The Westfield Jr. PGA Girls' Champions
1976 Nancy Rubin-Sharff
Nancy Rubin-Sharff of New Kensington, Pa., won the inaugural PGA Junior Championship in 1976 at Walt Disney World Golf Resort (Magnolia Course) in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Rubin-Sharff claimed the title by one stroke over Michelle Jordan of Fairfax, Va. She went on to play for Florida International University earning All-American honors in 1979 and '80. Rubin-Sharff joined the LPGA Tour in 1980 and placed third at the 1983 San Diego Inamori Golf Classic, her career-best finish. She was an active member on the Tour until 1995 when she was named the head coach of the women's golf team at Stetson University in DeLand, Fla. After nine-and-a-half seasons with the Stetson University Hatters, Rubin-Sharff retired in December 2004. Rubin-Sharff and her husband, Robert are the proud parents of a son, Ben, 8, and a daughter, Julie, 7. Since 1995, Rubin-Sharff entered four tournaments, but failed to make the cut in each.
1977 Debbie Hall
Debbie Hall of Corpus Christi, Texas, dominated the girls' 15-17 age division, winning the 1977 PGA Junior Championship by 13 strokes. She padded her lead the last day by shooting a final-round 6-under-par 66. Hall went on to play on the LPGA Tour throughout the 1980's with her best finish being a share of eighth place at the 1984 Lady Keystone Open. Hall worked for the TaylorMade Company until June 2001, when she accepted the position of Sports Marketing Manager at Nike Golf.
1977 Lise Ann Russell (Thaxton)
Before she would become a Junior PGA Champion, Lise Ann Russell of New City, N.Y., already was making an impact in national golf circles. At age 13, she was the youngest player to qualify for a berth in an LPGA event -- competing in the LPGA Coca Cola Classic. At age 15, Russell became the youngest to make the cut in an LPGA event. Russell would compete in 14 LPGA events as an amateur. Her Junior PGA Championship record was impressive. She won the 12-14 age division in 1977 -- the only time the Championship was split into two age divisions. Russell finished with a 329 total for 72 holes at Walt Disney World's Magnolia Course. She returned to the Championship, finishing 21st in 1978, tied for sixth in 1979 and eighth in 1980. She competed in the 1980 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship, and was named a Junior Golf All-American for the second straight year. Russell attended the University of South Carolina, competing for four years. She graduated in 1985, turned professional and competed on several mini-tours. In 1986, Russell married Mark Thaxton, now a Tour representative for Nike Golf, and regained her amateur status. The couple lives in Greenville, S.C., and are the parents of two children, Cole and Brock.
1978 Kathy Baker-Guadagnino
Kathy Baker of Clover, S.C., overcame an 8-over-par 80 during the final round of play to capture the 1978 PGA Junior Championship by three strokes over Sharon Barrett of Spring Valley, Calif. Baker attended the University of Tulsa and became a two-time NCAA All-American. In 1982, she won the NCAA Championship and competed on the U.S. Curtis Cup and World Cup teams. Baker joined the LPGA Tour in 1983 and recorded her first victory in 1985 at the U.S. Women's Open, followed three years later by the Konica San Jose Golf Classic. Baker played on the LPGA Tour from 1983 to 1999. In 1997, she graduated from South Florida Bible College & Theological Seminary and became a licensed minister. In 1997, Baker-Guadagnino and her husband, Joe, started the Solid Rock Christian Church in Boca Raton, Fla., where she is currently the secretary and Joe is the pastor. Outside of the Church, Baker-Guadagnino is the Girl's Golf Coach at North Broward Preparatory School and is a teaching professional at the Boca Pointe Country Club in Fla. They reside in Boca Raton and have three children: Nikki, 15, Megan, 13, and Joseph, 10.
1979 Penny Hammel
Penny Hammel recorded her 1979 PGA Junior Championship victory after posting a final round 76. Her closest opponent, Jenny Lidback of Baton Rouge, La., struggled in with a final-round 81 at Callaway Gardens (Mountain View) in Pine Mountain, Ga. Hammel went on to play for the University of Miami's women's golf team winning the 1983 NCAA Individual Championship and the 1984 NCAA Team Championship. In 1985, she joined the LPGA Tour and won the Rolex Rookie of the Year award. She has recorded four victories on Tour, two coming at the 1985 and '89 Jamie Farr Toledo Classic. Hammel's two other victories include the 1991 Desert Inn LPGA Invitational and the 1997 Rochester Invitational. She finished in second place at both the 1996 Weetabix Women's British Open and the 2001 YoungLife Vitamins LPGA Classic. In 2002, she finished tied for seventh place at the Safeway LPGA Golf Championship. Hammel's best finish in 2003 was at the ShopRite LPGA Classic where she finished in a tie for 14th. In 2004, she maintained the 40th best sand save percentage in the LPGA with 40.7 percent.
1980, '82 Heather Farr
The first multiple winner of the PGA Junior Championship, Heather Farr of Phoenix, Ariz., made a pact with Billy Mayfair in 1982 the night before the final round. "We said to each other, 'Let's go out and do it'" said Farr, who won her first PGA Junior Championship in 1980. Both competitors won their divisions and brought home a trophy to proudly show the Phoenix instructor that they shared. Farr joined the LPGA Tour in 1986 and played through to 1989 season. Her best year on Tour was in 1988 when she tied for third at the HealthSouth Palm Beach Classic; tied for sixth at the Standard Register PING; tied for eighth at the Welch's/Circle K Championship and tied for fourth at Sarasota Classic. In 1993, Farr died after a four-and-a-half year battle with breast cancer. In 1994, the LPGA established the Heather Farr Player Award in her honor. In 1999, the National High School Sports Hall of Fame inducted Farr for her career achievements that included winning three consecutive Arizona state championships while at Xavier Preparatory High in Phoenix, Ariz. The American Junior Golf Association conducts the Heather Farr Classic each year. In addition, the Heather Farr Foundation exists to fight breast cancer by supporting efforts aimed at detection, research and treatment of the disease at a local and national level.
1981 Cathy Johnston-Forbes
Cathy Johnston-Forbes of Enfield, N.C., overcame a first-round 81 to win the 1981 PGA Junior Championship. She defeated defending champion Heather Farr of Phoenix, Ariz., by three strokes. Johnston went on to play of the University of North Carolina. She joined the LPGA Tour in 1986 and recorded her first win at the 1990 du Maurier Ltd. Classic, a major on the LPGA Tour. On May 22, 1993, she married Foster Forbes. In 2001, Johnston played a limited schedule because she went on maternity leave. She gave birth to her first child, Ashley Elizabeth on Nov. 21, 2001, and did not play during the 2002 LPGA season. Johnston-Forbes played in only two events in 2003 due to the birth of her second daughter, Shannon Sylvia, on July 8. In 2004, her best finish of the season was a tie for 11th at the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic. She recorded a season-low 69s during the second round of the LPGA Corning Classic and the final round of the Longs Drugs Challenge. She returned to the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, where she tied for fourth to earn exempt status for the 2005 season.
1983 Tracy Kerdyk
Tracy Kerdyk of Coral Springs, Fla., posted two even-par 72's during the last two rounds of the PGA Junior Championship to secure a six-stroke victory over Cherly Morley of Winter Springs, Fla. She went on to play for the University of Miami's women's golf team and in 1988 was named the National Golf Coaches Association and GolfWeek Magazine's Player of the Year and NCAA Collegiate Player of the Year. Kerdyk joined the LPGA Tour in 1989 and recorded her first victory in 1995 at the JAL Big Apple Classic and finished 25th on the official 1996 LPGA year-end money list with six top-10 finishes. In 1997, she became the Director of Communications for the SBC Futures Golf Tour and in 1999 was promoted to Vice President of Business Development and Communications where she directs all aspects of marketing, sponsorship rates, promotions, tournament development and oversees media.
1984 Clare Dolan
Clare Dolan of Gaithersburg, Md., pared the first extra hole to defeat Cheryl Morley of Winter Springs, Fla., and win the 1984 PGA Junior Championship at PGA National Golf Club's Champion Course. It was Morley's second straight runner-up finish. Dolan followed her PGA Junior triumph by attending Stanford University on a golf scholarship. She represented the Pac-10 Conference on an all-star team in 1986 that competed against a Far East All-Star team. Dolan graduated in 1989 and competed for one season on the Futures Tour. She spent the next four years based in California, employed by the Oracle University, which specializes in corporate training. Dolan, who is single, now lives in Rockville, Md., approximately 30 minutes from her hometown. She remains with Oracle where she serves as vice president for corporate training services.
1985 Jean Zedlitz
Jean Zedlitz of Pleasanton, Calif. won the 1985 PGA Junior Championship by one stroke over Dana Lofland of Oxnard, Calif. Zedlitz lowered her score each round to win the title. She went on to play golf for UCLA's women's golf team earning All-American honors in 1989. In 1993, she joined the LPGA Tour and placed third at the State Farm Rail Classic, her best finish on Tour to date. In 2000, Zedlitz returned to the Tour after finishing tied for second during the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, which earned her exempt status for the year. In 2001, Zedlitz competed sparingly because of tendonitis in her right shoulder and a severe case of vertigo, which caused her to play most of the season with balance problems. In 2002, Zedlitz made five of six cuts on the Futures Tour with her best finish being fifth place at the Lincoln FUTURE Golf Classic. In 2002, she was awarded the LPGA Budget Service Award. In 2003, Zedlitz made six of eleven cuts with her best finish being in a tie for 11th at the Northwest Indiana FUTURES Golf Classic.
1986 Adele (Moore) Snyder
Adele Moore of Dallas, Texas, struggled to a final-round 77, but held off Tracy Nakamura of Monterey Park, Calif., by one stroke to win the 1986 PGA Junior Championship at 12-over-par 300. The 16-year-old Moore, who was runner-up in the USGA Girls' Junior Championship, returned to Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., a year later to finish tied for sixth place. Moore attended Stanford University, where she finished 13th in the national rankings her senior season. She was 26th in the NCAA Championship as a junior, helping Stanford to a sixth-place national finish, and tied for 43rd as a senior when the Cardinals placed fourth. Moore attempted LPGA Tour Qualifying School and missed in her initial bid. She entered teaching and worked for the Hank Haney Golf Ranch in McKinney, Texas, until 1994. While in McKinney, Moore was co-director of the country's first LPGA Junior Girls' Golf Club, and has remained a member of the LPGA Teaching Division. Moore won three (1995-97) Northeast Section championships and competed in the 1997 and 1998 McDonald's LPGA Championship. She married Eric Snyder in 1994 and taught at Preakness Hills Country Club in Wayne, N.J., and later at two practice ranges in Buffalo, N.Y., her husband's hometown. In Feb. 1999, the couple moved to Chicago where Eric is an options trader and Moore teaches part-time, while raising two sons: Kristian and Ethan. In 2003, Snyder competed in the U.S. Women's Open but failed to make the cut after firing a two-day total 160. She is currently a golf instructor at Thunder Canyon Country Club Golf Academy.
1987, '89, '90 Vicki Goetze-Ackerman
Vicki Goetze-Ackerman of Hull, Ga. became the first participant to win three PGA Junior Championship titles after her nine-stroke victory in 1990. Along with her other two wins in 1987 and 1989, she finished her PGA Junior Championship career with top-5 finishes or better in six consecutive years. Goetze went on to play for the University of Georgia women's golf team winning the 1992 NCAA Championship. In 1994, she joined the LPGA Tour and in 1995 she finished third at the PING AT&T Wireless Services LPGA Golf Championship. During the event she recorded her first LPGA career hole-in-one in the third round. On Jan. 4, 1997, Goetze married Jim Ackerman. She missed only two cuts in 2002 and her best finish was sixth place at the Evian Masters, in addition to leading the Tour in sand saves with a 56.8 percent average. Goetze-Ackerman's best finish of the year in 2003 came in a major championship, a tie for sixth place at the Weetabix Women's British Open. She completed her best round of the season during the second round of the LPGA Corning Classic, shooting a 66. In 2004, she tied her career-best finish at the LPGA Corning Classic, where she tied for second place and carded a season-low 67 in both the third and final rounds. Groetze-Ackerman tied for 13th at the 2002 Safeway International.
1988 Brandie Burton
In 1988, Brandie Burton of Rialto, Calif. won the PGA Junior Championship by five stokes when the Championship moved to Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Mo., for one year. She went on to play for Arizona State University for one year becoming the nation's top-ranked women's collegiate golfer. In 1991, Burton joined the LPGA Tour and was named the Rolex Rookie of the Year for placing in the top-10 eight times. She has won five times on tour including a major victory at the 1992 PING Welsh's Championship. She also was victorious at the 1993 Jamie Farr Toledo Classic, 1993 Safelo Classic, 1993 and '98 du Maurier Classic. Burton missed the second half of the 2001 season after she underwent shoulder surgery. She came back in 2002 and finished in fifth place at the Aerus Electrolux USA Championship hosted by Vince Gil and Amy Grant. In 2003, Burton recorded two top-10 finishes, including a season-best tie for fourth place at the Wegmans Rochester LPGA and a tie for seventh place at the Welch's/Fry's Championship, where she posted a season-low round of 64. In 2004, Burton finished in fourth place at the Wegmans Rochester LPGA, where she carded a season-low 66 in the final round. She also posted three additional top-10 finishes, including a tie for sixth place at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic, and a tie for eighth place at both the Safeway International and the Safeway Classic, where she crossed the $4 million mark in career earnings.
1991 Julie Brand-Gallup
Julie Brand of Alder Creek, N.Y., weathered a final-round 78 to defeat Jeong Min Park of Alameda, Calif., by three stokes in the 1991 PGA Junior Championship. In 1995, Brand graduated from the University of Miami after being selected a two-time All-American and earning a degree in Business Management and Organization. Brand played on the LPGA Tour in 1997 and married Greg Gallup on Feb. 27, 1998. The couple have two children, Cameron, 5, and Gabrielle, 2. In Sept. 1999, Julie was named the head women's golf coach at East Tennessee State University where she helped lower the team average scoring by over a dozen shots. In 2001, Julie was hired by the University of Southern Mississippi and led the Lady Eagles to a third-place finish in the fall season and a fifth place finish at the conference tournament in the spring. In her fifth season as head coach, Brand-Gallup led the Lady Eagles to second place finish at the Lady Eagle Classic in 2005.
1992 Kellee Booth
Kellee Booth of Coto de Caza, Calif., captured the 1992 PGA Junior Championship by posting a 214. She beat Eunice Choi of San Clemente, Calif., by seven strokes at the Championship that was shortened to 54-holes due to the approach of Hurricane Andrew some 90 miles to the south. Booth went to play for Arizona State University's women's golf team. She was named an All-American in 1995, '96 and '98. Booth won the 1997 Dinah Shore Award and was named the 1998 Honda Award Winner for Golf. In 1999, Booth won the Pacific Bell Futures Classic. In 2000, she won the LPGA's Nancy Lopez Award presented annually to the world's most outstanding female amateur. She went on to earn an exempt card to play on the LPGA Tour when she was the medalist at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament. During the 2001 season, Booth posted two top-10 finishes, a career-best tie for sixth place at The Office Depot and a tie for 10th at the YourLife Vitamins LPGA Classic. Booth is currently on the FUTURES Tour and her best finish this season was at the Jalapeno FUTURES Golf Classic where she finished in a tie for 11th place.
1993 Erika Hayashida
In 1993, at legendary Pinehurst (N.C.) Resort & Country Club, Erika Hayashida of Lima, Peru, wrote her own chapter in PGA Junior Championship history. Hayashida turned in a final-round 7-under-par 65 -- a final-round record -- to become the first international player to win a PGA Junior Championship. Betty Chen of La Quinta, Calif., finished nine strokes back in second place. Hayashida's memorable round matched the overall 18-hole standard set by Vicki Goetze of Hull, Ga., in 1990. Career accomplishments include winning the 1994 Greater Lima Futures Open, the '95 Victoria Futures Golf Classic and the '96 Loretto Futures Golf Classic. Later in the '90's, Hayashida competed on the LPGA Tour. Her best finish was a share of seventh place in the 1997 City of Hope Myrtle Beach Classic. In 1998, Hayashida tied for 41st in the LPGA Michelob Light Classic and finished in 64th at the LPGA Friendly's Classic.
1994, '97 Beth Bauer
Beth Bauer of Valrico, Fla., became the third multiple winner of the PGA Junior Championship when she won the 1997 title. Rain shortened the Championship to 54 holes, but Bauer won by six shots during a summer when she won six titles and had six runner-up finishes. Beth's first PGA Junior title in 1994 came at the age of 14. Bauer ended a remarkable AGJA career with a win at the 1998 AGJA McDonald's Betsy Rawls Girls National Championship. She then went on to win the 1999 and 2000 North and South Amateur becoming the first player to repeat as champion in 16 years. Bauer played for Duke University's women's golf team, which won the 1999 NCAA Championship and the 2000 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship. Bauer turned professional in 2000, and in 2001, she earned exempt status for the 2002 LPGA Tour by placing among the top three on the SBC FUTURES Tour money list. Bauer won the 2002 Louise Suggs Rolex LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year award with a second place finish at the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic and an eighth place finish at the Weetabix Women's British Open. In 2003, Bauer recorded her season-best finish at the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic, where she tied for fifth place. She posted a career-low 62 during the third round of the Welch's/Fry's Championship, tying the LPGA record for the lowest third round in history. In 2004, Bauer posted her season-best finish at the State Farm Classic, where she tied for 24th. She returned to the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, where she tied for 12th to earn exempt status for the 2005 season.
1995 Cristie Kerr
With the 1995 PGA Junior Championship shortened to 36-holes due to Tropical Storm Jerry, Cristie Kerr of Miami, Fla., brought home the title after rounds of 70 and 68, defeating Jae Jean Ro of San Jose, Calif., by six strokes. Kerr was named 1995 AJGA Junior Player of the Year and finished her amateur career by competing on the 1996 U.S. Curtis Cup Team. She joined the LPGA Tour in 1997, and in 2001, Kerr finished in third place at the LPGA Takefuji Classic and tied for third place at the ShopRite LPGA Classic. She recorded a career-low score of 63 during the third round of the State Farm Classic and crossed the $1 million mark in career earnings after the 2001 U.S. Women's Open. In 2002, Kerr won her first LPGA tournament, a wire-to-wire victory at the Longs Drugs Challenge in Lincoln, Calif. She also finished in second place at the Samsung World Championship, where she carded a 64 during the second round. In 2003, Kerr recorded eight top-10 finishes, including a season-best tie for second place at both the Michelob Light Open and the LPGA Takefuji Classic, where she crossed the $2 million mark in career earnings. In 2004, Kerr won the LPGA Takefuji Classic, the ShopRite LPGA Classic and the State Farm Classic. She also finished in second in the 2004 ADT Championship. This year, she was victorious at the Michelob Ultra Open and finished in second place at the SBS Open with Michelle Wie.
1996 Grace Park
Grace Park of Phoenix, Ariz., defeated the second-ranked player in the nation, Beth Bauer of Valrico, Fla., in the 1996 PGA Junior Championship. Park finished with a 69 to hold off Bauer, who closed with a 74. A year earlier, Park established herself as one of the country's best professional prospects, becoming the youngest to make the cut in the U.S. Women's Open. She went on to play for Arizona State University, winning the 1998 and 1999 NCAA national championship titles and capped her 1998 season by winning the Women's U.S. Amateur Championship. As a freshman, she was named the Rolex Eleanor Dudley College Player of the Year and was an NCAA All-American. In 2000, Park earned exemption to the LPGA Tour by placing first on the 1999 SBC Futures Tour money list. Park, who won more than 50 amateur championships, won her first LPGA title in 2000 at the LPGA Kathy Ireland Greens.com Classic and added a victory in 2001 at the Office Depot. In 2002, she won her third title at the Cisco World Ladies Match Play Championship and led the Tour in birdies with 358. In 2003, Park graduated from Ewha Women's University in Seoul, Korea, and won the Michelob Light Open. She finished second to Se Ri Pak by .08 points in the race for the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average. She led the tour with 46 rounds in the 60's, tying the LPGA's single-season record with Kelly Robbins (1997). Park became the second player to record 400 or more birdies in one season with 403. In March 2004, Park won the Kraft Nabisco Championship by one-stroke over Aree Song, and went on to win the CJ Nine Bridges Classic in October. Due to her outstanding play in 2004, Park earned the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average of the season (69.99).
1998 Leigh Anne Hardin
Leigh Anne Hardin of Martinsville, Ind., gave up a position as point guard for her state championship girls' basketball team to concentrate on golf during her final two years of high school. She captured the 1998 PGA Junior Championship by birding four of the last five holes, including making a downhill 25-foot putt on the first playoff hole to defeat Dorothy Joy Delasin of Daly City, Calif. Hardin preceded that victory by winning the 1998 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship. She appeared in five straight Junior PGA Championships, finishing T-10, T-13, 3rd, 1st and 4th. In 2000, Hardin earned Medalist honors at the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship after firing rounds of 69 and 71. After competing in 11 tournaments as a freshman for Duke University, Hardin was named All-ACC and ranked third on the team with a 75.30 stroke average. In 2002, Hardin had eight top-10 finishes and earned second-team All-American honors. She won the medalist honors at the 2002 NCAA East Regional and finished in 13th at the NCAA Championship to help Duke capture the national championship. In 2003, Hardin, finished tied for first at the Lady Gamecock Classic. In her senior year, Hardin finished in a first place tie at the Franklin Street Partners Women's Invitational with career-best three-day total of 209 and also became the fourth ACC golfer to be named to the All-ACC team for four straight years. Currently, Hardin is on the FUTURES Tour, where she has made two cuts and her best finish this year was at the Lawrence FUTURES Golf Classic where she tied for 37th.
1999, 2000 Aree Song
Aree Song of Orlando, Fla., defeated her twin sister Naree by four stokes in 1999 at the age of 13 to become the youngest winner of the Junior PGA Championship. She repeated a year later, again defeating her sister but only by one stroke this time. After her first victory in Palm Beach Gardens, Song went on to win the 1999 U.S. Junior Girls' Championship, again becoming the youngest, at age 13, to win the event. She then stunned the golf world in 2000 by not only earning a berth in the LPGA Tour's Nabisco Championship, but also by finishing tied for 10th, the best finish by an amateur in a modern LPGA major championship. She went on that year to become a semifinalist at the U.S. Women's Amateur and received the Nancy Lopez Award given to the world's most outstanding female amateur. In 2001, Song made the cut at three of four LPGA tournaments. She started 2002 with a win at the Harder Hall Invitational, beating the rest of the field by six strokes, and tied for the low amateur honors at the U.S. Women's Open. She defended her title in 2003. In 2003, Song tied for fifth place at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament to earn exempt status for 2004. She turned professional in August 2003 and in 2004, finished in second place, one stroke behind Grace Park in the Kraft Nabisco Championship. Song finished second to Shi Hyun Ahn for Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year honors in 2004.
2001, '02 In-Bee Park
In-Bee Park of Las Vegas, Nev., had an impressive week at the 2001 Junior PGA Championship shooting 1-over-par 289 to beat Mallory Code of Tampa, Fla., by two strokes. A year later, Park became only the fourth Champion to win multiple Junior PGA Championship titles when she was awarded the victory after the first place finisher was deemed ineligible due to age. Park collected victories at the 2001 North Florida Junior PGA Championship, 2001 Florida Junior Golf Association Memorial Day Classic and the 2001 FJGA at the PGA Golf Club. She picked up five more titles in 2002 at the AJGA TaylorMade-adidas at Chateau Elan, the Thunderbird International, the AJGA Rolex Girls Junior Championship, the Orange Bowl International and the U.S. Girls' Junior Championship, becoming the second youngest Champion. Park collected Golfweek's 2002 Player of the Year Award and the AJGA's 2002 All Time Polo Golf Junior Player of the Year honors along with making the AJGA's 2002 Golf Junior All-American First Team. In 2003, Park claimed a 14-stroke victory in the Spacecoast Junior Classic and in 2004, she finished in an 8th place tie at the LPGA Takefuji Classic. In 2004, Park finished in a tie for second place at the Scott Robertson Memorial Tournament. She has been a first-team Rolex Junior All-American for the past three years. Park recently won the 2005 AJGA Heather Farr Classic where she tied the 36-hole record with her 4-under-par 138.
2003 Emma Cabrera Bello
Emma Cabrera Bello of Maspalomas, Spain, captured her first victory in the United States over Jennie Lee of Huntington Beach, Calif. Cabrera Bello entered the final round with a ten stroke lead and finished with a 3-under-par 281. In 2004, she was awarded the trophy for the best amateur in Spain. At the 2004 European Professional Tour event at Tenerife's Buenavista Golf Club, Cabrera Bello finished 16th with a 5-over-par 293. Cabrera Bello captured the trophy at the 2004 Junior and Girls "Puntuable Nacional" competition that was held at the Real Club de Golf in Seville. She also finished in a tie for second place in the 2004 Scott Robertson Memorial Tournament and finished in third place at the 2004 Dixie Amateur Championship.
2004 Angela Park
Angela Park of Torrance, Calif., captured the 29th Westfield Junior PGA Championship with a Championship total of 7-under-par 277. She posted a 5-under-par 66 during the third round to tie for the lowest third round score in Championship history. In 2004, Park was eliminated in the semifinals of the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship by Michelle Wie. This year, Park won the 2005 MCI Junior Heritage Championship and finished in a tie for third place in the I.R.I. Arizona National Mixed Team Championship (with Brian Kim). She also finished in a tie for fourth place at the 2005 AJGA Heather Farr Classic.
The Westfield Jr. PGA Boys' Champions
1976 Lawrence Field
Lawrence Field of Oklahoma City, Okla., finished with a 1-under-par 71 to edge Ricky Smallridge of Columbus, Ga., by one stroke and win the inaugural PGA Junior Championship, Aug. 20, 1976, at the Magnolia Course at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. After returning to defend his title in 1977 and finishing 27th, Field enrolled in 1978 at the University of Texas-Austin on a golf scholarship. He roomed with current PGA Tour members Mark Brooks and Brandel Chamblee. Field graduated from Texas in 1982 and entered the investment banking industry. Field made a success of his venture and started Silverado Foods. The business was sold in 1998. Today, Field manages several investments and has recovered from a ruptured disc in his back that was suffered in 1998, a year after winning the Southern Hills Country Club Championship. Field and his wife, Cindy, have three sons: Lawrence Jr., Andrew, and Alex.
1977 John Inman
John Inman of Greensboro, N.C., won the 12-14 age-group trophy in 1977, the only year the PGA Junior Championship crowned two champions in the boys' and girls' divisions. Inman's closing 71 on the Palm Course at Walt Disney World gave him a 72-hole total of 298 and a three-stroke victory. Inman competed in three more PGA Junior Championships, finishing 11th in 1978, eighth in 1979 and runner-up in 1980 -- the closest a past boys' champion has come to winning a second title. Inman attended the University of North Carolina, graduating in 1984 in recreation administration. He competed on the PGA Tour from 1987 to 1996, winning the 1987 Provident Classic and the 1993 Buick Southern Open, defeating Billy Andrade, Mark Brooks, Brad Bryant and Bob Estes in a playoff. Inman injured his back in 1994, and missed the entire 1995 season. He tried to return to his old form, playing the Nike Tour in 1997, but had a new opportunity come his way at his alma mater. In 1998, he was named men's golf coach at the University of North Carolina. Since becoming head coach of the Tar Heels, Carolina has won nine team championships and six Tar Heels have captured 12 individual titles, including the ACC championships in 2002 and 2003. In addition, Carolina posted a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Championship in 2003, 10th-place finishes in 1999 and 2000 and a 17th-place finish in 2002. Inman has competed in the New Zealand Open for six years (1999-2004). He carded four top-40 finishes including a tie for 13th place in 2004 and a tie for 38th place in 2002. With nine holes to play in the 2004 event, Inman pulled within two shots of the leader to become the top American finisher in the tournament. Inman has also played in several Buy.com and PGA Tour events since 1998.
1977 Randy Watkins
Randy Watkins of Jackson, Miss., finished with a 1-under-par 71 to earn a two-stroke victory over Rick Stallings of Sarasota, Fla., and Bob Wolcott of Dickson, Tenn., in the second PGA Junior Championship at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Watkins attended the University of Mississippi on a golf scholarship and was a three-time Most Valuable Player, the 1982 Southeastern Conference champion and an All-American selection. Watkins competed on the PGA Tour from 1984 to 1985, with his best finish of a fifth place performance in the former Magnolia Classic. Watkins was named head golf professional at Castlewoods County Club in Brandon, Miss., in June 1985, where he stayed until September 1995. He then built Whisper Lake Country Club and in June 1999 he built Patrick Farms Golf Club in Brandon, Miss. He has been named co-owner and President of both clubs since inception. He and his wife, Carol, are the parents of a daughter, Carley, 18, and a son, Thomas, 15.
1978 Willie Wood
Willie Wood of Tucson, Ariz., who won the U.S. Junior Championship a year earlier, added another amateur jewel to his r?sum? despite a shaky final-round 4-over-par 76. Wood captured the PGA Junior Championship in a playoff over Bob Wolcott of Dickson, Tenn., rolling in his only birdie putt of the final day on the fourth extra hole. Wood went on to win the 1979 Western Junior Championship before attending Oklahoma State University the following year. Wood turned professional in 1983, earning medalist honors in the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament. He remained on the Tour until 1991 and returned for another term from 1992-99, winning his only event in the 1996 Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic. In 2001, Wood competed in 16 PGA Tour events, making 10 cuts and finishing 12th at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic. He also entered in seven Buy.com events, finishing five times in the money with a season best tied for fifth at the Utah Classic. In 2002, Wood played on both the PGA Tour and Buy.com Tour finishing tied for 23rd at the Kemper Open and tied for 25th at the Louisiana Open. He has more than $2.49 million in career PGA Tour earnings. In 2004, his best finish on the PGA Tour was at the Reno-Tahoe Open where he finished in a tie for 18th and his best finish on the Nationwide Tour was at the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic with a tie for 15th. He and his wife, Jenny, live in Edmond, Okla., with their three sons: William, 18, Kelby, 17, and Hayden, 9.
1979 Rick Fehr
Rick Fehr of Seattle, Wash., finished with an even-par 72 to edge Tracy Phillips of Tulsa, Okla., by two strokes in the PGA Junior Championship at Mountain View Golf Course in Callaway Gardens Resort in Pine Mountain, Ga. Fehr returned to the PGA Junior Championship a year later and tied for 10th place. In 1981, he enrolled at Brigham Young University and became a two-time All-American. He won the 1982 Western Amateur, and in 1984 celebrated his final year at Brigham Young University by finishing as the low amateur in both the 1984 Masters and U.S. Open. Fehr earned a berth on the PGA Tour in 1985 through the Qualifying Tournament and won the 1986 B.C. Open. Fehr enjoyed his best Tour year in 1994, winning more than $573,000. He won the Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic that season. Fehr has career earnings of more than $4 million. In 2003, he was named the director of golf at Trilogy Golf Course in Redmond, Wash., which just opened in May of 2003. In 2004, he left his position as director of golf and began participating in Nationwide Tour events. His best finish in 2005 was at the BellSouth Panama Championship, where he tied for 16th. Fehr and his wife, Terri, live in Anthem, Ariz., and are the parents of three sons: J.D., 14, Mitchell, 11, and Travis, 8.
1980 Tracy Phillips
Tracy Phillips of Tulsa, Okla., a runner-up a year earlier, won the PGA Junior Championship with a final-round 77 for a 5-over-par 293 total at PGA National Golf Club's Haig Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. John Inman of Greensboro, N.C., the 13-14-division winner in 1977, was runner-up at 296. Phillips attended Oklahoma State University on a golf scholarship, winning two college events and earning second-team All-American honors. Phillips is the son of PGA Professional Buddy Phillips, head professional at Cedar Ridge Golf & Country Club in Broken Arrow, Okla. Phillips competed on the Asian Tour in 1984-85, and missed a berth on the PGA Tour in the following year's Qualifying Tournament. Phillips then got married and taught until 1993 at the Hank Haney Golf Ranch in McKinney, Texas. Later, he and his wife operated a practice range and teaching center for three years in Broken Arrow before the turnpike authority ruled that the land would be turned over to the state. Phillips is a Class A PGA Professional and is currently the Director of Instruction at Tee Town Golf Ranch. He has been named a top-100 teacher in America twice and is renowned for his teaching of the full swing and short game.
1981 Billy Andrade
The top-ranked junior in the nation in 1981, Billy Andrade of Bristol, R.I., lived up to his promotion by posting a course-record 7-under-par 65 in the second round on PGA National Golf Club's Haig Course. Andrade won the PGA Junior Championship by four strokes with a tournament record-tying 286 total. Scott Erickson of Villa Park, Calif., won a playoff over Sam Randolph of Santa Barbara, Calif., for second place at 290. Later that year, Andrade teamed with Randolph to win the Junior World Cup. Andrade enrolled at Wake Forest University and graduated in 1987, but not before being selected a three-time All-American and helping the 1986 Demon Deacons to the NCAA Championship. He turned professional in 1987 and has been a regular on the PGA Tour, recording four victories, including the 1998 Bell Canadian Open, 1991 Kemper Open, 1991 Buick Classic and the 2000 Invensys Classic at Las Vegas. In 2002, Andrade finished in the top-50 on the money list for the ninth time in his career, pushing his career earnings over the $8 million mark. In 2004, Andrade finished in the top 125 for the 16th consecutive season and he finished in a tie for fourth place at the 2004 MCI Heritage and in a second place tie in 2005. He participated in the PGA Championship as the fifth alternate, replacing injured Larry Nelson in the field. Andrade and his wife, Jody, are the parents of a son, Cameron James, 11, and a daughter, Grace, 8.
1982 Billy Mayfair
Billy Mayfair of Phoenix, Ariz., made a pact with close friend, Heather Farr, the night before the final round of the 1981 PGA Junior Championship. They vowed to each win their respective divisions for their golf instructor, PGA Professional Arch Watkins of Camelback Country Club. Farr went on to win by 10 strokes with a 70, and Mayfair rolled to a 71 for a 4-over-par 292 total and an eight-stroke triumph over Tim Fleming of Ocean Springs, Miss., and Wally Les of Ludlow, Mass. Mayfair returned to the Championship in 1983 and finished fourth. He enrolled the following year at Arizona State University. In 1986, Mayfair won the U.S. Public Links Championship and followed that victory with a triumph in the 1987 U.S. Amateur Championship. He turned professional in 1988 and owns five PGA Tour titles, including the 1995 TOUR Championship. Mayfair was inducted into the Arizona State University Sports Hall of Fame in November 1998. In 2004, he continued his streak of 16 straight years finishing in the top-125 on the money list. In 2004, Mayfair's best finish was at the Buick Invitational where he tied for 10th. This season, he finished in second place at the Bank of America Colonial and earned his third top-10 finish of the season at the Wachovia Championship thanks to a closing round 5-under-par 67, to finish alone in 10th. He and his wife, Tammy, live in Scottsdale, Ariz., and are the parents of a son, Maxwell, who is 5 years old.
1983 Michael Bradley
Michael Bradley of Sanibel, Fla., turned in a final-round 72 to tie the boys' division 72-hole tournament record of 286, winning the 1984 PGA Junior Championship by two strokes over Edward Pfister of Marilla, N.Y. Bradley enrolled at Oklahoma State University and turned professional in 1988. He played on the Canadian Tour and posted a 59 in an event in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Bradley joined the PGA Tour in 1992 and had his breakthrough year in 1996 with his first PGA Tour victory in the Buick Challenge. He also won the 1998 Doral Ryder Open, and has career earnings of nearly $3 million. Bradley splits his time between the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour. In 2003, Bradley entered four tournaments on the PGA Tour and his best finish was a tie for 16th at the B.C. Open. He entered seven Nationwide Tour events and his best finish was a tie for 19th at the Rheem Classic. In 2004, Bradley played in nine PGA Tour events, with one top-25 finish, a tie for 13th at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. His best finish on the Nationwide Tour in 2005 was at the Virginia Beach Open, where he finished in a tie for 37th. Bradley lives with his wife, Jennifer, and daughter, Brooke, 9, and son, James, 1 1/2, in Valrico, Fla.
1984 David Toms
David Toms of Bossier City, La., finished with a 3-over-par 75, but it was enough to give him a three-stroke victory over Michael Finney of New Orleans in the 1984 PGA Junior Championship. Toms enrolled at Louisiana State University where he was named first-team All-American in the 1988-89 season, and was the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year. He turned professional in 1989 and advanced through the PGA Tour Qualifying School in 1991. Toms has won eight Tour events, including the 2001 PGA Championship, back-to-back (2000 and 01) victories at the Michelob Championship in Kingsmill and the 2003 Wachovia Championship. At the 2001 PGA Championship, Toms held off a charging Phil Mickelson by laying up on the 72nd hole and sinking a par putt for his one stroke victory. Toms has a history of playing well in majors in 2000, he made an impression at the British Open in St. Andrews, Scotland, tying for fourth. In his debut at the Masters in 1998, Toms tied for sixth place, but not before posting a closing 64. His back-nine 29 at Augusta National Golf Club tied a Masters record as did his six consecutive birdies from the 12th through 17th holes. In 2002, Toms played in his first Ryder Cup Matches leading the U.S. Team with a 3-1-1 record, including a singles victory over Sergio Garcia. Toms had hand surgery in December 2003 and returned to play at the Ford Championship at Doral, where he finished in a tie for 5th. In 2004, Toms became the third player to win back-to-back titles at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, joining Dave Hill (1969-70) and Lee Trevino (1971-72). He finished sixth on the Ryder Cup team points list to make his second U.S. Ryder Cup Team. In 2005, Toms won the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. He and his wife, Sonya, live in Shreveport, La., and are the parents of a son, Carter Phillip, who is seven years old.
1985 Steve Termeer
Steve Termeer of Conroe, Texas, owned a four-stroke lead at 2-under-par 214 after 54 holes of the 1985 PGA Junior Championship at The Haig Course at PGA National Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Fortunately for Termeer, his final-round 78 was enough of a cushion to hang on to the title. Runner-up John Aber of Greensburg, Pa., stumbled home with a 79, finishing 5-over-par on the final five holes. A first-team junior All-American, Termeer was recruited by Oklahoma State University and spent 2 ? years with the Cowboys. He finished his college education at the University of Texas and turned professional. Termeer was an assistant professional at Barton Creek Country Club in Lakeside, Texas, and became head professional in 1993. In 1996, Termeer moved to Austin Country Club and was named general manager and chief operating officer but later moved back to Barton Creek Country Club to become their director of golf. In 2003, he returned to his alma matter, the University of Texas, and has been the general manager and director of golf for The University of Texas Golf Club, which opened in the fall of 2003. He is married to Tara, and has two children; Tayler and Sydney.
1986 Brian Montgomery
Brian Montgomery of Bristow, Okla., hit a 60-yard pitching wedge to within one foot of the 18th hole and made his birdie putt to win the 1986 PGA Junior Championship at PGA National Golf Club's Champion Course. Montgomery edged Damien Jamila of Waimanala, Hawaii, by one stroke. That win ignited a remarkable amateur career for Montgomery, who was part of Oklahoma State University's NCAA Championship team as a freshman and an All-Big Eight Conference selection. Montgomery won the 1987 U.S. Junior Championship and was semifinalist in the U.S. Amateur Championship in 1986. Montgomery was named to the 1987 U.S. Walker Cup Team and won both his matches at Sunningdale, England. His U.S. Junior title allowed him to compete in the 1987 Masters. Montgomery graduated from Oklahoma State in 1991 and turned professional. He competed on various mini-tours, tried to earn a spot on the PGA Tour Qualifying School and elected to become a club professional. He began working at Shangri-La Resort in Afton, Okla., in 1995. Two years later, he joined the staff as apprentice professional at La Fortune Park Golf Course in Tulsa, Okla., and in 2002 was an apprentice assistant at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Little Rock, Ark.
1987 Jeff Manson
Jeff Manson of Long Beach, Calif., began the final 18 holes of the PGA Junior Championship three strokes behind Thomas Hurley of Darien, Conn. Manson rallied with a 1-under-par 71 for a winning total of 294, four strokes better than Hurley. Jim Furyk of Manheim, Pa., who finished fourth at 300, and would later become a close friend of Manson. The two met again as teammates at the University of Arizona, where Manson spent one year and Furyk became a two-time All-American and today is a standout on the PGA Tour and a two-time U.S. Ryder Cup participant. Manson returned to Long Beach to gather funds to pursue a professional career. He competed on a variety of mini-tours and in 1999 became an apprentice at Skylinks Golf Course in Long Beach. Also that year, Manson caddied for Furyk at the 1999 Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic where Furyk finished in second place. Manson competed on the Golden State Tour for nine seasons and won 10 titles. He is currently an assistant golf professional at Lakewood Country Club in Calif.
1988 Reynold Lee
Reynold Lee of Pearl City, Hawaii, never led in the PGA Junior Championship until the final hole at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Mo. Jean-Peal Hebert suffered a final-hole double bogey, which allowed Lee, his playing partner, the ticket to victory. Lee parred the last hole for a 75 and a 72-hole total of 294, one stroke better than Hebert and Kevin Hammer of Boynton Beach, Fla. Lee, who is of Chinese descent, later attended the University of Hawaii. He graduated in 1994 with a major in sociology and moved to the Big Island. In 1995, he was invited to Japan and won the prestigious Hoochi Amateur. He turned professional in 1996 and gave regular golf lessons, while attempting to earn a berth on the Canadian PGA Tour. Lee returned to Hawaii, and in 1998 was named head professional at Volcano Golf & Country Club on the Big Island, located just a medium-range tee shot away from the Kilauea crater in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. He was name All-Japan Hochi Amateur in 1996. Since 2002, Lee has been working with PGA Professional Beau Yokomoto to teach at Top Dawgs Junior Golf Program at the Pearl Country Club in Aiea, Hawaii. The junior golf program is open to boys and girls 7 -- 17 and offers professional instruction and on-course play. Lee is single and resides in Honolulu, Hawaii.
1989 Bobby Collins
In 1989, Bobby Collins of Atlantis, Fla., opened with a 1-under-par 71 on the Haig Course at PGA National Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. He played 1-over-par the remainder of the championship -- at one point owning a 10-stroke lead -- before finishing with a 40 on the back nine and a five-stroke victory. Briny Baird of Miami Beach, Fla., and Justin Leonard of Dallas, Texas, shared runner-up honors. Collins earned an Arnold Palmer scholarship to attend Wake Forest University from 1990 to 1994. Collins earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors and was a preseason All-American. He turned professional at 21 and battled to gain conditional status on the former Nike Tour in 1995. He finished runner-up in the Nike Sonoma Open in 1996, his best finish on the circuit. In 1998, Collins qualified for the PGA European Tour before returning to the U.S. and competing five seasons on the Golden Bear Tour, winning four times including the 2000 Northern Trust Classic. Collins was married in July 2001 to Kristin and currently they live in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., with their son, Connor. In 2004, Collins competed on the Maverick Tour winning back-to-back titles before the tour dissolved. He also participated in two Nationwide Tour events, missing the cut in both.
1990 Chris Couch
The afternoon before his final round of the 1990 PGA Junior Championship, Tiger Woods of Cypress, Calif., was interviewed by a reporter. Woods, trailing by one stroke, was asked what score would win the title. Woods responded that par-72 should be enough. Chris Couch of North Lauderdale, Fla., overheard the remark and went out determined the following day. Woods responded with two front-nine birdies, but was two strokes behind after nine holes. Two consecutive double bogeys on the back nine ended his bid and gave him a 72. Couch, however, was on fire. He finished with a 9-under-par 63 to set a tournament record and tie Arnold Palmer for the lowest 18-hole competitive score on the Champion Course regardless of the length of the tees. Couch's winning total of 10-under-par 278 also was a tournament record. Couch, whose tournament experience included competing as a 16-year-old in the 1990 Honda Classic, enrolled the following year at the University of Florida. He was ranked No. 1 nationally in 1991 and upheld that rating by making the winning putt to give the Gators to the 1993 NCAA Championship. Couch turned professional in 1995 and played the 1999 season on the PGA Tour, but made only six cuts in 30 events. His highest finish was a tie for seventh place in the 1999 Sony Open in Hawaii. In 2001, he competed in 26 BUY.com tournaments, finishing in the money 14 times and winning the Florida Classic. On the Buy.com Tour in 2002, Couch led the Tour in Par 5 birdies (48.8 percent) and birdie conversion percentage (35.4 percent) and was fifth on Tour in putting average (1.738). In 2003, Couch made the cut in 13 of 21 appearances on the Nationwide Tour with nine top-25 finishes. He earned exempt status for the PGA Tour by finishing fourth on the 2003 Nationwide Tour money list. He then won his third tournament at the season-ending Tour Championship. His best finish on the PGA Tour in 2004 was at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic, where he finished in a tie for 10th. Couch has had a successful year thus far on the Nationwide Tour as he won the Rheem Classic in May after firing a 10-under-par 60 in the final round and finished in second at the Virginia Beach Open. Couch lives in Gainesville, Fla., with his wife, Morgan, and sons, Christian, 4, and Cayden, 1.
1991 David Dawley
Making his first PGA Junior Championship appearance, David Dawley of Chandler, Okla., found himself in a tie with Chip Spiron of Goldsboro, N.C., after a long rain-delayed 72 holes at 11-over-par 299. Spiron missed a chance to win in regulation when his birdie putt spun out of the 18th hole. Both players pared the first playoff hole before Dawley ended the drama by making a par putt on the second hole. Dawley followed his PGA Junior success by attending tradition-rich Oklahoma State University for 2? years. He left to manage Golf USA in Oklahoma City from 1994-96. While managing Golf USA he attended the University of Central Oklahoma where he would finish his collegiate career and earn his Bachelor's degree in May 1999. He turned professional in August 1999 and tied for 20th in the Oklahoma Open. Dawley competed on the Golden Bear Tour in 2000. He has since gotten his amateur status back. Dawley married Brianne Egan in June 2001 and resides in Yukon, Oklahoma. He is an executive with Golf USA, Inc., a Fortune 500 golf franchise chain based in Oklahoma City, Okla.
1992 D.A. Points
D.A. Points of Pekin, Ill., struggled to a third-round 77, but it was enough to hold a one-stroke advantage and the title in the storm-shortened PGA Junior Championship. Points won the title with a 54-hole total of 223, one stroke better than Todd Lynch of Winston-Salem, N.C., and Justin Roof of Conway, S.C., who nearly forced a playoff with a bunker shot on the 18th hole. Points returned to the Championship two more years, tying for ninth in 1993 and finishing 11th in 1994. Points tied a record by winning three men's Illinois Opens (1995, '98 and '99). He is the youngest in Illinois history to win the event (age 17), and his eight-stroke victory in 1999 also was a record. Points transferred from Louisiana State University in 1995 to the University of Illinois and had a memorable career. He earned All-Big Ten honors his junior and senior seasons, and was an All-America selection as a senior, finishing tied for 12th in the 1999 NCAA Championship. Points turned professional in December 1999. In 2001, he competed in 20 BUY.com events winning the Inland Empire Open and finishing fourth at the Gila River Classic. In 2002, Points finished tied for fourth place again at the Gila River Classic. In 2003, he tied for 19th at the Jacob's Creek Open and made the cut in 18 of 24 appearances with seven top-25 finishes. In 2004, Points was victorious at the Pete Dye West Virginia Classic and the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic and finished in second place at the LaSalle Bank Open. He made the cut in 16 of 24 tournaments on the 2004 Nationwide Tour, finishing the year in the No. 2 position on the official money list, with $332,815. This year, Points' best finish is a tie for 13th at the Nissan Open on the PGA Tour. Points is single and resides in Orlando, Fla.
1993 Pat Perez
Pat Perez of San Diego, Calif., sizzled to a third-round 63 to tie the lowest 18-hole round in PGA Junior Championship history, then cruised to a closing 69 at Pinehurst (N.C.) Resort and Country Club's No. 4 Course for a seven-stroke victory over Robert Floyd of Miami Beach, Fla. Perez attended Arizona State University for three years and turned professional in 1997. He won five mini-tour events, including the Golden State Tour. Perez failed to advance to the final stage of the 1999 PGA Tour Qualifying School, but he earned a berth on the Canadian Tour in the spring of 1999. His highest finish was a tie for 13th in the 1999 Samsung Canadian PGA Championship. In 2000, Perez won the Ozarks Open on the BUY.com Tour and in 2001 he earned his PGA Tour card by finishing as the medalist at PGA Tour Qualifying School. He has made the most of his opportunity to play on the PGA Tour, finishing in place second at the 2002 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and tied for second place at the Buick Classic. He finished the 2002 season 40th on the money list, qualifying him for the 2003 Masters. In 2003, Perez tied for sixth place after shooting a course record 61 at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. During the second round at Bermuda Dunes Country Club, he set the course record with 11-under-par 61, a Tour career best. In 2004, his best finish on the PGA Tour was at the 84 LUMBER Classic where he tied for 3rd. In 2005, Perez finished in fourth place at the Honda Classic. He is single and resides in Scottsdale, Ariz.
1994 Joel Kribel
Joel Kribel of Pleasanton, Calif., made the most of his first trip to Florida in August of 1994, winning the PGA Junior Championship with a 16-under-par 272 performance, one stroke off the tournament record. The next fall Kribel enrolled at Stanford University and went on to win four consecutive All-American honors, and was 1999 Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year. He finished his collegiate regular season ranked No. 2 nationally and his 70.12 stroke average broke Tiger Woods' 1996 mark of 70.9. He was runner-up in the 1998 NCAA Championship, and competed in the 1997 and 1998 U.S. Open. He finished runner-up in the 1997 U.S. Amateur to Matt Kuchar, earned a berth in the Masters and made the cut. He competed on the 1997 Walker Cup Team and earned a berth on the 1998 World Amateur Team. Kribel turned professional in June 1999 and joined the BUY.com Tour in 2000. He took a medical extension in 2001 because of a recurring back problem, which forced him out of action in early June. Kribel returned to playing golf on the 2002 BUY.com Tour with this best finish of the season a tie for second place at the 2002 Hershey Open. Kribel went on to finish 11th at PGA Tour Qualifying allowing him to play the 2003 season on the PGA Tour. In 2003, his best finish was a tie for 37th at the 2003 Buick Invitational. He suffered a fractured finger in his right hand and did not play after the Greater Milwaukee Open in mid-July. He received a Major Media Extension for 2004 and made the cut in six of 13 starts on the PGA Tour, with his best finish of a tie for fourth place at the John Deere Classic. This year, Kribel has played in one PGA Tour event and six Nationwide Tour events, with his best finish at the ING New Zealand PGA Championship, where he tied for 13th. Kriebel is single and resides in Phoenix, Ariz.
1995 Kyle Thompson
Kyle Thompson of Easley, S.C., had a second-round 69 that carried him to the boys' division title in the rain-shortened (36 holes) PGA Junior Championship. He returned in 1996 and finished runner-up by one stroke. Thompson earned a golf scholarship to the University of South Carolina where he has earned three consecutive second-team All-Southeastern Conference honors. He was named a second-team All-American in 1999. Thompson, who now resides in Columbia, S.C., led the Gamecocks to six top-five finishes in 1999 and finished the year with a 73.28 stroke average after capturing medalist honors at the NCAA East Regional and Seminole Classic. Thompson had a 63 in the final round of the regional. Thompson improved his stroke average to 72.86 in 2000 and had four top-10 finishes in collegiate events during the season. In 2000, Thompson dropped a semifinal match in the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship to close friend and eventual champion, D.J. Trahan of Inman, S.C. Thompson finished the 2001 college season as a second team All-America selection. In 2002, Thompson played in the Qatar Masters on a sponsor exemption. He tied for 58th, earning him $4,386.38. As a rookie on the Nationwide Tour, his best finish was at the Holden Clearwater Classic where he tied for ninth place. He made the cut in 15 of 24 appearances on the 2003 Nationwide Tour and had seven top-25 appearances. In 2004, Thompson had two runner-up finishes, including a playoff loss to Kevin Stadler at the Scholarship America Showdown and a tie for second place at the Virginia Beach Open. In 2005, he claimed his first top-10 finish of the season at the BMW Charity Pro-Am with a tie for fifth place. He ranks tie for 43rd in driving distance on the Nationwide Tour.
1996 Trevor Immelman
South African Trevor Immelman became the first international boys' PGA Junior Champion in 1996, and earned the distinction of having traveled the farthest to gain a title. Immelman survived a shaky back nine at PGA National Golf Club's Champion Course for a 76 for a 4-over-par 292 total and a one-stroke victory over 1995 Champion Kyle Thompson of Easley, S.C. Immelman enjoyed a remarkable 1997 season. He was runner-up in the U.S. Junior Championship, the British Amateur and won the South Africa Amateur. The following year, Immelman ended his runner-up string and captured the 1998 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. Immelman turned professional in 1999 and competed on the PGA European Tour and European Challenge Tour. He won the 2000 Vodacom Players Championship in South Africa, and the 2000 Tusker Kenya Open with four sub-70 rounds and a 14-under-par total. In 2002, Immelman played a full schedule on the European Tour finishing the season ranked 14th on Order of Merit winnings list. Immelman claimed his first European Tour title at the 2003 South African Airways Open by winning a play-off. Along with his victory, he has tied for second at the 2003 Dunhill Championship and tied for third at the 2003 BMW Asian Open. In December 2003, Immelman married his wife, Carminita. Immelman followed in the footsteps of Gary Player when he became the first person since the Black Knight in 1976-77 to
