IN-BEE PARK BATTLES WEATHER AND ONE-SHOT DEFICIT TO WIN AT MIRASOL
Wight clinches wire-to-wire victory for first AJGA win in Boys Division
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — In-Bee Park of Las Vegas, notched her second win of the year at the PING Junior at Mirasol after shooting a final-round 71 in gusting wind and rain, claiming the Girls Division title with a score of 73-72-71-216. In the Boys Division, Robbie Wight of West Palm Beach, Fla., shot 75 and held on for his first AJGA win with a final score of 1-under 67-73-75-215.
Played at the site of the PGA TOUR's The Honda Classic, the PING Junior at Mirasol was a 54-hole stroke play event conducted by the American Junior Golf Association. The event featured junior golfers from 15 states, Canada and China, including 64 from the state of Florida.
Park entered the final round trailing Delores White of Lakeland, Fla., by one shot but turned the deficit into a one-shot lead at the turn. In the end, the 2002 Rolex Junior Player of the Year said the whistling wind played to her advantage.
“What was so difficult about today?” Park said, laughing. “The weather took half the field out of contention, so that made it easier. Living in Las Vegas, I play in the wind all the time.”
White, who led after the first and second rounds, registered two birdies and an eagle on the back nine for a final-round 74, but a 67-77-74-218 total fell two shots short of medalist honors. Jessica Yadloczky of Casselberry, Fla., finished in third with a 74-72-77-223 total, while Jacqui Concolino of Orlando, Fla., and Vicky Hurst of Melbourne, Fla., shot 225 and tied for fourth.
In the Boys Division, Wight completed his wire-to-wire victory with a focus on pars and hitting greens. With only one birdie on the day, the first-time champion said his round of 75 was boring golf, but that's the way he had to play.
“The middle of the green was a good spot to be today,” Wight said. “My goal was a solid round of golf. I couldn't control what anyone else did.”
Peter Uihlein of Bradenton, Fla., and Billy Horschel of Grant, Fla., shot the only two sub-par rounds of the day in the Boys Division and finished in a second-place tie. Uihlein's 2-under 70 was good for a 72-74-70-216 total, while Horschel's 1-under 71 gave him a 75-70-71-216 total. Cameron Knight of Dade City, Fla., finished two shots back with a 217 total, while Greg Forest of Palm City, Fla., and Michael Saari of Lilburn, Ga., finished in a tie for fifth at 218.
The American Junior Golf Association is a 501c(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 USA, which enters its third decade of support, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004.
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 280 wins. AJGA alumni include Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Davis Love III, Mike Weir, Charles Howell III, Jim Furyk, Dottie Pepper, Grace Park, Cristie Kerr and Beth Bauer.
For more information on the PING Junior at Mirasol, please contact AJGA headquarters at (770) 868- 4211.
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