TRUE TEMPER JUNIOR OPEN QUALIFIER
Diablo Grande – The Ranch Course
Patterson, California
July 4, 2004
HANZAL AND GUERRERO TIE FOR MEDALIST HONORS
Woo takes the Girls Division medalist honors with a 1-over-par 73
PATTERSON, Calif.— The fireworks started early this fourth of July after Paul Hanzal and Estanislao Guerrero shot 2-under-par 70s and earned the Boys Division medalist honors at the True Temper Junior Open Qualifier. Grace Woo took the Girls Division medalist honors with a score of 1-over-par 73.
Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the True Temper Junior Open Qualifier was held at the Ranch Course at Diablo Grande and featured 79 players from three states, Mexico, Australia, and included 73 California natives. Twenty boys and three girls gained entry into the tournament, which will begin Tuesday.
Hanzal, 17, of Jamul, said that he was happy to have achieved his goal of breaking par. He got off to a solid start by making birdie on the first three holes.
“My putting on the first three holes really helped me to start playing well,” Hanzal said. “As long as my putting is working, my scores will be low. My birdies on the first three holes really gave me confidence for the rest of the round.”
Also medaling in the Boys Division was Guerrero, 18, of San Diego. Guererro became three for three in qualifier events after gaining entry into the True Temper Junior Open. He got off to a fast start with a 15-foot birdie on No. 1.
“I’m really excited about being one of the medalists,” he said. “I played really well today. I hit a lot of fairways and I didn’t miss any short putts.”
Also qualifying for the Boys Division were Hyun Seok Lim of Fullerton, Calif., Tim Silverman of Santa Ana, Calif., Peter Nascimento of Port Kembla, Australia, Patrick Tom of Norwalk, Calif., David Zeuske, Jr.,of Coto de Caza, Calif., John Wenger of Elk Grove, Calif., Peter Singh of Hollister, Calif., Jake Bieber of Alamo, Calif., Brandin Cohen of Manhattan Beach, Calif., Andrey Mindirgasov of Pacific Grove, Calif., Mathew Tom of Norwalk, Calif., Ryan Hoskins of Scottsdale, Ariz., Andrew Grosshans of Pasadena, Calif., Bryan Pierce of Arroyo Grande, Calif., Nicholas Delio of Valencia, Calif., Tim Lo of Los Angeles, Alex Gerstel of Agoura Hills, Calif., and William Schramm of Alamo, Calif.
Woo, 16, of Burbank, Calif., said that she’s excited about taking home the qualifier medalist honors, but she’s thinking more about preparing for this week’s tournament.
“I think today’s round will help me get ready for the tournament,” Woo said. “Today I realized that I need to be hitting short irons. They give me a lot more chances for birdie. If I can hit my driver straight I can short-club it to the green. There are some long rough, but as long as I get it on the fairway I’ll be fine.”
Woo said she expects to play well in the tournament.
Also qualifying in the Girls Division were Jennifer Bermingham of Long Beach, Calif., and Henna Cho of Buena Park, Calif.
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 a junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,000 junior golfers from 50 states and 30 foreign countries.
Titleist, the AJGA’s National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association’s success since 1989. Rolex Watch U.S.A., a supporter of the AJGA since 1983, became an AJGA Premier Partner in 2004.
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 Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Davis Love III, Mike Weir, Charles Howell III, Jim Furyk, Vicki Goetze-Ackerman, Grace Park, Cristie Kerr and Beth Bauer.
The first round of the True Temper Junior Open will consist of two waves of tee times from the Nos. 1 and 10 tees. The first wave begins at 7:30 a.m. and concludes at 9:09 a.m. The second wave will begin at noon and conclude at 1:39 p.m. For more information on the True Temper Junior Open, contact tournament headquarters at (209) 892-4653.
