A “Love”ly Day at the Charles Howell III Junior Championship
Taylor Ramsey Leads Wire-to-Wire in Girls Division at West Lake Country Club

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Dru Love of Sea Island, Ga., fired a tournament total 5-under-par 211 to win in his first AJGA appearance at the Charles Howell III Junior Championship. Taylor Ramsey of Bradenton, Fla., shot a final-round 1-over-par 73 to best her sister Ashlan by one stroke for her first AJGA victory.

The Charles Howell III Junior Championship was a 54-hole stroke-play tournament conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at West Lake Country Club. The field featured 104 boys and 29 girls, ages 12-18, from 17 states and Colombia, Paraguay, New Zealand and Canada. The Boys Division played the par-72 course at 6,828 yards while the Girls Division played at 6,089 yards. The event is sponsored by the 1996 Rolex Junior Player of the Year Charles Howell III.

Love, the son of PGA TOUR player Davis Love III, jumpstarted his round with birdies on Nos. 2 and 4, but two bogeys later on the front nine left him even making the turn. Two birdies and one bogey on the back nine would send him to the clubhouse with a 1-under-par final round and a three-stroke victory in his first AJGA appearance.

“It means everything to me to get my first AJGA win,” the rising high school junior said. “I worked hard for this moment and I'm just really happy.”

In second in the Boys Division was Cody Shafer of Evans, Ga., who carded a 2-under-par 214 tournament total to finish three shots behind Love. Scott Scheffler of Dallas finished third with a 1-under-par 215. A three-way tie for fourth featured Brant Patton of Evans, Ga., Zach Botts of Jonesborough, Tenn., and Trey Valentine of Melbourne, Fla., who each finished at even-par 216.

In her third year of AJGA competition and seven top-10 finishes later, Ramsey had been patiently waiting for this victory, and having her sister finish in second made the win even more special.

“I really needed this win; it has been a long time coming,” the older sister said. “I couldn't have done it without Ashlan by my side.

The pair previously finished in the top two slots in AJGA competition, but the tables were turned when Ashlan edged Taylor by one stroke at the 2009 Junior All-Star at Château Élan.

Rounding out the top three in the Girls Division is Jessica Hoang of North Augusta, S.C. who carded a 4-over-par 76 to finish with a tournament total of 8-over-par 224.

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 provides valuable exposure for college golf scholarships, and has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,000 junior golfers from 49 states and 30 countries. To ensure scholarship opportunities for all junior golfers who have the skill, the AJGA created the Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant program to provide financial assistance to young players in need.

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. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 400 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Davis Love III, Stewart Cink, Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel.

For more information on the Charles Howell III Junior Championship, please contact AJGA National Headquarters at (770) 868-4200 or visit ajga.org.