BRASELTON, Ga. -- Twenty-four of the nation's brightest minds and junior golfers were named to the HP Scholastic Junior All-America Team by the American Junior Golf Association and HP Tuesday, Oct. 7. The 2008 team, sponsored for the 14th consecutive year by HP, consists of 12 young men and 12 young women who demonstrate the ability to excel both on the golf course and in the classroom.

To be eligible for the HP Scholastic Junior All-America Team, boys must have placed in the top 10 of an AJGA event, while girls needed a top-five finish. The selections were then based on grade-point average, class rank, SAT/ACT scores, leadership skills, community service and writing ability. Candidates were required to submit an essay no longer than 400 words on an original topic relating to golf.

This year's overall essay winner was Katie Sylvan of San Diego. The Francis Parker School, where Sylvan is enrolled as a senior, will receive a computer compliments of HP.

Four individuals were named to the HP Scholastic Junior All-America Team for the second straight year: Brinson Paolini of Virginia Beach, Va., Julia Thead of Poway, Calif., Lauren Weaver of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Michael Yiu of Laguna Hills, Calif.

These outstanding individuals will be honored at the Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet Nov. 23 at The Grande Ballroom at Ginn Reunion Resort in Reunion, Fla. By being named to this team, each player is also eligible to participate in the Polo Golf Junior Classic, one of the most prestigious events in junior golf, taking place Nov. 22-28 at Ginn Reunion Resort.

"HP is delighted once again to recognize academic excellence with the naming of the 2008 HP Scholastic Junior All-America Team," said John Dayan, vice president of marketing, Personal Systems Group Americas, Hewlett Packard. "The AJGA works hard to prepare young adults for life after high school by instilling honor, perseverance and good sportsmanship. HP is proud to be associated with the AJGA and this great group of young adults."

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, Morgan Pressel and Julieta Granada.

For more information, please contact Steve Ethun (sethun@ajga.org) in the AJGA Communications Department at (678) 425-1786 or visit the AJGA Web site at ajga.org.

2008 HP Scholastic Junior All-Americans

BOYS TEAM
Matt Buse, Loveland, Ohio
Saint Xavier High School
GPA 4.06/4.3

Adam Carpenter, Little Rock, Ark.
Arkansas Baptist High School
GPA 4.073/4.0
Rank in Class: 6/61

Alex Edfort, Somerset, N.J.
Franklin Township High School
GPA 99.583/100

Brandon Hagy, Westlake Village, Calif.
Westlake High School
GPA 3.974/4.0

Steven Kearney, Carlsbad, Calif.
La Costa Canyon High School
GPA 4.226/4.0

Shane Lebow, Santa Barbara, Calif.
Santa Barbara High School
GPA 4.73/4.0
Rank in Class: 5/598

Theodore Lederhausen, Hinsdale, Ill.
Hinsdale Central High School
GPA 5.863/5.0
Rank in Class: 13/696

Seiji Liu, Beverly Hills, Calif.
The Pendleton School
GPA 4.50/4.0
Rank in Class: 1/107

Brinson Paolini, Virginia Beach, Va.
Frank W. Cox High School
GPA 4.097/4.0
Rank in Class: 23/483

Nicholas Schafer, Rocklin, Calif.
Rocklin High School
GPA 4.11/4.0
Rank in Class: 1/424

John Skeadas, Savannah, Ga.
Savannah Country Day School
GPA 94.72/100

Michael Yiu, Laguna Hills, Calif.
Laguna Hills High School
GPA 4.68/4.0
Rank in Class: 10/453

GIRLS TEAM
Nicole Agnello, Longwood, Fla.
Lake Mary High School
GPA 4.464/4.0
Rank in Class: 6/585

Danielle Frasier, Encinitas, Calif.
La Costa Canyon High School
GPA 4.217/4.0

Olivia Garard, Columbine Valley, Colo.
Kent Denver High School
GPA 4.036/4.0

Courtney Gunter, Matthews, N.C.
Porter Ridge High School
GPA 4.583/5.0
Rank in Class: 16/348

Bonnie Hu, Fremont, Calif.
Mission San Jose High School
GPA 4.0/4.0
Rank in Class: 1/513

Anna Leigh Keith, Moultrie, Ga.
Colquitt County High School
GPA 97.833/100
Rank in Class: 13/472

Rachel Morris, Carlsbad, Calif.
Carlsbad High School
GPA 4.107/4.0
Rank in Class: 21/770

Haley Sanders, Rogers, Ark.
Rogers High School
GPA 4.0/4.0
Rank in Class: 3/742

Christine Shimel, Kennett Square, Pa.
Kennett High School
GPA 4.356
Rank in Class: 2/253

Katie Sylvan, San Diego, Calif.
The Francis Parker School
GPA 4.53/5.0

Julia Thead, Poway, Calif.
The Francis Parker School
GPA 4.69/5.0

Lauren Weaver, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Cactus Shadows High School
GPA 4.784/4.0
Rank in Class: 3/394

ESSAY AWARD WINNER - KATIE SYLVAN, SAN DIEGO, CALIF.:

Tournament Day
by Katie Sylvan

The alarm rings. As I strain to open my eyes, I can barely make out the blurred digits of the clock. It is five in the morning. The hotel room is pitch dark. I push open the curtains and look out towards the streetlight that is illuminating the cars in the parking lot below to check whether it is raining. I slip on my clothes that I have laid out the night before and grab the golf bag that is sitting by my bed. As I walk to the car, I feel a warm breeze against my face and hear the crickets chirping. My father is waiting for me in the rental car with a Starbucks coffee and blueberry muffin. We drive the five minutes to the golf course as I listen to my iPod.

We arrive at the golf course, which is still covered with dew from the previous night. My spot on the driving range is completely undisturbed. The sun is beginning to rise and the air is still as I begin my routine. The silence is broken by the rhythmic sound of my club hitting against the golf ball. Alone on the practice range, I am overcome by a sense of freedom and harmony with the environment that feels both spiritual and artistic. The way I see it, the ball is my canvas and the club is my brush. I am an artist.

Focusing on my target, I do not notice the others that arrive. Soon there is an orchestra of golf balls, small white dots scattered against a background of green. I stop to admire my work. Looking around, I see other artists busy with their own creations. I am filled with a sense of anticipation and excitement as I gaze out toward the oak trees that beckon me to the first tee.

Contact: Steve Ethun, AJGA
(678) 425-1786