SANTA CLARITA, Calif. -- Rak Cho of Brea, Calif., was named champion of the Boys Division in the Hanmi Bank Junior Open Thursday after a three-hole playoff with Jordan Lee of Tarzana, Calif., and Jake Sarnoff of Manhattan Beach, Calif. Cho finished the final round with a tournament total of 1-under-par 215 at the Robinson Ranch Golf Club’s Valley Course. In the Girls Division, Lalita Patipaksiri of Cypress, Calif., finished the tournament at 1-over-par 217 to record her first American Junior Golf Association victory.
Conducted by the AJGA, the Hanmi Bank Junior Open was a 54-hole stroke play event featuring 75 boys and 24 girls, ages 12-18, from nine states, with 89 players from California. The event was staged on Robinson Ranch Golf Club’s Valley Course with boys tees set at 6,864 yards and girls tees at 5,910 yards. Past champions of the event include Sam Chien, Tom Lo, Jennie Lee and Rachel Morris.
Cho carded three birdies and four bogeys Thursday and finished the final round at 2-over par 74 to earn a spot in the playoff with Sarnoff and Lee. Sarnoff fell out of the race after the first playoff hole while Cho and Lee battled through two more. After puting his ball in the water behind No. 18 green, Cho holed out for par to give him the one-stroke lead he needed to win the tournament.
“I couldn’t believe I put the ball in the water on No. 18,” Cho said. “I put it short of the flagstick the first time through. My strategy was to get closer the next time around and I ended up misreading and going too far.”
Lee and Sarnoff tied for second with a tournament total of 1-under-par 215. Taking fourth was T.J. Vogel of Cooper City, Fla., at 218, and John Huh of Montrose, Calif., finished fifth at 3-over par 219.
Patipaksiri began Thursday’s round carding three birdies in the first four holes, which she says boosted her confidence as she continued the final round of play. After a double bogey No. 8, Patipaksiri knew she had to change her momentum in order to keep the lead through the blustery back nine.
“The wind was a lot worse on the back nine today, so club selection was more important than it was during the first and second rounds,” Patipaksiri said. “Taking my time and choosing the right club kept me in play.”
Alison Lee of Valencia, Calif., finished in second place with a three-day total of 221, and Danielle Kang of Oak Park, Calif., finished in third place at 225.
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 an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of more than 5,000 junior golfers from 49 states and more than 25 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 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. More than 160 former AJGA juniors currently play on the PGA and LPGA Tours and have compiled more than 300 wins. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink, Davis Love III, Cristie Kerr, Pat Hurst, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel and Julieta Granada.
For more information about the Hanmi Bank Junior Open, please contact AJGA National Headquarters at (770) 868-4200, or visit ajga.org.
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. — Final results from the Hanmi Bank Junior Open conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at
Robinson Ranch Golf Club. Par: Boys: 36-36—72; Girls: 36-36—72. Yardage: Boys: 6,864; Girls: 5,910. Rating/Slope: Boys: 73.7/144;
Girls: 74.7/131.
BOYS DIVISION
* Rak Cho, Brea, Calif. 73-68-74—215
Jordan Lee, Tarzana, Calif. 66-77-72—215
Jake Sarnoff, Manhattan Beach, Calif. 74-67-74—215
T.J. Vogel, Cooper City, Fla. 69-76-73—218
John Huh, Montrose, Calif. 71-77-71—219
James Back, Brea, Calif. 68-78-73—219
Michael Gideon, Lancaster, Calif. 74-73-74—221
Travis Bregman, Newhall, Calif. 72-76-73—221
Daniel Park, Los Angeles, Calif. 72-75-75—222
Tim Honeycutt, Placerville, Calif. 74-76-75—225
Christopher Rendler, Manhattan Beach, Calif. 74-76-75—225
Sam Yi, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. 78-70-77—225
John Jong Yeop Lim, Torrance, Calif. 74-73-78—225
Johnny Mac Arthur, Santa Clarita, Calif. 74-72-79—225
Adam Carter, Camarillo, Calif. 75-74-77—226
Danny Katz, Simi Valley, Calif. 69-80-77—226
Jeffrey Stevens, Del Mar, Calif. 72-81-74—227
Danny Cacho, Fairfield, Calif. 80-73-74—227
Jeremy Wendelken, Sammamish, Wash. 77-74-76—227
Matthew Siporin, Tarzana, Calif. 74-73-80—227
Jason Rosenkranz, Westlake Village, Calif. 79-79-70—228
Tyler Weworski, Carlsbad, Calif. 76-76-76—228
Ji Park, Fullerton, Calif. 72-73-83—228
Alex Marry, San Clemente, Calif. 78-75-76—229
Jae Kang, Irvine, Calif. 77-75-77—229
Daniel Lee, Valencia, Calif. 74-77-78—229
Lawrence Hsu, West Covina, Calif. 77-74-78—229
Joe Webber, Sandy, Utah 70-79-80—229
Niall Platt, Santa Barbara, Calif. 77-72-80—229
Albert Kilgore, III, Corona, Calif. 74-83-73—230
Diwen Chen, Coto De Caza, Calif. 71-85-74—230
Pono Calip, Pahoa, Hawaii 76-78-76—230
Max Homa, Valencia, Calif. 74-78-78—230
Brent Duclos, Moorpark, Calif. 77-71-82—230
Graham Brockington, Laguna Niguel, Calif. 79-77-75—231
Reid Hutchinson, Encinitas, Calif. 76-79-76—231
Marshall Colby, Thousand Oaks, Calif. 72-82-77—231
Maxwell Cohen, Los Angeles, Calif. 81-75-76—232
Alex Bungert, Orange, Calif. 78-70-84—232
Jeff Petroff, Tualatin, Ore. 83-81-69—233
Bobby Lange, Sherman Oaks, Calif. 74-82-77—233
Bryce Greeley, Newport Beach, Calif. 79-75-79—233
Yi Keun Chang, Walnut, Calif. 81-72-80—233
Eugene Lee, Temecula, Calif. 80-72-81—233
Gregory Petchakan, Encino, Calif. 80-79-75—234
Ryan Takasugi, La Mirada, Calif. 76-80-78—234
Jay Lim, Stevenson Ranch, Calif. 77-78-80—235
Eli Cole, Beverly Hills, Calif. 76-75-84—235
Joshua Park, Diamond Bar, Calif. 83-78-75—236
Nick Lerner, Playa del Rey, Calif. 78-79-79—236
Cole Seeger, Thousand Oaks, Calif. 82-74-80—236
Andrew Cho, La Crescenta, Calif. 79-75-82—236
Fletcher Sams, La Canada, Calif. 77-77-82—236
Evan Emerick, Oceanside, Calif. 77-76-83—236
William Sjaichudin, Carindale, Queensland 81-78-78—237
Seiji Liu, Beverly Hills, Calif. 74-81-82—237
Henry Park, Waikoloa, Hawaii 84-76-78—238
Nolan Clark, Coto de Caza, Calif. 79-79-80—238
Troy Basmajian, Manhattan Beach, Calif. 79-77-82—238
David Liebhart, Chino Hills, Calif. 83-73-82—238
Charles Windon, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. 82-79-78—239
Shane Blanchard, Simi Valley, Calif. 80-80-80—240
Robert Nicanor, San Diego, Calif. 85-78-78—241
Corey Lind, Saugus, Calif. 80-78-83—241
Mark Alvarez, Pomona, Calif. 82-77-83—242
Seungrok Cheon, Indio, Calif. 77-83-83—243
Sam Rogers, San Diego, Calif. 78-88-79—245
Alexander Choi, Beverly Hills, Calif. 84-81-81—246
Bodin Bhanaraksa, Chino, Calif. 82-81-84—247
Case Cochran, Paducah, Ky. 84-82-83—249
Michael Liu, Tustin, Calif. 75-85-90—250
Austin Green, Upland, Calif. 77-86-90—253
Brian Beach, Missoula, Mont. 95-90-80—265
Joseph Filia III, Big Bear Lake, Calif. 97-88-91—276
Wayne Yoon, Carson, Calif. 75-79 JWD
GIRLS DIVISION
Lalita Patipaksiri, Cypress, Calif. 69-74-74—217
Alison Lee, Valencia, Calif. 73-74-74—221
Danielle Kang, Oak Park, Calif. 72-74-79—225
Samantha Martin, Los Angeles, Calif. 77-78-74—229
Michelle Park, Los Angeles, Calif. 76-78-75—229
Demi Frances Runas, Torrance, Calif. 74-79-76—229
Nara Kim, Diamond Bar, Calif. 74-72-83—229
Lillian Boettcher, Tulsa, Okla. 76-76-78—230
Beverly Vatananugulkit, Cerritos, Calif. 77-78-77—232
Monica Petchakan, Encino, Calif. 79-75-80—234
Sarah Elliot, Dove Canyon, Calif. 75-77-82—234
Denyse Neville, Riverside, Calif. 76-78-81—235
Katia Joo, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. 78-76-81—235
Jasmine Chean, Irvine, Calif. 74-78-83—235
Robyn Kim, Cypress, Calif. 75-80-81—236
Grace Nam, Canyon Country, Calif. 78-77-81—236
Michelle Piyapattra, Corona, Calif. 74-76-86—236
Robin Lee, Camarillo, Calif. 80-83-80—243
Lady Samson, Valencia, Calif. 78-83-83—244
Marika Liu, Beverly Hills, Calif. 82-79-85—246
Li-Ting Weng, Hacienda Heights, Calif. 84-78-85—247
Jade Okamoto, Huntington Beach, Calif. 77-88-83—248
Ji Eun Kim, Valencia, Calif. 85-82-82—249
Laura Fitzsimmons, San Ramon, Calif. 88-88-90—266
* Won Sudden-Death Playoff
** JWD=Justified WD
