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
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