end the playoff. As Vogel struck the ball, the downslope of the green carried the ball at perfect speed all the way to the hole. The crowd roared with applause and the rains fell hard, as the playoff ended with not a moment to spare.
“This is one of the best tournaments of the year and to win my last AJGA event against the best means so much to me,” Vogel said. “You have to play solid four days in a row and I did that.”
Tied for second were An, also of Bradenton, and Hall of Pittsford, N.Y. Two strokes back and tied for fourth were Shun Yat Hak of Lake Mary, Fla., and Johnathan Schnitzer of Houston at 4-under-par 284.
Tanco, who led the Girls Division wire to wire, carded a 3-under-par 33 on the front nine to run away with the lead. A finishing total of 13-under-par 275 broke the girls’ tournament record of 282; set by Christy Erb in 1987.
“I started my round really good and made my birdies early,” Tanco said. “I had a seven-stroke lead after the front nine and I was confident after that. It always feels great to win an invitational because they are the biggest events in the AJGA, but winning this feels unbelievable because all the players are so good.”
Karen Chung of Livingston, N.J., started the final round one stroke off the lead, but finished second at 4-under-par 284. Coming in one stroke behind Chung in third place was Ani Gulugian of Irvine, Calif., at 3-under-par 285.
Rolex Watch USA, which is in its third decade of support, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004. Along with sponsoring the Rolex Tournament of Champions, Rolex is also the title partner of the Rolex Girls Junior Championship and the proprietors of the Rolex Junior All-America Teams.
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 AJGA, the largest Association of its kind, has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,000 junior golfers from 50 states and 25 foreign countries. Titleist, the AJGA’s National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association’s success since 1989.
AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. More than 200 former AJGA juniors currently play on the PGA and LPGA Tours and have compiled more than 350 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 about the Rolex Tournament of Champions, please contact National Headquarters at 770-848-4200 or visit www.ajga.org.
Ranked as the “#1 Course in Missouri” in Golf Digest’s “Best in State” Ranking, Dalhousie Golf Club, features a stunning Nicklaus Design in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Dalhousie Golf Club is a private club that offers a unique National Membership program that makes Dalhousie an intriguing option for those golfers who may already be affiliated with a country club or for those living outside of Cape Girardeau county looking to become a “National Member” of Dalhousie. Members at Dalhousie Golf Club enjoy the spectacular 7,242 yard, par 72 layout and the new 20,853 square foot clubhouse, aptly named the Dalhousie Manor. Inspired by the classical Scottish-style manor houses of old, Dalhousie Manor features old world charm blended with contemporary compliments and amenities. Members of Dalhousie also have access to on-site member cottages and “Dalhousie at Water’s Edge”. “Dalhousie at Water’s Edge” provides members with additional overnight accommodations, private access to ten acres of well-stocked fishing ponds, indoor and outdoor pavilions for wedding receptions, meetings and other special events. All of which provide welcoming amenities for visiting members and their guests.
Dalhousie Golf 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. 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, call (480) 948-1300, or click here to become a fan of OB Sports on Facebook, or follow OB Sports on Twitter at www.twitter.com/obsportsgolf
For more information on Dalhousie Golf Club call (573) 332-0818, or visit www.dalhousiegolfclub.com.
Final results from the Rolex Tournament of Champions conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at Dalhousie Golf Club.
Par: Boys: 36-36-72; Girls: 36-36-72.
Yardage: Boys: 7,282; Girls: 6,304.
Rating/Slope: Boys: 75/137; Girls: 76.4/135
BOYS DIVISION
* T.J. Vogel, Cooper City, Fla. 69-71-69-73-282
Byeong-hun An, Bradenton, Fla. 70-72-70-70-282
Gavin Hall, Pittsford, N.Y. 70-69-72-71-282
Shun Yat Hak, Lake Mary, Fla. 73-70-71-70-284
Johnathan Schnitzer, Houston, Texas 68-73-70-73-284
Emiliano Grillo, Resistencia, Argentina 73-69-71-72-285
Matthew Ceravolo, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. 72-72-68-73-285
Yaroslav Merkulov, Penfield, N.Y. 70-71-73-72-286
Blake Morris, Waterbury, Conn. 70-73-71-72-286
Daniel Lee, Valencia, Calif. 74-72-71-70-287
Patrick Cantlay, Los Alamitos, Calif. 71-74-74-68-287
Shane Lebow, Santa Barbara, Calif. 76-69-69-73-287
Michael Weaver, Fresno, Calif. 67-75-72-74-288
Billy Kennerly, Alpharetta, Ga. 70-76-70-74-290
Jeffrey Kang, Fullerton, Calif. 69-75-68-78-290
Jim Liu, Smithtown, N.Y. 74-73-71-73-291
Anthony Paolucci, Dallas, Texas 71-73-74-73-291
Patrick Rodgers, Avon, Ind. 73-73-71-75-292
Blake Biddle, St. Charles, Ill. 71-70-77-74-292
Michael Sorenson, Hartland, Wis. 74-72-73-73-292
Talor Gooch, Midwest City, Okla. 68-69-77-78-292
Kyle Kmiecik, Avon, Ohio 72-74-74-72-292
Austin Cook, Jonesboro, Ark. 69-75-73-76-293
C.J. Kim, Chandler, Ariz. 73-69-75-76-293
Zhong Yang Fu, Bradenton, Fla. 70-76-72-75-293
Ian McConnell, Riverview, Fla. 77-69-75-72-293
Michael Cromie, Cary, N.C. 74-72-73-75-294
Zachary Herr, New Hope, Pa. 74-70-77-73-294
Justin Thomas, Goshen, Ky. 70-77-79-68-294
Kramer Hickok, Plano, Texas 72-72-72-79-295
Landon Tujague, Dallas, Texas 75-69-77-76-297
Smylie Kaufman, Birmingham, Ala. 73-71-78-75-297
Jay Vandeventer, Bristol, Tenn. 71-73-79-74-297
Lucas Bjerregaard, Frederikshavn, Denmark 75-70-79-74-298
Brandon Rodgers, Knoxville, Tenn. 73-69-77-81-300
Anton Arboleda, La Canada, Calif. 74-73-78-77-302
Robert Register, Burlington, N.C. 71-76-78-80-305
GIRLS DIVISION
Victoria Tanco, Bradenton, Fla. 66-72-69-68-275
Karen Chung, Livingston, N.J. 74-68-66-76-284
Ani Gulugian, Irvine, Calif. 70-72-72-71-285
Annie Park, Levittown, N.Y. 71-75-71-69-286
Jennifer Johnson, La Quinta, Calif. 71-74-70-72-287
Emilie Burger, Hoschton, Ga. 71-72-74-71-288
Doris Chen, Bradenton, Fla. 70-72-74-73-289
Nicole Zhang, Calgary, Alberta 69-70-75-75-289
Rachel Morris, Carlsbad, Calif. 74-72-76-70-292
Luz Alejandra Cangrejo, Bogota, Colombia 72-74-69-77-292
Kelly Shon, Port Washington, N.Y. 75-70-75-73-293
Alexis Thompson, Coral Springs, Fla. 71-70-76-77-294
Kyle Roig, Pembroke Pines, Fla. 74-72-74-75-295
Danielle Frasier, Encinitas, Calif. 74-72-73-77-296
Lauren Weaver, Scottsdale, Ariz. 73-75-75-74-297
Maria Piccio, Bradenton, Fla. 72-73-73-79-297
Emily Tubert, Burbank, Calif. 72-78-72-76-298
Beverly Vatananugulkit, Cerritos, Calif. 77-70-79-72-298
Austin Ernst, Seneca, S.C. 70-78-71-79-298
Amelia Lewis, Jacksonville, Fla. 73-77-72-77-299
Victoria Sungmin Park, Irvine, Calif. 70-77-81-71-299
Kyung Kim, Chandler, Ariz. 72-77-74-78-301
Casey Grice, College Station, Texas 74-76-74-77-301
Meredith Swanson, Roanoke, Va. 75-72-79-75-301
Jennifer Yang, Coquitlam, British Columbia 74-75-74-79-302
Kendall Martindale, Jefferson City, Tenn. 72-73-79-78-302
Jenny Shin, Torrance, Calif. 75-75-76-76-302
Alexandra Stewart, Peoria, Ariz. 77-73-77-75-302
Grace Na, Oakland, Calif. 73-74-81-75-303
Hana Lee, Hacienda Heights, Calif. 73-76-78-78-305
Yueer Cindy Feng, Orlando, Fla. 77-73-78-78-306
Michelle Yang, Los Angeles, Calif. 71-78-79-79-307
* Won Sudden-Death Playoff
** NC=No Card
# AJGA #
Contact:
Ashley O’Dell, AJGA
(678) 425-1787 aodell@ajga.org
Kris Strauss, OB Sports
(480) 776-8109 kstrauss@obsports.com
