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2013 Rolex Junior All-America Teams Boys Division

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Junior golf’s top honors were announced Tuesday, Oct. 29, as 49 boys and 48 girls were named Rolex Junior All-Americans by Rolex and the American Junior Golf Association.

Introduced by the AJGA in 1978, the Rolex Junior All-America Teams annually recognize players who have proven to be the world’s premier junior golfers. This year’s selections distinguished themselves through their outstanding play in 114 national events, 100 of which were conducted by the AJGA. The Rolex Junior All-America Teams were determined exclusively through the Polo Golf Rankings as of Oct. 16.

The teams are comprised of 97 junior golfers, ages 13-18, from 24 states, Puerto Rico and seven foreign countries (Bolivia, China, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, Thailand and Zimbabwe). These standouts will be honored at the Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet, Nov. 24, at PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Brad Dalke of Hobart, Okla., and Adam Wood of Zionsville, Ind., are the only two 2012 first-team Rolex Junior All-Americans to return to the Boys Division First Team in 2013.

Dalke is a first-team Rolex Junior All-American for the third consecutive year on the strength of two AJGA Invitational victories, the HP Boys Championship at Carlton Woods and The PING Invitational, a semifinal appearance at the Polo Golf Junior Classic, and two top-10 finishes in national competition in 2013. At No. 2 in the Polo Golf Rankings, he competed for the victorious West Team at the 2013 Wyndham Cup and has verbally committed to Oklahoma. With Dalke’s win at The PING Invitational, he became the second-youngest AJGA boy to win three Invitationals.

Wood opened his 2013 campaign with a victory at the Polo Golf Junior Classic, defeating Rolex Junior Player of the Year Scott Scheffler of Dallas, 3 and 1. He went on to finish second at the Rolex Tournament of Champions, eighth at The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf, and compete for the East Team at the 2013 Wyndham Cup. Verbally committed to Duke, Wood is No. 6 in the Polo Golf Rankings and a three-time overall honoree.

Scott Scheffler returns to the First Team after a one-year absence. In search of his inaugural junior title, he tallied a string of consecutive runner-up finishes at the Jones Cup Junior Invitational in December, HP Boys Championship at Carlton Woods in February and the Thunderbird International Junior in May. After finishing T10 at the Rolex Tournament of Champions, Scheffler’s breakout performance came at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship where he defeated Davis Riley, 3 and 2. The No. 1-ranked boy has verbally committed to Texas.

With honorable mention accolades in 2011 and 2012, Matt Gilchrest of Southlake, Texas, secured his spot on the Rolex Junior All-America First Team after he claimed his fifth AJGA victory at the FJ Invitational. He had a four top-10 finishes, a including third-place showing at the Rolex Tournament of Champions and T5 finish at the Thunderbird International Junior.

The other eight players on the Boys Division Rolex Junior All-America First Team are: Zachary Bauchou of Forest, Va.; Austin Connelly of Irving, Texas; George Cunningham of Tucson, Ariz.; Jorge Garcia of Miami, Fla.; Benjamin Griffin of Chapel Hill, N.C.; Collin Morikawa of La Canada Flintridge, Calif.; Austen Truslow of New Smyrna Beach, Fla.; and Andy Zhang of Reunion, Fla.


First-team Rolex Junior All-Americans
Zachary Bauchou, Forest, Va.
Bauchou, 17, earned a spot on the First Team by securing eight top-10 finishes in national competition. The Timberlake Christian High School junior tied for third at the FJ Invitational in June and tied for second at The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf in September. Both events, designed to challenge the top boys in the AJGA, offer a true test of competition on TOUR venues. Bauchou is currently No. 10 in the Polo Golf Ranking, represented the 2013 Wyndham Cup East Team and is a first-time honoree.

Austin Connelly, Irvine, Texas
At No. 8 in Polo Golf Rankings, Connelly, 17, claimed his third AJGA victory at the Under Armour® / Hunter Mahan Championship. He had a number of top-five finishes including T3 finish at the FJ invitational and T2 finishes at The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf and the Thunderbird International Junior. He has verbally committed to Southern Methodist University.
 
George Cunningham, Tucson, Ariz.
This season, Cunningham recorded three runner-up finishes and his second career victory en route to first-team Rolex Junior All-America honors. He won the TaylorMade-adidas Golf Junior at Innisbrook hosted by Sean O’Hair in March and finished second at the Under Armour® / Hunter Mahan Championship, FJ Invitational and The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf. At No. 5 in the Polo Golf Rankings, Cunningham has verbally committed to Arizona.
 
Brad Dalke, Hobart, Okla.
Dalke, 16, is a first-team Rolex Junior All-American for the third consecutive year on the strength of two AJGA Invitational victories, HP Boys Championship at Carlton Woods and The PING Invitational, a semifinal appearance at the Polo Golf Junior Classic, and two top-10 finishes in national competition in 2013. The sophomore at Hobart High School is No. 2 in the Polo Golf Rankings, competed for the victorious West Team at the 2013 Wyndham Cup and has verbally committed to Oklahoma. With Dalke’s win at The PING Invitational, he became the second-youngest AJGA boy to win three Invitationals.
 
Jorge Garcia, Miami, Fla.
Garcia, 17, was honored as a first-team Rolex Junior All-American after a number of top finishes in 2013. He started the year victorious at the Puerto Rico Junior Open sponsored by Sport Link, earning an exemption into the PGA TOUR’s Puerto Rico Open. Garcia became the eighth-youngest player in history to make the cut in a TOUR event, after posting back-to-back 70s in the first and second round. At No. 4 in the Polo Golf Rankings, the high school junior collected four more top-10 AJGA finishes, including his first AJGA Invitational title at the Thunderbird International Junior in May.
 
Matt Gilchrest, Southlake, Texas
Gilchrest, 18, claimed his fifth AJGA victory at the FJ Invitational en route to first-team Rolex Junior All-America honors. He had a number of top-five finishes including third-place at the Rolex Tournament of Champions and T5 at the Thunderbird International Junior. Gilchrest received honorable mention Rolex Junior All-America honors in 2011 and 2012, and has signed to play at Auburn University.  
 
Benjamin Griffin, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Sitting at No. 7 in the Polo Golf Rankings, Griffin, 17, earned a spot on the First Team for the first time. The East Chapel Hill High senior captured five top-six finishes in national competition, beginning with a quarterfinals appearance at the 2012 Polo Golf Junior Classic followed by a T2 showing at the TaylorMade-adidas Golf Junior at Innisbrook hosted by Sean O’Hair and a T3 finish at the Scott Robertson Memorial. Griffin’s 2013 campaign was highlighted by his first AJGA Invitational victory at the Rolex Tournament of Champions in July.
 
Collin Morikawa, La Canada Flintridge, Calif.
Morikawa, 16, makes his debut on a Rolex Junior All-America team. The La Canada High School junior has been named to the First Team after two top-10 finishes and a victory at the Western Junior Championship. He tied for ninth at the FJ Invitational, just his second AJGA Invitational appearance, and went on to place fifth at The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf. Morikawa currently sits at No. 9 in the Polo Golf Rankings.
 
Scott Scheffler, Dallas, Texas
At No. 1 in Polo Golf rankings, Scheffler, 17, earned first-team Rolex Junior All-America honors. He had a number of top-10 finishes including T2 finishes at Thunderbird International Junior and sixth-place at The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf. Scheffler also claimed a victory at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. He received First honors in 2011 and Second Team honors in 2012 and has verbally committed to the University of Texas.   
 
Austen Truslow, New Smyrna Beach, Fla.
Truslow, 17, joined the First Team after posting top bookend finishes in 2013. He commenced the season with a T2 finish at the Puerto Rico Junior Open sponsored by Sport Link and ended the season with his first AJGA Invitational victory at The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf. The high school senior and University of Virginia verbal commit collected two additional top-three finishes in national competition, including a victory at the Golf Pride / David Leadbetter Junior Classic. Upon completing an impressive year, Truslow jumped 297 spots from 2012-13, and currently sits at No. 3 in the Polo Golf Rankings.
 
Adam Wood, Zionsville, Ind.
Wood, 18, opened his 2013 campaign with a victory at the Polo Golf Junior Classic, defeating Scott Scheffler of Dallas, 3 and 1. The senior at Zionsville High School went on to finish second at the Rolex Tournament of Champions, eighth at The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf, and compete for the East Team at the 2013 Wyndham Cup. Verbally committed to Duke and No. 6 in the Polo Golf Rankings, Wood is a first-team Rolex Junior All-American for the second straight year and a three-time overall honoree.
 
Andy Zhang, Reunion, Fla.
Zhang, 15, earned a spot on the First Team in his first year as a Rolex Junior All-American. After making headlines in 2012 as the youngest competitor to play in the U.S. Open Championship, Zhang posted three top-six finishes in national competition. At No. 11 in the Polo Golf Rankings, the high school sophomore opened the season with a T6 showing at the TaylorMade-adidas Golf Junior at Innisbrook hosted by Sean O’Hair. He continued with a T5 finish at the Western Junior Championship and recorded his career-best AJGA finish with a runner-up showing at The PING Invitational.  
 
Second Team
Dawson Armstrong, Brentwood, Tenn.
Sam Burns, Shreveport, La.
Doug Ghim, Arlington Heights, Ill.
Justin Kim, Fullerton, Calif.
Peter Kim, Metuchen, N.J.
KK Limbhasut, Loma Linda, Calif.
Dylan Meyer, Evansville, Ind.
Christopher Petefish, Danville, Calif.
William Register, Burlington, N.C.
Davis Riley, Hattiesburg, Miss.
Jacob Solomon, Dublin, Calif.
Yechun (Carl) Yuan, Lake Mary, Fla.
 
 
Honorable Mention 
Wes Artac, Kingwood, Texas
John Augenstein, Owensboro, Ky.
Connor Black, Humble, Texas
Kristian Caparros, Hollywood, Fla.
Cameron Champ, Sacramento, Calif.
Sean Crocker, Westlake Village, Calif.
Ben Dietrich, Bluffton, S.C.
William Gordon, Davidson, N.C.
Jonathan Hardee, Greer, S.C.
Nick Hardy, Northbrook, Ill.
Theo Humphrey, Greenwich, Conn.
Cheng Jin, Singapore, Singapore
Samuel Kim, Irvine, Calif.
David Mackey, Bogart, Ga.
Patrick Martin, Birmingham, Ala.
Jose Montano, Bradenton, Fla.
Taisei Negishi, San Diego, Calif.
Alvaro Ortiz, Zapopan, Mexico
Matthew Perrine, Austin, Texas
Corey Shaun, Encinitas, Calif.
Jimmy Stanger, Tampa, Fla.
Aaron Terrazas, Veracruz, Mexico
Braden Thornberry, Olive Branch, Miss.
Peter Thorseth, Richmond, Texas
Youxin (Robin) Wang, Lake Mary, Fla.