FORT WORTH, Texas -- Johnathan Schnitzer of Houston carded a tournament-total 2-under-par 214 to come from three-shots back and claim victory at the Elbit Systems of America Junior Golf Classic. Julie Yang of Phoenix posted a 2-over-par 218 to hold onto the lead and take the Girls Division title by three strokes.
Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the Elbit Systems of America Junior Golf Classic was a 54-hole stroke play event held at the Southern Oaks Golf Club. The 120-player field featured players from 16 states. The Boys Division played the par-72 course at 7,145 yards while the Girls Division played at 6,115 yards.
Schnitzer sat in a three way tie for ninth place after the second round. With several competitors circling the lead, Schnitzer had a strategy entering the final round.
“My dad and I decided before today it would take a 68 or 69 to win,” Schnitzer said. “I knew I would have to light it up on the back nine and I birdied Nos. 8 and 9.”
Firing a final-round 3-under-par 69, he carded four birdies on the day to pull ahead by one stroke and take the crown.
“All I have to say is finally,” Schnitzer said of his first AJGA victory. “I have finished top five about four or five times. I finally got the monkey off my back and got a win.”
Following close behind was second-round leader Ryan Dagerman of Dallas in second place at 1-under-par 215. Tied for third were Chase Anderson of San Antonio and Matthew Seligmann of Houston, each at even-par 216. Brad Mason of Dallas finished at 1-over-par 217 to round out the top five.
In the Girls Division, Yang, 12, sat atop the leaderboard throughout the tournament and carded a final-round 5-over-par 77 to take the title. In her second AJGA win of the month, Yang carried a four-stroke advantage into Thursday’s final-round and remained calm as other players made a final charge for the lead.
“I wasn’t that nervous,” Yang, the second-team Rolex Junior All-American, said. “Surprisingly, I didn’t think I would win. I guess I was lucky. I had a good first two rounds.”
Valentina Fontaine of Hilton Head Island, S.C., finished second at 5-over-par 221. Tied for third at 6-over-par 222 were Victoria Vela of Mansfield, Texas, and Kaira Martin of Paradise Valley, Ariz.
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 Elbit Systems of America Junior Golf Classic or any AJGA event, please contact National Headquarters at (770) 868-4200 or visit our Web site at ajga.org
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Final results from the Elbit Systems of America Junior Golf Classic conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at
Southern Oaks Golf Club. Par: Boys: 36-36—72; Girls: 36-36—72. Yardage: Boys: 7,145; Girls: 6,115. Rating/Slope: Boys: 75.2/133; Girls: 77/141.
BOYS DIVISION
Johnathan Schnitzer, Houston, Texas 72-73-69—214
Ryan Dagerman, Dallas, Texas 72-69-74—215
Chase Anderson, San Antonio, Texas 75-71-70—216
Matthew Seligmann, Houston, Texas 74-68-74—216
Brad Mason, Dallas, Texas 74-72-71—217
Austin Beck, Coppell, Texas 69-74-75—218
Chandler Rusk, Edmond, Okla. 74-72-72—218
Chris Han, Carrollton, Texas 71-74-73—218
Tyler Ledet, Woodworth, La. 68-75-76—219
Benjamin Thorseth, Richmond, Texas 73-73-73—219
Ryan Blair, Center Valley, Pa. 76-72-72—220
Patrick Burke, Houston, Texas 73-74-74—221
Zachary Collings, Fort Worth, Texas 76-75-70—221
Tyler Dunlap, Westlake, Texas 77-72-72—221
Jerry Ruiz, Hilton Head, S.C. 76-74-72—222
Curtis Donahoe, League City, Texas 75-74-73—222
Richard Kalteyer, Dallas, Texas 75-71-76—222
Thomas Birdsey, The Woodlands, Texas 73-69-80—222
Vincent Anagnos, Round Rock, Texas 72-71-79—222
Joe Lynch, ShawneeMission, Kan. 80-69-74—223
Blake Waller, West Des Moines, Iowa 73-74-76—223
Andrew Presley, Fort Worth, Texas 70-73-80—223
Greg O'Connor, Edmond, Okla. 73-70-80—223
Trey Neck, Baton Rouge, La. 73-79-72—224
Yi-Hsiu Luo, Winchendon, Mass. 74-75-75—224
Gregg Davis, Parker, Colo. 75-73-76—224
Jeff Hageman, Grapevine, Texas 75-75-74—224
Landon Morgan, Edmond, Okla. 80-73-72—225
William Dusenbury, League City, Texas 76-70-79—225
Alec Bruney, Nederland, Texas 72-76-78—226
Nathan Anderson, Burleson, Texas 75-75-76—226
Ryan Kelley, The Woodlands, Texas 76-75-75—226
Curtis Reed, Castroville, Texas 74-77-75—226
Colt Melton, Amarillo, Texas 77-75-75—227
John Cassidy, Tulsa, Okla. 78-75-74—227
Sam Clark, Allen, Texas 74-78-75—227
Austin Weaver, Flower Mound, Texas 73-72-82—227
Brandon Cauldwell, Ozark, Mo. 72-79-76—227
Michael Williams, Purcell, Okla. 77-74-77—228
Wesley Gates, Novi, Mich. 77-77-75—229
Ryan Howard, The Woodlands, Texas 75-76-78—229
Chase Adams, Dallas, Texas 75-73-81—229
Brian Smith, Corpus Christi, Texas 76-81-73—230
James Sullivan, Katy, Texas 77-77-76—230
David Klaudt, Dallas, Texas 78-79-73—230
Corbin Light, Plano, Texas 74-81-75—230
Austin West, Burleson, Texas 77-77-77—231
Christopher Melvin, Medfield, Mass. 76-79-76—231
John Antle, Graham, Texas 76-77-78—231
Josh Reinertson, Gibbon, Neb. 74-79-78—231
Zack Smith, Carthage, Texas 76-75-81—232
Ricky Lee, Tucson, Ariz. 80-74-78—232
Brandon Pederson, Austin, Texas 79-75-78—232
Taylor Mihok, Aledo, Texas 78-75-79—232
A.J. Gebert, Wichita, Kan. 75-80-77—232
Jeremy Kutscherousky, Dallas, Texas 80-76-77—233
Ryan Conner, Fort Worth, Texas 78-76-79—233
Glenn Payne, Ardmore, Okla. 84-76-74—234
Brandon Liu, St. Albans, Mo. 80-80-74—234
Austin Struble, Aledo, Texas 74-80-80—234
McKenzie Mueller, Dallas, Texas 78-74-83—235
Austin Phillips, Fort Worth, Texas 82-78-75—235
Colin Buckley, Ennis, Texas 75-79-81—235
Brian Swanson, Katy, Texas 80-75-80—235
Chandler Smith-Stetson, Albuquerque, N.M. 81-79-75—235
Austen Hyde, Missouri City, Texas 82-74-79—235
Daniel McMurry, Ardmore, Okla. 83-76-77—236
Cole Pickavance, Danville, Calif. 78-77-82—237
David McMurry, Ardmore, Okla. 81-75-81—237
J.B Suk, Norman, Okla. 80-76-81—237
Riley Goff, Irving, Texas 79-85-74—238
Scooter Ransbottom, Midlothian, Texas 79-82-77—238
Nick Allen, Littleton, Colo. 83-81-75—239
Kaden Bressman, Fort Mohave, Ariz. 83-78-80—241
Ted Monhollon, Tulsa, Okla. 80-82-79—241
Andrew Roberts, Carmichael, Calif. 79-77-86—242
John Newberry, Jr., Austin, Texas 86-77-80—243
Perrin Grace, Ann Arbor, Mich. 88-77-78—243
Justin Wileman, Southlake, Texas 82-84-77—243
Blake Vinson, Fort Worth, Texas 78-83-82—243
Colby Webb, Burleson, Texas 84-80-81—245
Matt Keller, Rogers, Ark. 79-84-82—245
Jordan Reinertson, Gibbon, Neb. 86-77-85—248
Kyle Bodin, Austin, Texas 81-81-86—248
Kyle Huett, Bulverde, Texas 83-83-84—250
Brendon Mullen, Austin, Texas 89-82-81—252
Jeff Quinn, Anthem, Ariz. 90-77-86—253
Robert Davis, San Antonio, Texas 89-86-91—266
Joey Thomas, Kerrville, Texas 88-89-89—266
Kyle Billingsley, Little Rock, Ark. 83-105 JWD
GIRLS DIVISION
Julie Yang, Phoenix, Ariz. 69-72-77—218
Valentina Fontaine, Hilton Head Island, S.C. 75-75-71—221
Victoria Vela, Mansfield, Texas 72-79-71—222
Kaira Martin, Paradise Valley, Ariz. 72-73-77—222
Natalie Reeves, Euless, Texas 73-77-73—223
Devon Brown, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. 74-76-74—224
Chelsea Mocio, Fort Worth, Texas 75-78-73—226
Kelsey Kirkpatrick, Golden, Texas 75-76-75—226
Kristina Nhim, Buena Park, Calif. 73-76-77—226
Gabriella Then, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. 77-76-74—227
Amy Ruengmateekhun, Garland, Texas 78-75-74—227
Lauren Salazar, Santa Clara, Calif. 74-78-77—229
Melanie White, Colleyville, Texas 71-84-77—232
Brooke Bailey, Abilene, Texas 77-82-74—233
Sorelle Sedej, Poway, Calif. 77-74-83—234
Hannah Arnold, Lufkin, Texas 74-77-84—235
Patricia Lee, Highlands Ranch, Colo. 80-79-77—236
Shelby Hardy, San Saba, Texas 86-78-72—236
Whitney McAteer, Tulsa, Okla. 82-76-79—237
Kelsey Welber, Plano, Texas 73-81-83—237
Erin Perry, Seabrook, Texas 82-77-79—238
Gina Bortoletto, The Woodlands, Texas 77-78-84—239
Tezira Abe', Angleton, Texas 80-80-80—240
Katy Cardno, Sugar Land, Texas 79-82-81—242
Susannah Grunden, Krum, Texas 79-84-85—248
Jenny Kang, Houston, Texas 83-81-84—248
Lakareber Abe', Angleton, Texas 87-85-79—251
AlexandrianaPark, Southlake, Texas 83-89-94—266
Stephanie Scholer, Dallas, Texas 89-86-92—267
Erin DeLorenzo, Dallas, Texas 99-91-86—276
** JWD=Justified WD
American Junior Golf Association, 1980 Sports Club Dr, Braselton, GA 30517-6000 United States
