Henderson natives sweep Las Vegas Junior Open
Montgomery wins in Boys Division and Kaui takes the Girls Division at Anthem Country Club
HENDERSON, Nev. — Taylor Montgomery of Henderson, Nev., brought his second round success into the final round with 1-under-par 71 in the Boys Division. In the Girls Division, Alexandra Kaui of Las Vegas went wire-to-wire, winning the tournament with a final round 3-over-par 75. For both Montgomery and Kaui, this was their first AJGA victory.
The Las Vegas Junior Open was a 54-hole stroke play event conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at Anthem Country Club in Henderson, Nev. The tournament field featured 54 boys and 24 girls from eight states and nine countries. The Boys Division played the par-72 course at 7,246 yards and the Girls Division played at 6,173 yards.
Montgomery extended his lead early, birdying three holes on the front nine. His winning tournament total of 4-under-par 212, was good enough for a three-stroke victory. Although it's his first AJGA win, this marks his fourth consecutive tournament win.
“I won the state and regional championship and then the Clark County Amateur, so winning my fourth-in-a-row is by far the biggest accomplishment I've had,” Montgomery said. “I've worked really hard and I think I've put in more work than anyone else, so for me, there's nothing greater.”
Troix Tonkham of Arleta, Calif., finished the tournament in second at 1-under-par 215. Arthur Edelman of Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla., came in third at 1-over-par 217. Alexis Gemme Piacente of Montreal, took fourth place at 2-over-par 218, while Brett Wilson of Mesa, Ariz., rounded out the top five at 5-over-par 221.
In the Girls Division, Kaui won in a sudden-death playoff with a tournament total of 1-over-par 217. Kaui was in tough competition with Jenny Hahn throughout the round.
“I was two ahead of her then I made back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 15 and 16,” Kaui said. “We were going back and forth all day.”
Kaui said she played her best in the playoff, when it counted.
“My dad always tells me it's not over until it's over,” Kaui said. “I just kept reminding myself of that.”
In the Girls Division, Jenny Hahn took second place at 1-over-par 217. Elyse Smidinger of Crofton, Md., and Dana Finkelstein of Chandler, Ariz., tied for third at 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 more than 40 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, 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 500 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Stewart Cink, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Inbee Park and Morgan Pressel.
For more information about the Las Vegas Junior Open, please contact AJGA National Headquarters at (770) 868-4200, or visit the AJGA website at ajga.org.
#AJGA#
