I.R.I. GOLF GROUP OAKRIDGE JUNIOR
Oakridge Country Club
Garland, Texas
July 26 - 29, 2004
FIRST-TIME WINNERS CLAIM TITLES AT I.R.I. GOLF GROUP OAKRIDGE JUNIOR
Broussard fires 72; Yang shoots 74
GARLAND, Texas- “Winner” was the first word Anthony Broussard said to his dad when he called him from the scoring tent Thursday afternoon. Throughout high school, Broussard would call his dad and speak that same word every time he won a tournament. This time, Broussard was able to tell him he won his first AJGA event by shooting a 5-under-par 208 for his last tournament before he heads to the University of North Texas in the fall. The girls division champion, Glory Yang, pulled through at the end and shot a 10-over-par 223 and won the first AJGA event she’s ever played in.
The I.R.I. Golf Group Oakridge Junior was a 54-hole stroke play event conducted by the American Junior Golf Association. The event featured 99 of the nation’s premier junior golfers, ages 12-18, from 11 states. The field was composed of 70 “Lone Star State” residents.
Broussard, 18, of Beaumont, Texas, shot a 1-over-par 72 in the final round and kept a one-stroke lead ahead of Nick Williams of New Braunfels, Texas.
“It helped when I made birdie on No. 13,” Broussard said. “It seemed like I got up and down from trashcans and milk jugs today. My short game was solid, but my long game needed work.”
Broussard found the confidence he needed in the final round with the three birdies he carded on Nos. 3, 6 and 13. Staying in the fairway was key to winning the tournament.
“I didn’t get myself into a position where I couldn’t make par,” he said.
Finishing in second behind Broussard was Nick Williams of New Braunfels, Texas, with a 209. In third place with a 210 was Austin Schauer of Spring, Texas. In fourth with a 211 was Jeff Howard of Plano, Texas. Tied for fifth place with tournament totals of 212 were Josh Jones of The Colony, Texas, and Sang Yi of Carrollton, Texas.
Yang, 16, of Murrieta, Calif., got her glory with a 3-over-par 74 final round total to edge out her competition by four strokes. She credits her success to her mind control, putting and feeling comfortable with the girls she played with. Yang attends the International Golf Academy in Murrieta with Wonjoo Choi, who finished in seventh and studies with Yang on a daily basis.
“All my teammates were good,” Yang said. “I played with one of the girls all three days and felt so comfortable with them.”
Yang found her shots to be erratic in the final round, but her putting was what saved her today. A downhill 15-footer for par was Yang’s best moment of the day.
“I prayed that I would make it and I did,” she said. “Another shot that helped me out was on No. 13. I hit a shot two feet from the hole and made birdie.”
Finishing in second place behind Yang with a 227 was Jane Rah of Torrance, Calif. In third place was Caney Hines of San Antonio, Texas, with a 228.
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.
For more information on the I.R.I. Golf Group Oakridge Junior, contact AJGA headquarters at (770) 868-4200.
