It’s incredible how far Adam Podkonicky has come in his
time at BGGA, considering he hasn’t been playing golf
that long. He shot 69 and 70 for a 5-under 139 to win
the IJGT South Carolina Open in April.
“Adam was a tennis player in the Czech Republic,” said
Yarwood. “It was only two or three years ago that he
tried golf. He has gone on to shoot 5 under par at a
tournament to win it. It’s amazing.”
John Daly II was consistently at the top of the
leaderboard in his age group this spring. He started at
BGGA in January and quickly found success. Daly won
five events on the IJGT as well as three second place
finishes in the Boys 14 and Under Division.
“John Daly is one of my favorite players to watch,
amateur or professional,” said Yarwood. “He plays like
a kid should play. It’s refreshing to see a kid who loves
competing.”
It’s been a successful spring for Ying-Ting Hsieh with
three top finishes. She won the IJGT King Classic and
placed second at the IJGT Florida Open and the IJGT
Southeast Tour Championship. Each round in those
events was below 75 for Hsieh, including a 69.
“Ying-Ting hits it really far for her age,” said Smeltz.
“She has so much talent, and she hasn’t even come
close to seeing how well she can play.”
Carson Barbe had his fair share of success while at
BGGA. He won the IJGT Winter Classic in January and
then followed that up scoring a 66 in the first round of
the Georgia Open.
“Carson is a class act,” said Yarwood. “He shot 66 twice
in tournaments and one round was almost a perfect
round of golf. He hit 18 greens and 14 fairways.”
Xavier Marcoux won the IJGT King Classic on April 2.
He bested the field by six shots with his 6-under 138.
Marcoux shot 68 and 70 to take the title.
“Xavier is a model student,” said Yarwood. “He came
in shooting in the high 70s and low 80s. He’s followed
the process and the outcome has taken care of itself. He
shot 6-under par in a tournament for two rounds while
sleeping on the lead.”
Luigi Wong’s improvements haven’t gone unnoticed
as he’ll be playing for the Philippines National Team
this summer at the SEA Games. Wong recently finished
fourth at the IJGT Southeast Tour Championship with a
5-under 139. Wong shot 70 and 69 to card that finish.
“Luigi came in two years ago as not the greatest golfer
we’ve ever seen,” said Smeltz. “He just qualified for the
Philippine National Team and will represent his country
in the SEA Games.”
This Spring, Thomas Pfoestl has recorded two third
place finishes at IJGT events. The first one came at The
King Classic on April 2 after he carded rounds of 75
and 70 for a 1-over 145. The other top finish came at the
Island Showcase on April 23 where rounds of 71 and 74
led to a 3-over 145 and another third-place finish.
“Thomas came in as a little bit of a hot head and can
be emotional at times,” said Smeltz. “He’s done a good
job of controlling that and his results have improved.”
Drago Zhao has had quite a bit of success in his 14 and
under age group. This spring he placed second twice
and won the IJGT Florida Open on Apr 30. Zhao had
two rounds in the 70s for a 9-over 153 to beat the field
by four shots.
“Drago is a good Chinese player and very strong for his
age, to his advantage,” said Yarwood. “We’ve created
a robust game around him so that he can grow with
his game, so as the competition catches up with him in
stature, he’s not going to be left behind.”
Kristine Yin captured first place at the FCWT Jack
Hopson Invitational at Disney Palm on April 20 with a
4-over 148. Yin carded two rounds of 75 and 73 to take
the top spot on the leaderboard.
“Kristine has improved a lot,” said Smeltz. “Everyone
saw how much talent she had when she came in and
everyone wanted her in their group. She still hasn’t
reached it yet but has improved.”
It’s not always about tournament results and Greg
Shen’s improvement is proof of that. He reduced his
scoring average this year by six and a half shots.
“Greg couldn’t break 90 in summer camp two years
ago,” said Smeltz. “For him to shoot even par is
incredible.”
Sissy Wang was at the top of the Most Improved Player
Award list this year. It’s apparent that’s she’s making
great strides in her game.
“Sissy is the biggest success story of my POD,” said
Yarwood. “She’s gone from being a 100s shooter at
one stage to shooting 79 in a tournament. It’s a mark in
the sand for sure.”
As students head to the next path in their golfing career
this summer, they can look back at BGGA and know
their time and effort made a difference in their future.