Tacoma-Area Juniors Honored as Rolex Junior All-Americans

Kyle Stanley of Gig Harbor, Wash., Andrew Putnam of University Place, Wash., and T.J. Bordeaux, and Andrew Yun, both of Tacoma, Wash., were named Rolex Junior All-Americans by the American Junior Golf Association Tuesday, thus joining an esteemed collection of current and former top-level junior golfers from around the world.

Currently a freshman at Clemson University, Stanley, 18, was named to a Rolex Junior All-American Team for the third consecutive year. The 2006 second-team Rolex Junior All-American notched five top-10 finishes this season. He finished third at the AJGA Craig Ranch Junior in McKinney, Texas, carding rounds of 71-69-72—212. Stanley also finished third at the HP Boys Junior Championship in Orlando, where he was victorious in 2005. The No. 13-ranked junior in the final Polo Golf Rankings of 2006 ended his AJGA career with two wins, 10 top-10 finishes and two Canon Cup West Team victories (2005, ‘06).

Putnam, 17, was named a second-team Rolex Junior All-American for the first time in his AJGA career after a successful 2006 season. The senior, who attends Life Christian Academy, recorded his first AJGA victory at the Pacific Northwest International Junior presented by Jeff Troesch at Trophy Lake Golf and Casting in Port Orchard, Wash., where he carded rounds of 4-under-par 74-71-67—212. The No. 18-ranked junior in the final Polo Golf Rankings also advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Junior Amateur in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., where he lost to the eventual champion and 2006 Rolex Junior Player of the Year Philip Francis of Scottsdale, Ariz.

In his first full season of playing a national junior golf schedule, Bordeaux, 18, was named an honorable mention Rolex Junior All-American on the strength of four top-six finishes in six AJGA events. Prior to the beginning of the summer, he tied for fourth at the Medicus Preseason Junior at Norman (Okla.). The senior at Bellarmine Preparatory would go on to finish fourth at the Pacific Northwest International Junior presented by Jeff Troesch, tie for second at the Pinnacle Communities Junior Championship in Coto de Caza, Calif., and tie for sixth at the PING Phoenix Junior. He ended the season by tying for 14th at The PING Invitational in Stillwater, Okla., his first AJGA Invitational, helping him climb to 42nd nationally in the final 2006 Polo Golf Rankings.

Yun, a sophomore at Hamilton High School, was named a first-team Rolex Junior All-American after his most successful AJGA season to date. The 15-year-old, who was named an honorable mention Rolex Junior All-American in 2005, took home two AJGA Invitational victories this year and competed on the victorious Canon Cup West Team. His first win came in June at the FootJoy Boys Invitational in Greensboro, N.C., where his final round 6-under-par 66 gave him a one-stroke victory. Yun recently finished his 2006 season with a victory at the inaugural PING Invitational where he carded 2-under-par 70s each of the three rounds to win by three strokes. Yun added 10 top-10 finishes in national junior golf events this season to bring his career total to 15. He finished fourth in the final Polo Golf Rankings.

Introduced by the AJGA in 1978, the Rolex Junior All-America Teams annually recognize those players who have established themselves as the world’s premier junior golfers. This year’s selections distinguished themselves through their outstanding play in 63 national events, 52 of which were conducted by the AJGA. In 2006, the Rolex Junior All-America Teams were determined exclusively through the Polo Golf Rankings for the first time.

The teams are comprised of 96 junior golfers, ages 13-19, from 20 states and three foreign countries. These standouts will be recognized Nov. 19 during the Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet held at The Cloister in Sea Island, Ga.

Former Rolex Junior All-Americans comprise the top players on both the PGA and LPGA Tours. Of the PGA Tour’s current top-10 money leaders, Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson, Trevor Immelman and David Toms were all Rolex Junior All-Americans. Of the LPGA Tour’s top-10 in earnings, Cristie Kerr, Pat Hurst, Hee-Won Han and Paula Creamer were named Rolex Junior All-Americans as junior golfers before working their way to the top of the pay-for-play ranks. Other notable profesional AJGA alumni who help make up the list of past Rolex Junior All-Americans include Rory Sabbatini, Stewart Cink, Brett Quigley, Lucas Glover, Brittany Lincicome, Sherri Steinhauer, Julieta Granada and Morgan Pressel.

Rolex Watch, a supporter of the AJGA since 1983, became an AJGA Premier Partner in 2004. The distinguished timepiece maker is the proprietor of the Rolex Junior Players of the Year, Rolex Junior All-America Teams and the Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet. Rolex also sponsors the Rolex Tournament of Champions and Rolex Girls Junior Championship, two of the AJGA’s most competitive major championships. As a Premier Partner, Rolex is the Founding Corporate Partner to the Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant program and an Official Partner of the biennial PING Junior Solheim Cup.

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 AJGA, the largest Association of its kind, has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of more than 5,000 junior golfers from 49 states and 30 foreign countries.

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.

For more information, visit the AJGA’s website at www.ajga.org.

2006 Rolex Junior All-America Teams

Boys First Team

Bud Cauley - Jacksonville, Fla.
Rickie Fowler - Murrieta, Calif.
Philip Francis - Scottsdale, Ariz.
Jhared Hack - Heathrow, Fla.
Drew Kittleson - Scottsdale, Ariz.
Richard Lee - Chandler, Ariz.
Jamie Lovemark - Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
Conrad Shindler - Coppell, Texas
Kevin Tway - Edmond, Okla.
Peter Uihlein - Bradenton, Fla.
Arnond Vongvanij - Bradenton, Fla.
Andrew Yun - Chandler, Ariz.

Boys Second Team

Tadd Fujikawa - Honolulu, Hawaii
Cody Gribble - Dallas, Texas
Rory Hie - Los Angeles, Calif.
Mu Hu - Shen Zhen, China
Josh Jones - The Colony, Texas
Sihwan Kim - Buena Park, Calif.
Gregor Main - Danville, Calif.
Tim McKenney - Scottsdale, Ariz.
Andrew Putnam - University Place, Wash.
Wes Roach - Knoxville, Tenn.
Kyle Stanley - Gig Harbor, Wash.
Steve Ziegler - Broomfield, Colo.

Boys Honorable Mention

T.J. Bordeaux - Tacoma, Wash.
Sam Chien - San Diego, Calif.
Spencer Cole - Greer, S.C.
David Dannelly - Easley, S.C.
Amory Davis - Winston-Salem, N.C.
Nick Delio - Valencia, Calif.
Connor Driscoll - Encinitas, Calif.
Andres Echavarria - Bradenton, Fla.
Jack Fields - Southern Pines, N.C.
Brendan Gielow - Muskegon, Mich.
Wesley Graham - Port Orange, Fla.
Will Griffin - San Antonio, Texas
Chesson Hadley - Raleigh, N.C.
Paul Haley - Dallas, Texas
Lion Kim - Lake Mary, Fla.
William Kropp - Edmond, Okla.
Scott Langley - Ballwin, Mo.
Hyun Seok Lim - Fullerton, Calif.
William Miller - Venetia, Pa.
Ji Moon - Lake Mary, Fla.
Tommy Chung Hao Mou - Bradenton, Fla.
Matthew Pierce, Jr. - San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
Patrick Reed - Baton Rouge, La.
Cory Whitsett - Houston, Texas

Girls First Team

Sydney Burlison - Salinas, Calif.
Esther Choe - Scottsdale, Ariz.
Mina Harigae - Monterey, Calif.
Vicky Hurst - Melbourne, Fla.
Taylore Karle - Scottsdale, Ariz.
Mindy Kim - Diamond Bar, Calif.
Stephanie Kono - Honolulu, Hawaii
Isabelle Lendl - Bradenton, Fla.
Marika Lendl - Bradenton, Fla.
Lisa McCloskey - Montgomery, Texas
Jenny Shin - Torrance, Calif.
Ashleigh Simon - Johannesburg, South Africa

Girls Second Team Alexandra Bodemann - Palm City, Fla.
Won Joo Choi - Temecula, Calif.
Lindy Duncan - Plantation, Fla.
Megan Grehan - Mamaroneck, N.Y.
Ayaka Kaneko - Honolulu, Hawaii
Kimberly Kim - Pahoa, Hawaii
Calle Nielson - Nashville, Tenn.
So-Hyun Park - Bradenton, Fla.
Jane Rah - Torrance, Calif.
Lizette Salas - Azusa, Calif.
Kristina Wong - Bradenton, Fla.
Glory Yang - Murrieta, Calif.

Girls Honorable Mention

Brittany Altomare - Shrewsbury, Mass.
Lila Barton - Dallas, Texas
Kellye Belcher - Bartlett, Tenn.
Sarah Brown - Stewartsville, N.J.
Grace Chung - Fullerton, Calif.
Brianna Do - Lakewood, Calif.
Danielle Frasier - Encinitas, Calif.
In-Kyung Kim - Marriottsville, Md.
Diane Kwon - Fremont, Calif.
Joanne Lee - San Carlos, Calif.
Tiffany Lua - Rowland Heights, Calif.
Sydnee Michaels - Temecula, Calif.
Rikako Morita - Kyoto, Japan
Rachel Morris - Carlsbad, Calif.
Angela Oh - Maple Shade, N.J.
Kristen Park - Buena Park, Calif.
Victoria Sungmin Park - Irvine, Calif.
Lalita Patipaksiri - Cypress, Calif.
Kristen Schelling - Mesa, Ariz.
Candace Schepperle - Hoover, Ala.
Michelle Shin - Cape Coral, Fla.
Christine Song - Fullerton, Calif.
Maria Jose Uribe - Hilton Head Island, S.C.
Jessica Yadloczky - Casselberry, Fla.