GP Junior (Jul-Aug 19) Junior (July-Aug 19) | Page 9

INTERNATIONAL NEWS
hospitality,
Junior-Am
Fundraising
Tournament, charitable giving and volunteer
base. Awards are also given to the events
with engaged media and social media
participation. Finally, the AJGA recognizes
the year’s most outstanding golf professional,
superintendent and general manager, as well
as the most game changing event, best new
event, best Junior Golf Hub Preview Series
tournament, best AJGA Junior All-Star
Series tournament, best Invitational and
overall tournament of the year. Tournament
awards for the 2018 season will be presented
on-site at 2019 tournaments.
Am Fundraising Award. This is the
tournament’s third-straight year winning
both awards, with an additional win in
2015 for the Charitable Giving Award.
Each year, the AJGA presents awards to
the tournaments with the best individual
hospitality,
Junior-Am
Fundraising
Tournament, charitable giving and
volunteer base. Awards are also given to
the events with engaged media and social
media participation. Finally, the AJGA
recognizes the year’s most outstanding
golf professional, superintendent and golf
course executive, as well as the most game
changing event, best new event, best Junior
Golf Hub Preview Series tournament, best
AJGA Junior All-Star Series tournament,
best Invitational and overall tournament of
the year. Tournament awards for the 2018
season will be presented on-site at the
2019 tournaments.
“Our goal is to help young boys and girls
with talent, but without the resources to
compete,” Co-Tournament Chair, Bob
Edwards said. “We believe that if players,
sponsors and volunteers have a good
experience this will ensure the future
success of our event.”
The tournament, hosted at the Woodlands
Country Club, has given $560,000 back
to charity since their start in 2014. The
charitable giving helps fund the Achieving
Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant as
well as local high school golf programs
in an effort to support the AJGA mission.
(Pic 4)
CIRCLE K JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP HOSTED
The Circle K Junior Championship hosted
by Otter Creek has been named the recipient
of the 2018 Game Changer Award by the
American Junior Golf Association.
Each year, the AJGA presents awards to
the tournaments with the best individual
“This award validates work completed
the past six years to grow our fundraising
efforts to have a signifi cant fi nancial
impact for our charitable partners,” said
John Fairbanks, Tournament Chair. “We
are humbled by the recognition and
appreciate the large number of people who
have contributed to our success.”
One of the keys to success for the
tournament was the addition of Circle K
Club every year on Memorial Day since
2000. The tournament has had notable
past champions such as Ryan Moore,
Brian Harman, Morgan Pressel and Ariya
Jutanugarn. The fi eld this year included
nine of the top-10 boys in the Rolex AJGA
Rankings and seven of the top-10 girls.
Mouw shot a 3-over-par 73 in his fi nal
round that included 10 pars in his fi rst
11 holes. He fi nished the tournament
at 1-under-par 209 to earn his fi rst
invitational win. Last year, Mouw fi nished
fi fth at the Thunderbird International
Junior and earlier this year he won his
fi rst AJGA event, the 2019 PING Heather
Farr Classic. Mouw is No. 12 in the Rolex
AJGA Rankings and the high school senior
has signed a National Letter of Intent to
Pepperdine University.
RUELAND WINS THE 7TH CREED BOYS’
INVITATIONAL
After a fi nal round with tough conditions,
Zachary Reuland of Rock Hill, S.C.
came out on top shooting two-under-par,
138 total to claim the 7th Creed Boys’
Invitational. “I wanted to just try and hit
solid shots, but not try to fi re it at the pin.
I knew that you wouldn’t have to hit crazy
low to today to win,” said Reuland.
Reuland started the fi nal round in a three-
way tie for the lead with Carlos Garre of
Myrtle Beach, S.C. and Randall Hudson
of New Bern, N.C. Garre quickly took the
lead in the fi nal round with birdies on holes
three and fi ve, but he didn’t hold onto the
lead for long.
as the title sponsor in 2018. They helped
increase tournament revenue from $42,000
in 2017 to $76,000 in 2018 and their net
proceeds increased from $3,000 to $26,000
to support the First Tee of Indiana and the
ACE Grant. (Pic 5)
THUNDERBIRD INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR
FINALE
“Well I started out with a bogey, which
wasn’t the way I wanted to start out, but I
birdied number three and that just gave me
some confi dence. Then towards the end of
the back nine I birdied two of the last three
and that just gave me the momentum to take
into the back nine,” said Reuland. (Pic 6)
The fi nal round of the Thunderbird
International Junior concluded with two
fi rst-time invitational champions. William
Mouw of Chino, California, went wire-
to-wire to win his second tournament in
the past month. Alexa Melton of Covina,
California, came from behind to win in the
Girls Division.
This was the 20th anniversary of the
Thunderbird International Junior, an event
that has been hosted by Grayhawk Golf
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