Tie for 11 at The Optimist Junior Tournament of Champions

On November 7-8, 2009, in Winter Garden Florida at Orange County National on the Crooked Cat Course the Optimist Clubs held there second major tournament of the year. This is one of several junior tournaments considered "Majors." Gary shot an opening round of +4 76 on day one to tie for 17 of 60 invited players. Today he shot -2 (34) on the front side and moved as high as 6th. He finished with a +1 (73) and tied for 11th. There were players form 7 foreign countries, two Canadian Provinces, and 14 states. They played the 6900 yard championship course where the rating is 73.7 and the slope is 132.  This was tough playing on a difficult course against top competition, and both days had significant wind.  Here is the link to the final scoreboard: Orange County National Crooked Cat  
Next up are tournaments around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Gary Finishes Tied for Fifth at Regionals Golf; Chamberlain Fails to Advance

Chamberlain Junior Gary and Riverview senior star Ian McConnell (committed to Liberty University Golf) were tied for the lead in the clubhouse with nice rounds of 76 at the tough Summerfield Crossings Golf Course. It is Ian's home course, the home course of his Riverview High Team, and he is the club champion. It must have been difficult as they waited more than two hours for the finish of other players knowing they had done their best and only time would tell the outcome. Word spread that Paul Demick of Wharton had played the front nine in two under 34 and Logan Hand of East Lake had shot 35.

In the end 76 was tied for fourth individual out of fifty players, but only the two low individual not on a team and the two low teams advance to the State finals. The low five scores of all players were 70, 73, 75, 76 and 76. The final advancing individual and team results were not available at the time of this writing but are available here online under Class 2A Region 4 Results, Boys.

The Chamberlain Team had a tough day at Regionals and will not advance.

It was a successful rebuilding season for Coach Bill Workman's squad with a very difficult beginning. Three experienced players from last year were lost from the team this season. One was disqualified in training season, one chose to do home schooling, and one transferred schools. We are proud of the team effort, and of Gary's success as District Champ.

Gary Wins Individual District Golf Championship; Chamberlain High School Finishes as Second Team

Today at Temple Terrace Golf Club in Tampa Gary won the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) District 10 (Tampa) Class 2A Championship with a score of 75. He was 3 shots clear of the second place finisher on a tough day of wind on a difficult course.

Here is a portion of the article from the "St. Petersburg Times" website:
TEMPLE TERRACE — It was hard to ascertain which was louder Tuesday afternoon: the yellow-and-black size 11 golf shoes on Chamberlain junior Gary Buffington's feet, or the statement he made with his putter.

On a bright day in which the chill in the air subsided but the wind never did, Buffington used his putter — not to mention course prudence — to win the Class 2A, District 10 tournament against a daunting field at Temple Terrace Golf & Country Club. Click here for the rest of the "St. Pete Times" article.

Here is a link to the other Tampa Bay Area newspaper article in the Tampa Bay Tribune.

Gary's Chamberlain High School team, which was seeded seventh, finished a spectacular second in the ten team district with teammate Ben Lagos shooting a career best score of 81. Jake Schuyler shot an 86 with a strong back nine of 41. Hunter Chewning came in at 87 and Jeff Anderson at 88 for a team total of 331. This was nine strokes behind first place Plant High School and seven strokes ahead of third place Gaither High School. All three schools will advance to the Regional Tournament next Monday (October 26). The other seven high school teams competing in the Florida Class 2A District 10 were: Alonso, Hillsborough, Jefferson, King, Leto, Sickles, and Tampa Bay Tech.

The three District 10 teams (Gaither, Plant, and Chamberlain) now advance to the Region 4 tournament at Summerfield Crossings Golf Club where they will compete against the top three teams from Districts 11 and 12. From the regional tournament the top two teams and the top two individuals not on a winning team will move on to the FHSAA championship on November 3-4 at Silver Springs Shores.

Chamberlain High Girls team member Mika Grant qualified as an individual for the Regional Girls Tournament with a score of 92. Her Chamberlain Girls Team did not finish in the top three so Mika will advance as an individual. Here is the article on the girls district tournament.

See the October 13 entry below for further playoff information and links to the FHSAA, and the golf courses for both the Regional and the State Tournaments.

Chamberlain High School Regular Golf Season Ends

Chamberlain High School Golf Team: Ben Lagos, Coach Bill Workman, Jake Schuyler, Andrew Hudson, Gary Buffington, Jeff Anderson, and Hunter Chewning. Not pictured are Billy Goldthorpe and Evan McCarl.

At MacDill Air Force Base Golf Course in Tampa (Central Command for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan) Gary shot one under par 34 to tie for the match medalist honor in the last high school golf match of the 2009 season. His team finished second in the three team match with their lowest score of the season at 159. Several teammates shot their lowest scores of the season so they are rounding into shape for district, regional and state competition.

This year the team played 12 matches and Gary was low man for his team in all 12 and low man overall (won the match) in 8 of the 12 and finished second the other 4 with an overall stroke average of 36.83. Check his national ranking at this link.

Now the team will enter District 10, Region 4, and Florida State playoffs.

The District 10 Tournament will be 18 holes at Temple Terrace (click) on Tuesday October 20.

The Region 4 Tournament will be 18 holes at Summerfield Crossings Golf Club (click) on Monday October 26.

The Florida State Tournament will be November 3 and 4 at Silver Springs Shores (click), The Country Club, 565 Silver Road, Ocala, FL 34472.

Here are the FHSAA rules for post season play and advancement to state playoffs:

205.05 Advancement of Teams and Individuals.
(1) District Tournament to Regional Tournament. The top three lowest scoring teams and the top three lowest scoring individuals who are not members of the top three lowest scoring teams in district tournament shall advance to the regional tournament to which they are assigned. To be eligible for individual honors on the regional level a student-athlete shall compete for individual honors on the district level.
(2) Regional Tournament to FHSAA Finals. The first- and second-place teams and the two lowest-scoring individuals who are not members of the advancing teams in each regional tournament shall advance to the FHSAA Finals. The individuals must be within five (5) strokes of the lowest-scoring individual to advance.

Here is a link to the Florida High School Athletic Association site. Click here.

Tie for 20th at the Florida State Golf Association Rio Pinar Junior Classic (click for results)

Gary shot 76-75 to finish tied for 20th earning 40 FSGA points this week-end at Rio Pinar the long time site of the Citrus Open PGA tour event in the 1960's.

Gary Featured in Tampa Bay Tribune Article

Today he was featured in an article in the Tampa Tribune newspaper. Click Tampa Bay Tribune to review the article.

Gary Places Fifth in Living Fuel Junior Open on the Hurricane Tour

In a two day event in Tampa Gary was well off the lead after day one, was under par through eleven holes on day two and near the lead, but then faltered coming in to finish fifth. Click here for results.

Gary Finishes 2nd at Greater Tampa Junior Golf Association Event at West Chase

Gary and his Number One Coach (His Dad) on the practice tee.


A couple of spiffy dressers, first Place Jacob Fleck and second place Gary Buffington

Gary finished second by one shot to Jacob Fleck in the GTJGA tournament at West Chase in Tampa. Starting with a double bogie six (blew his first drive into the middle of a lake) followed by two bogies on the next two holes, Gary hung tight to finish second. He shot 41 on the front and 37 on the back. He was five shots behind second place at the turn. This was another demonstration of his ability to come back and to never, ever give up. As he describes it, he has amnesia for bad holes! We were present for this tournament and are very proud of his toughness, although I did tell him it is better not to make a habit of having to make these great comebacks!

Third Place at State Junior Team Championship (click)

Gary shot five under par today and Charles shot even par as the Emerald Greens Junior Team finished third in the Florida State Golf Association Junior Team Championship.

Gary, and two friends Charles Silverfield and Skyler Estes teamed up at Orange Lake Resort near Orlando, Florida. They are representing their country club as the "Emerald Greens Junior Program (boys)" Team.

Skyler Estes was forced to withdraw after 12 holes on the first day from heat exhaustion. After forcing fluids and cooling under air conditioning Skyler was reported to be doing fine but unable to continue.

On day one Gary shot 73 and Charles shot 74 for a 147 total and a tie for 7th. The tournament scoring is the low two scores of a three person team for each day so Charles and Gary went it alone on Sunday.

Charles was well under par for much of the day and finished even. Gary had three birdies on the front to shoot two under. And then he birdied ten, eleven, and twelve with nice putts and then chipped in on sixteen for a total of seven birdies on the day. He had an unplayable lie penalty on 14 for a bogey (and a three putt on number six for his other bogey).

Gary's statistics for the day are as follows: Fairways-13; Greens-14; Birdies-7; Bogeys-2; Others-0; Putts-27; Penalty Strokes-1; 3-Putts-1; length of putts made-"a mile."

The 67 was tied for low round of the tournament and brought him to third medalist of the tournament. This tournament is used by the national junior golf rankings, and scoring average in tournament play is a large part of the rankings. See the two main ranking systems at the following links: National Junior Golf Scoreboard and Golf Week Junior Golf Rankings.

Click any of the highlights above for further information including an in depth study of the effects of heat.

22nd of 85 at USGA Amateur Qualifier (Click for leaderboard)

Gary shot one over par 73 and finished 22nd of 85 players at the US Amateur qualifier at Avila Country Club in Tampa. Today's fellow competitors were: former University of Florida Star (just graduated) Toby Ragland and University of Tulsa Star Ville Vaisanen (from Finland) each of whom shot 71. Gary, a rising junior at Chamberlain High School in Tampa, held his own in this adult competition. Toby has elected to not turn professional at this time and has signed as the new Assistant Golf Coach at the University of Central Florida (The Knights).

Gary's statistics for today's round were: 11 fairways, 11 greens, 30 putts, no penalty strokes (no water!), no bunkers, 3 up and downs (of 7), 2 birdies, and 3 bogeys. Gary's shot of the day was a 116 yard second shot off hard dirt under low hanging branches over water to an elevated green to 20 feet from the hole (against his caddy's advice!).

Warm-up at Avila

This was a great competition to test 16 year old Gary's golf progress. The "Amateur" has no age limits. A player must be a certified amateur of any age. Most all college stars and many former pros compete with many graduating college stars holding off professional competition to give the US Amateur one more try. A former "Amateur" winner gets many endorsements when turning professional.

This was the first event Gary played that allowed a caddy. I (the Grandpa) caddied with a cart for both days. It was a wonderful experience. How else could a doting grandpa get to spend time with a highly skilled grandson at a game we both love. It was too bad his father couldn't have had the job (working as Edwin Watts Golf Shop District Manager). He would have done a much better job. Jim Ragland caddied for his son, but it was a different story. Jim, in every way the gentleman, is a former professional player and as much as we study the game, some of their esoteric language wasn't even understood by me. Jim was able to read putts and advise Toby where the ball should enter the hole ("It should roll in at 4:30!) when I didn't know a right breaker from a left. But I did know the following (Thanks to Dave Pelz): 1) The line from ball to hole is not necessarily the target line, 2) make a decision for the target line, 3) line up with and putt on that target line, 4) keep the blade square to the target line, 5) hit the ball in the sweet spot. Gary did all day, and played like the champion he is.

Gary Shoots 78 in US Amateur Qualifier

On the 7000 yard Avila Country Club Course Gary shot 78 and is tied for 28th of 85 players in Amateur Qualifying after the first of two days of stroke play. Avila is a beautiful private club in Tampa and has Fred McGriff, Derek Jeter, and Wade Boggs as members.

As Gary told one of his friends, he started out leading the tournament on the first hole and last place on the second hole! He started birdie quadruple bogey. And then he proceeded to double his sixth hole (hole #15) and shoot a six over par 42 on the first nine. Then showing his usual grit and determination he played the second nine in even par 36 for the 78 with two more birdies and one double bogey. On the day he had four birdies, 27 putts, and hit 9 fairways and 10 greens. He had 3 penalty strokes (all water), and 5 (of 8) up and downs including one sandy.

Amateur qualifying is interesting in that mostly high ranking college players are entered. So today it was Gary (a rising high school Junior) against a University of West Florida golfer Jordan Rizzo (freshman this year but wears the hat now) and a Tulsa golfer Ville Vaisanen, from Finland. Years ago the USGA added a "Mid-Amateur" in which players had to be 25 or older. This eliminated the college players and the "soon to be pros" from the US Amateur Championship. However, it seems to have relegated the US Amateur to the college crowd. I was proud of Gary hanging in after a disastrous front nine and shooting a respectable score.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

Tie for 66th at Optimist Junior World Championships

In the photo Grandma Millie has Gary try on a pair of John Daly's Loudmouth Slacks at the PGA National Golf Shop. Gary didn't buy although Grandma encouraged him to do so and may have bought them for his birthday. If he wears them we hope he chooses a different shirt!


Gary shot a nice three over par 75 on the Palmer Course at the PGA National Resort to finish in a tie for 66th in the Optimist Junior World Championships out of 141 players from 25 states and 22 foreign countries. Click here for the full scoreboard. Today's three over round included 15 pars and 3 bogeys. He missed the cut of the low fifty players (and ties) by 3 shots.

Today's fellow competitors James Bramlett of North Carolina shot 78 and Kevin Clarke of Virginia shot 79.

Today's statistics are as follows: 11 fairways, 9 greens, and 30 putts. Today there were no fairway bunkers, no penalty shots, and no 3 putts. His final score of 77, 80, and 75 (232) was three off the cut line of the low fifty players (229).

Gary showed he can hold his own with international competition. His ball striking was well above the average. If just a few putts had fallen he would have been easily within the top 30 or 40 players.

Tonight there was a presentation by the Academic Adviser of the David Ledbetter Academy on strategies for moving on to college golf. This is a good tournament with great competition, fun activities, camaraderie, and educational opportunity. Thanks to the Optimist Clubs and great volunteers.

Next week Gary will enter USGA Amateur qualifying at Avila Country Club in Tampa. This is a two day event and Grandpa Gary with help from Grandma Millie will be the caddy (with a cart!). Grandpa has already been informed he will not be reading putts!

Tied for 86th after day two of Optimist Junior World

Gary shot an 80 on the second day of the Optimist Junior World Championships on the Champions Course at PGA National at Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Starting on # 10 he shot 42 and 38 on each nine. He hit seven fairways, ten greens and had 34 putts with three 3-putts. He was in five fairway bunkers and two green-side bunkers (both on the same hole where he made his only double bogey!). He had one birdie on his 17th hole, hole eight.

Today's fellow competitors Brad Cadigan and Chase Bryant (from Massachusetts and Oklahoma) shot 75 and 81. The scores of the whole field are available by clicking here. Having played the first two days on the Champions Course, home of the PGA Honda Classic, tomorrow he plays the third round on the Palmer course which is said to be somewhat easier with lower slope, higher rating, and more sinkable putts. The putting stroke looks good but the putts aren't falling. We hope a change of course will help. He needs to shoot near par tomorrow to make the cut of low fifty players and ties for Sunday's final round.

Tonight the tournament had a long drive contest and a "night glow" putting contest. These are social events for all the players both boys and girls.
The long drive contest was won by a Canadian Boy who hit his drive 320 yards--a screaming low trajectory hook that sent the measuring crew rapidly back down the fairway! Second place was 302 yards. The Girls contest had a winner of 264 yards.

Gary Tied For 68th after Day one of World Tournament

At the Optimist Junior World Championships (click) Gary is tied for 68th (of 144 golfers from 25 states and 23 countries) after shooting a first round 77 on the Champions Course of the PGA National Golf Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. This is the home course of the PGA Tour's Honda Classic.

The full first day scores are available by clicking this link.

Statistics: Gary hit six fairways, thirteen greens, and had 35 putts with one three putt. Of his 13 birdie putts he had five lip outs and no birdies. He had thirteen pars and five bogeys in a great round of consistent and controlled golf. He played the famed "Bear Trap" holes 15, 16, and 17 in even par with missed eight and ten foot birdie putts.

His two fellow competitors from Chile and Massachusetts shot 74 and 80.

His two best shots of the day were the following: 1) tee shot on the Bear Trap #17 (175 yards over water to a green 70% surrounded by water) over the stick to eight feet past. He lipped out the birdie putt; and 2) A 113 yard shot from the down hill slope of a fairway bunker at number 18 to ten feet short of the pin. He lipped out this ten foot putt.

Tomorrow he goes off number ten at the Champions Course followed by a round on Saturday on the Palmer course. On Sunday there is a cut to the low 50 and ties who play the final round on the Champions Course.

Next up is the Optimist Junior World

Click here for The Optimist Junior World Tournament to be held at The PGA National at Palm Beach Gardens, Florida from July 28 to August 2, 2009. The tournament has 566 players with Gary's age group represented by 25 states and 12 foreign countries. All had to meet qualifying tournament standards of a top three finish and a score within six of par. There will be no slouches here.

Second Place at Hurricane Tour

Click the following link for the Hurricane Tour Site: Hurricane Tour Results

On the second day final nine Gary birdied the 14th hole to go to one under for the day and get within one shot of the lead. However, an errant tee shot on the fifteenth hooked into the lake lead to a double bogey. His friend Charles Silverfield won the tournament. Charles and Gary are both members of Emerald Greens Golf Club in Tampa and will represent their club in the state Junior Team competition.

FSGA Boy's Junior Championship

July 7-9, 2009. After qualifying in the second spot with a 72 at Cypress Creek, Gary made the trek down to Palm Beach to embark in the State Junior Championship. The host was beautiful Bear Lakes Country Club, designed by Jack Nicklaus (the Golden Bear), and home to many pros like Mark Calcavecchia and Brett and Dana Quigley. Being a Nicklaus course, it naturally suited Gary's fade. Gary got off to a tough start on day one going out in 43, but battled hard on the back to shoot 80. On Day two, Gary again had early struggles, and battled exceptionally hard to go out in a 39, but stumbled on the back to shoot another round in the 80s. Afterwards, Gary called it "The toughest course I have ever played." It will be hosting the final stage of PGA Tour Qualifying this year on both the Lakes and the Links courses.

Gary Finishes T 56th in 2009 Future Masters

On the final day Gary shot six over 76 with six bogeys to finish in a tie for 56th. It was a tough day with difficult pin positions, temperatures in the 90's, and the greens rolling fast. Yesterday he could have given a driving clinic with 12 of 14 fairways hit and today he had four chips within a foot of the hole. He had no double bogeys but birdies remained elusive on the beautiful fast difficult greens. In the three days we saw 216 holes played (foursomes playing 54 holes) with no one sinking any putt greater than 15 feet; and remember, these are teenage kids who can sink any putt. I will update the statistical summary when I find my scorecard.

We congratulate Gary's friend and ofttimes practice partner Charles Silverfield for a fifth place finish. Charles was fourth in the state of Florida high school playoffs a year ago. Charles started the tournament on day one with a chip in eagle on his first hole. A player one group ahead of us today had a hole-in-one on the 11th. We heard the roar of the crowd, but not even the player saw it go in as there is a large mound in front of the green!

Gary showed grit and determination and excellent concentration throughout the tournament in spite of the lack of birdies when opportunity knocked. All the kids were stymied by the difficult greens. The Future Masters is truly similar to The Masters. The course is beautiful, the fairways perfect, the rough short and uniform, the greens are true and fast, there are multiple difficult pin positions, down grain putts can roll off the green, long putts are nearly impossible, three putts are possible often, five and six footers are true, drive landing zones are often narrow, and the tournament organization tops.

Second Day Future Masters 2009

Gary's group tee-ed off today on the back nine. He parred the first seven holes hitting all the fairways and five of the seven greens so five birdie putts didn't fall. Suddenly on the eighth hole he hit an errant tee shot into the trees and had to lay up to the 140 mark on the 407 par four. He made his first bogey and then proceeded to bogey the eighteenth hole and the first hole for three bogeys in a row and three over par. He then reeled off five more pars hitting four of the five greens. Finally, on the seventh (sixteenth hole of the day) he almost holed an eight iron and made a birdie. He hit both of the last two greens but not close enough for a realistic birdie putt so parred both. He finished at two over 72 for the day and seven over for the tournament. He is tied for 44th place making the cut of the low 110 plus ties. He goes off the first tee at 7:32 tomorrow. The scores are available by clicking here. The leader is at minus four, second place is minus one, and third place is even par.

Final stats for the day are as follows: Fairways hit: 12 of 14; Greens in Regulation: 13 of 18; Putts 34. Up and down: 2 of 5; Three putts: one; One putts: three; penalty strokes: none.

First Day Future Masters Report

Gary shot five over 75 today and is tied for 62nd in the 15-18 age group. The highlight of the day was a chip in birdie on the sixth hole, a four putt green on the eighth hole, and hitting 12 of 14 fairways with the driver. The greens are beautiful, slick, and roll about 11 on the Stimp Meter. He had 30 putts for the day and hit six greens in regulation. Birdies did not come easily today. The score board is available by clicking here. In the scoreboard a click on the player's name will show his hole by hole scores.

Press Thornton Future Masters Week

This is Future Masters Week in Dothan, Alabama. Gary's father played in the event many years and now Gary will be playing for his sixth Future Masters and now in the final age group of 16-18. The tournament has already begun in younger age groups and scoring is live on line. Gary's first day of play is Thursday. Click here for live online scoring from the Future Masters 2009.

There are over 60 touring pros who played at the Future Masters in the past including recent US Open winner Lucas Glover who won the 11-12 age group. At age 10 Hubert Green lost a playoff for his age group when the competitor made a birdie. When inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame Hubie said he never forgot that loss and had announced to his Dad that day that he would be a golf professional.

Qualified at Two of Three Qualifying Tournaments

The Florida State Golf Association Boys Junior Championship, the Optimist Junior World Championship, and the USGA Junior Amateur are three prestigious events that require Qualifying tournaments. Each qualifier is 18 holes. The Qualifiers were over the last two weeks. The Tournaments will be later in the summer.

The FSGA Junior Qualifier was at Cypress Creek in Rustin, Florida, just south of Tampa. The course slope was 149 and the rating was 74. Gary shot an even par 72 with four birdies and four bogies to qualify second with the low qualifier at 69. Qualifier events were held in six sites in Florida and Cypress Creek was so tough that a score of 84 qualified.
Click Here for the Florida State Golf Association Boys Junior Championship

Next at the Optimist Qualifier at Palm Beach Gardens, home of the PGA Tour's Honda Classic, a player needed to shoot lower than six over par and finish in the top three to move on to the Optimist Junior World Championship. There were qualifying tournaments going on all over the world for this event that will take about 600 players and over a hundred in Gary's 16-18 age group. On the front nine Gary was five over par and then quickly had a couple of bogies to go seven over. He just couldn't make a birdie on the 7000 yard course. Finally at the eighteenth a 456 par four he knew he needed a long drive so he leaned on the driver and hit it 300 yards only to roll into the fairway bunker. From 156 yards out of the sand he hit a seven iron "all over the pin" which landed on the front of the green and spun back to the frog hair about 20 feet from the cup. He rolled in the chip/putt for a birdie three and six over par and third place. He qualified! Our good friend Bill Newton (who is like another uncle to Gary)is always good for a great quote. Bill said, "You might want to start your 'charge' a little sooner next time!"
Click Here for the Optimist International Junior Golf Championship

The USGA Junior Amateur held qualifying at Lake Wales Country Club, a 6600 yard par 72 course. Like the US Open, the USGA elected to call two par fives par fours and call the par at 70. Gary shot 75 (birdied the eighteenth) and 74 and missed the qualifying by four shots. In the second day round Gary was three over for the last two holes with some "tree trouble" on his approach shots. This was unusual as he has been very accurate with driver and approach shots.

This Fathers Day he and his Dad will once more defend their Father-Son Championship at Emerald Greens Country Club, their home course. Gary, III, has not lost in this event since his grandpa (me) had to fill in for his Dad four years ago! Grandpa shot 25 strokes higher than his Dad usually shoots. I just don't know why Gary III couldn't make up for that!

The next tournament is next weeks Future Masters in Dothan, Alabama a three day event of national ranking. There are 224 players in Gary's 15-18 age group and he has a 6:46 first day tee time off number one in the third group of the day. Like Tiger Woods and his Dad, he is a morning person so this will be a good time for him.
Click Here for Press Thornton Future Masters Information

Gary is now ranked 1801 by the National Junior Golf Scoreboard and 833 by Golf Week Magazine. Here are links to the two major ranking systems:
Click Here for Golf Week Junior Rankings
Click Here for National Junior Golf Scoreboard Rankings

Gary Begins Summer Season Strongly

Knocking the rust off after the off season of baseball playing Gary made some strong showings this spring. Playing in South Floida for the first time he and his mother traveled to the Miami area in April and he tied for first and lost in a playoff to finish second. At this tournament out of district he met some new strong south Floirda players.

Then he played in a Tampa area event the next weekend and tied for first and won in a four hole playoff.

Next came the Greater Tampa Junior Golf Association match play event in which 67 players played two nine hole matches each weekend. Gary won the first two matches, lost the third, and won the consolation division with a final match win. Gary was seeded second.

Then in the GTJGA Tournament of Champions he was second in his age group and eighth overall with the 13-15 group turning in the best scores. Gary is 16 and in the 16-18 group. He hit the ball well, felt rusty, and had two penalty strokes (both unplayable lies) in this tournament.

Florida Junior Golf Tour

Gary competed with 84 other top junior players in the Florida Golf Association Junior Tour near Orlando. This tour requires qualification and the field is strong. The course hosted the PGA Tour Qualifying tournament this past year and the boys played essentially the same tees at 7000 yards with the rating at 74 and the slope at 134. These are very high ratings and slope. On the first day he shot 79 with four birdies and one double boggie. He finished strongly with a birdie on the 18^th, but overall was disapointed with his play. On day two he shot one over 73 and at the eleventh was four under par with birdies on the 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, and 10^th. He finished in 23^rd position for this his first major competition of the year.

Recently he had a spring tune up golf lesson with his coach Aaron Fagan (Click Aaron's name for his profile) at the David Leadbetter Academy at Champions Gate in Orlando. Some minor swing and grip changes were instituted and he feels he is hitting the ball solidly and in better control. Putting was a strong point. He has been practicing putting diligently on a new SouthEastern putting Green in the back yard.