STUDENT SUCCESS
Well Deserved!
CONGRATULATIONS BGGA ALUM!
in the clubhouse after his final round was completed, shot a
4-under-par 67 in the final round to post a total of 209 finish
in fourth – an improvement of five places after two rounds
Sunday. “Julian has been great for us at both events but this
week he showed why he’s one of the best incoming freshmen
in the country,” said Arkansas head coach Brad McMakin. “He
is proving he can compete at the highest level.
BGGA Student Park Leads the
Pack of Winners at Florida Junior
Vanderbilt Freshman Annie Kim (BGGA Class Of 2018) Wins
First Team Title
Bishops Gate Golf Academy (BGGA) Alumni Annie Kim teed
it up for the first time for Vanderbilt and went on to win the
team title. The women’s golf team won the rain-shortened
Mason Rudolph Championship at the Vanderbilt Legends
Club, with the Commodores having a 12-shot margin over
Arizona State with a 17-under par total of 599 (278-281).
Dongjin Park returns to the Winners Circle at Falcon’s
Fire, and Yoko Tai takes first for the Girls U16.
BGGA student Donjin Park (-5 for 139 total score)
returned to the winner’s circle, as Park claimed his
first victory of the 2018-2019 season. Park, BGGA
Class of 2019 (Seoul, South Korea), scored rounds of
69 and 70 for his 139 total finish (5-under par).
Finishing in second-place for the weekend was BGGA
student Alex Liu (France) with scores of 74 and an
impressive 68 during Sunday’s Final Round. Liu finished
with a total of 142 (2-Under Par) for the weekend.
BGGA student Yoko Tai took top honors in the
Girls Under 16 division after an impressive opening
weekend. Tai (Singapore) put together a weekend
with scores of 77 and 73 for a 150 total score (6-Over
Par). Tai earned herself the first victory of the 2018-
2019 season.
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Over 80 juniors from Central Florida and beyond
gathered at the very popular Rees Jones design
layout for the 36-hole, nationally ranked competition.
Players competed in four separate age divisions, Boys
Under 19 and Under 16, Girls Under 19 and Under 16.
This new alignment was designed to better reflect the
partnership with the Faldo Series and players looking
to qualify for the Faldo Series Grand Final later this
year.
BGGA students Tyden Wilson and Ian Davis picked
up Top-5 finishes and Alex Sun and Daniel Song Top-
10. Sumaer Dhalla (-2) and David Xu (-1) both shot
personal best scores, and Sumaer picked up a Top-10
finish.
BGGA students recently completed their blueprints
for the semester and are in full force executing on
those plans maintaining BGGA’s reputation as the
dominant force in junior golf.
Annie’s 143 (71-72) led her to T-15 in her first collegiate
tournament. Kim credits the BGGA coaching team and
facility as giving her a great opportunity to improve her
game and commented that, “No one can deny that Bishops
Gate has the best golf training facility in Florida.” Student-
athletes at BGGA have to learn how to handle the rigors of
academics and athletics while living away from home. It’s a
skill that helped her transition to college.
“College coaches tell you that you have to change your
lifestyle and adapt to being a young adult,” said Kim. “When
you move to college you have to have time management,
but at BGGA you already do things yourself, so I already
had those skills to carry to college.” The team win is the first
for the Commodores at the Mason Rudolph Championship
since the 2014 edition of the event and the third time
Vanderbilt has won their home tournament (other win came
in 2002). Vanderbilt returns to the course October 12-14 at
the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational in Chapel Hill, NC.
BGGA’s
Julian
Perico Ranks Fourth
in Men’s College
Golf Rankings by
Golfweek
Bishops Gate Golf
Academy (BGGA)
alumni Julian Perico
(Class
of
2018)
continues his climb
since recently graduating from BGGA. Golfweek named
Perico #4 in the Preseason Top 10 Freshman in Men’s college
golf. Perico is a freshman on the Arkansas Razorbacks team.
At the recent Gopher Invitational, Arkansas Razorbacks
climbed to finish 4th led by Perico. Perico, who was in second
Perico tied for the second-best round, shooting a 4-under
67, to finish fourth (68-74-67=209). Although he led the field
with 28 pars over the first two rounds, Perico was strong in
the birdie department Monday, carding seven, to make his
move. He finished with 37 pars, the third-best total. The
rookie has shot par or better six times in nine rounds with
three rounds in the 60’s (67, 68 and 67).
BGGA Alumni Marcos Montenegro Turns Pro
Marcos Montenegro announced the
start of his career as a professional
golfer last month. “It’s something
that I always dreamed of since I was
a boy.” Montenegro graduated from
BGGA in May 2016 and spent the
last two years training and playing
in amateur and professional events
around the world. BGGA caught up
with Montenegro when he returned to train at the Academy
this past winter.
What have you been up to since you left BGGA?
Montenegro: I’ve been training in Buenos Aires, Argentina,
with my coach Santiago Garat. I’ve been playing in amateur
tournaments as well as events on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica.
What are your goals?
M: I’m trying to play more events on the PGA Tour
Latinoamerica as well as some Web.com Tour events to
play at a high level. This is going to help prepare me for a
professional career.
Why do you choose to come back and train at BGGA?
M: It’s amazing this place. I like to practice here and return
to the place that has given me a lot. It’s really good to come
back here where it feels like family.
What did you learn at BGGA that you’ve taken with you and
used since graduating?
M: I learned a lot. Living here is different than Argentina.
There are more responsibilities here, so I think I learned so
much outside of golf.
Santiago Garat: He came back to Argentina grown up. His
English improved while at BGGA. He came to BGGA as a boy
and came back to Argentina as a man.
Learn more about Marcos and his goals in this video.
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