BRASELTON, Ga. -- Julie Yang of Phoenix, became the second-youngest Girls Division champion in the history of the American Junior Golf Association. Yang won the Randy Smith Classic presented by the Lubbock Sports Authority in a playoff. She was 12 years, 1 month and 8 days old.
The record is currently held by current LPGA Tour player and AJGA National Chairman Vicki Goetze-Ackerman who won the 1984 Bluegrass Junior Invitational at 11 years, 11 months and 29 days. The AJGA later instituted an age policy which requires juniors to have reached their 12th birthday before competing.
Yang played in the Srixon Qualifier for the Future Legends event July 9th, just one day after her 12th birthday. She not only earned exemption into the tournament with her 35-40–75, she also became medalist. In her first AJGA Open event, Yang shot a 77-81-77–235, good enough for a third-place finish at The Legend at Brandybrook.
Two weeks ago, Yang participated in her second AJGA event, the Fidelity Investments Stars of Texas Junior. She bettered her Future Legends performance by one place, finishing second with a 76-73-71–220 tournament total.
At Texas Tech University’s Rawls Course this past week, Yang went 3-under-par for the tournament and found herself in a playoff with two veteran AJGA players Becca Huffer of Denver and Kyle Roig of Pembroke Pines, Fla. Yang birdied the second playoff hole to earn the victory and the distinction of becoming the second-youngest champion in the AJGA’s history.
Earlier this year, Alexis Thompson of Coral Springs, Fla., earned headlines for challenging Goetze-Ackerman’s record. She was victorious at the Aldila Junior Classic at 12 years, 2 months and 12 days. She later went on to become the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open.
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, please contact Drea Braxmeier (dbraxmeier@ajga.org) in the AJGA Communications Department at (678) 425-1789, or visit the AJGA Web site at ajga.org.
