Over sixty-five junior golfers came out to White Pines GC in Bensenville, Ill. to compete in the 2008 Player’s Day Open event. While looming inclement weather scared away some of those scheduled to play in the field, those who stuck it out were rewarded for their efforts. Players can be awarded up to 120 Player of the Year points at Open events.
While it looked as though thunderstorms would wash out the event, after a two-and-a-half hour rain delay, the golfers were back out on the course, battling through wet conditions.
And even though conditions were less than optimal on this rainy day, there were still some excellent scores. Russell Katz (Oak Brook, IL) captured first place honors in the Senior Boys division, carding and even-par round of 72 for the day.
“I started off really strong and was two deep through four holes, but struggled with a couple of lag putts in the middle,” Katz said. “But I hit 16 greens today which really enabled me to score.”
Jeffrey Davis (Glen Ellyn, IL) and Brian Jones (Elk Grove Village, IL) tied for second place in the Senior Boys division with a pair of 74s, and after a one-hole playoff, Davis grabbed the second place trophy.
Noah Anthony (St. Charles, IL) claimed the championship trophy in the Junior Boys division, firing a two-over-par round of 74. Gabriel Aprati (New Lenox, IL) was only one stroke back of Anthony and took home second place with a 75. Zack Kim (Gurnee, IL) rounded out the top three finishers with a 77.
“On this course, you have to keep it in the fairway. You do that and you will shoot low,” Anthony said. “Luckily, when I did miss a fairway, I was able to scramble to get my pars.”
On the girls’ side, Samantha Sloan (Lansing, IL) tore up the course, shooting a two-under-par round of 72. Sloan's impressive play, which included three birdies in a row after the rain delay, earned her first place in the Senior Girls division.
“The rain delay actually helped me,” Sloan said. “I had just finished nine holes when we got called in and I hadn’t been playing too great, so I used the delay to regroup. When we got back out on the course, I treated the back nine like a whole new round with a clean slate.”
Katherine Kuhn (Clarendon Hills, IL) placed second in the Senior Girls division with an 87, while Rachael Edwards (St. Charles) came in third.
Dana Gullen (Winnetka, IL) took home top honors in the Junior Girls flight by carding an 85. Elisa Palluau (Naperville, IL), coming off of a victory at the Village Greens Regional event on Monday, placed second with an 86, and Rebecca Norris (St. Charles) came in third.
“It was a little hard to adjust after the rain delay, because the course got so wet,” Gullen said. “But luckily, my putter was working today and I was able to post a good number.”
The Illinois Junior Golf Association (IJGA) is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing playing opportunities for its members, conducting educational clinics and events while acting as a junior golf informational clearinghouse.†One of the largest and most comprehensive junior associations in the United States, the IJGA has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 7-18) of approximately 2200.
The Association is served and governed by a Governing Board of Directors comprised of 15 volunteers including four (4) representatives of both the Illinois Section of the PGA (IPGA) and the Chicago District Golf Association (CDGA).†Additional Board members are selected based on their commitment to junior golf and include parents, representatives from the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), the Illinois Coaches Association (ICA), college golf coaches and community leaders. |
