Morrison, Wang Win First IJGT Titles at Oyster Reef

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. - A talented group of junior golfers competed in the 36-hole International Junior Golf Tour (IJGT) KENTWOOL Socks Open at Oyster Reef. Like many of the courses on Hilton Head Island, the fairways were narrow and shaping shots in all different directions is a must to score well. The players also had to deal with some winds coming off the Port Royal Sound which made for an exciting finish in all divisions.

Austin Morrison of Charlotte, N.C., was crowned the Boys 15-19 Division Champion after a gritty finish on Sunday at Oyster Reef Golf Club. Morrison started off the IJGT KENTWOOL Socks Open brilliantly with a fine round of 3-under-par 69 on Saturday. During the round he collected four birdies and made only one bogey.

Sunday's final round also began well with Morrison making two birdies in his first six holes. After that however, he had a minor setback making a double-bogey on hole No. 7 to fall back to even-par for the day. His fellow competitors would try and take advantage of this opportunity.

Chris Magi of Montreal, Canada made four birdies in the first 13 holes to momentarily steal the lead from Morrison. Magi, a Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy (HHIJGA) student, could not maintain his hot play. Morrison made many crucial par saves down the stretch, especially his save on No. 17, to take home the trophy. Morrison finished with a tournament total of even-par 144 which was two strokes higher than his nearest competitor.

For Morrison his tournament rounds were a tale of two days. "I did everything well yesterday and hit a lot of shots within 15 feet," he said. On Sunday, he did not feel nervous to start off, but the nerves kicked in on the back nine. "I fought through it on the back," said Morrison.

Finishing in second place was Ewen Ferguson of Hilton Head Island, S.C., with a tournament total of 2-over-par 146. Magi took third place after carding a tournament score of 3-over-par 147.

Scores were higher on Sunday, but three players demonstrated their great golf ability by carding a 1-over-par 73. Ewan Ferguson, Diego Lamadrid Navarro (HHIJGA) of Leon, Mexico, and Zachary Boe of Bluffton, S.C., earned the Clazic Belts Low Final Round Award. The prestigious award is given to the player(s) who shoot the lowest round on Sunday at all IJGT tournaments.

The Girls Division crowned a new Champion at Oyster Reef on Sunday. Christina Wang (HHIJGA) of Guangzhou, China finished with a tournament score of 3-under-par 141. The most impressive part of her performance was that she beat five IJGT Champions at her first IJGT tournament.

Wang started Sunday's final round one stroke back of Ayaka Nakayama (HHIJGA) of Kanagawa, Japan. She knew it was going to take a great performance to top Nakayama. Wang got off to a blazing hot start, playing her first nine holes in 4-under-par, including a stretch of three consecutive birdies.

At the turn Wang was up two strokes, but Nakayama would not go away easy. Nakayama played her last seven holes in 2-under-par making birdies on both the par-3's on the front nine at Oyster Reef. However, Wang could not be stopped after her incredible start and was able to win the tournament by one stroke.

Nakayama finished in second place with a tournament score of 2-under-par 142. Finishing in third place was Saya Aono (HHIJGA) of Yamanashi, Japan, who also played extremely well and finished with a tournament total of 1-under-par 143.

Wang made nine birdies over the course of the weekend which meant the putter was working well for her. She gave much of the credit for her success this weekend to a putting drill given to her by her coach, David Goolsby. "I practiced the drill, and kept the routine," Wang said.

Wang's final-round score of 2-under-par 70 was the lowest score of the day in all divisions and won her the coveted Clazic Belts Low Final Round Award.

The Boys 14 & Under Division had the most exciting finish on Sunday with Blake Smith of Knoxville, Tenn., winning in a playoff over Julien Paltrinieri of Hilton Head Island, S.C. Both players finished the tournament with scores of 150. Smith was in command after making three consecutive birdies on his first nine holes, but he made a double-bogey on his 15th hole to let Paltrinieri back into the mix.

The playoff was held on the narrow par-4, 10th hole at Oyster Reef. Both players placed their tee shots down the middle of the fairway. Paltrinieri was first to play and he hit his approach shot on the back fringe. Smith took dead aim at the flag and put his shot to one foot in front of the gallery. Paltrinieri put forth a valiant effort on his putt but left it just short. Smith then calmly walked up and knocked in his birdie putt to secure his first IJGT title.

This victory was extra special for Smith as it was his first tournament victory. "It feels really good&I finally got one done," said Smith after his playoff victory.

In third place with a tournament total of 154 was Masato Yoshitsugu (HHIJGA) of Aichi, Japan.

The IJGT would like to give a special thanks to our tournament sponsor KENTWOOL, who gave out a pair of the "World's Best Golf Socks" to every golfer in the field. KENTWOOL, the 169-year-old, family-owned American textile innovator and maker of premium performance socks specifically engineered for golfers, is based out of Greenville, S.C., and sponsors many professional golfers including 2012 Masters Champion Bubba Watson.

The IJGT will make its next Southeast stop in Beaufort, S.C., on May 5 - May 6, 2012 for the IJGT Sanctuary Shootout at Sanctuary Golf Club. This will be the last stop in South Carolina for the 2011-2012 IJGT season.

To sign up for this event or others, or for more information call (800) 792-9143 or visit www.IJGT.com.

About the IJGT

The IJGT provides exceptional junior golfers with the opportunity to develop and showcase their competitive skills while setting high standards to preserve the traditions and integrity of the game. As a tour that operates primarily throughout the academic year, the IJGT hosts approximately 60 tournaments annually. In addition, the IJGT hosts three international events. Each event provides multi-day competition for junior golfers of all skill levels ages 9-19. Players representing 45 states and 43 countries around the world regularly compete in events at venues such as TPC Sawgrass, Pinehurst, Bethpage State Park, and Harbour Town Golf Links. Official partners of the IJGT include Bridgestone Golf, Quagmire Golf, KENTWOOL, CHAMP Spikes, Clazic Belts, AB Golf Designs, The First Tee, Golf Digest/Golf World, and Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy.

To obtain more information about the IJGT, please visit www.IJGT.com or call (800) 792-9143.



HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. - Final round results of the IJGT KENTWOOL Socks Open at Oyster Reef conducted by the International Junior Golf Tour completed April 29, 2012. Boys 15-19 Division: Gold Tees - 6808 yards, par 72 (73.7/135). Boys 14 & Under Division: Blue Tees - 6064 yards, par 72 (71.4/122). Girls Division: White Tees - 5833 yards, par 72 (74.2/127)


Weather: Sunny with temperatures in the Low 80s and wind of 5-10 m.p.h.
Sunny with temperatures in the Low 80s and wind of 5-10 m.p.h.


International Junior Golf Tour KENTWOOL Socks Open at Oyster Reef
Oyster Reef Golf Club
Hilton Head Island, S.C.
April 28-29, 2012

Boys 15-19 Division - Gold Tees, 6808 yards, Par 72
1. Austin Morrison, Charlotte, NC *69-75--144
2. Ewen Ferguson, Hilton Head Island, SC *73-73--146
3. Chris Magi, Montreal, Canada *72-75--147
4. Zachary Boe, Bluffton, SC *75-73--148
4. Charlie Spencer-White, Bluffton, SC *72-76--148
6. Saravit Kerdsinchai, Nonthaburi, Thailand *75-74--149
7. Diego Lamadrid Navarro, Leon, Mexico *77-73--150
8. Mark Folkwein, Midland, MI *76-77--153
8. Alexandru Mihai, Bucharest, Romania *76-77--153
10. Sense Chaowalit, Thanyaburi Patumthani, Thailand,*74-81--155
11. Theron Ornt, Highland Park, IL *80-76--156
11. Evan Smith, Bluefield, WV *77-79--156
13. Dak Spivey, Huntington, NY *79-78--157
14. Shosei Inokawa, Atamishi, Japan *82-76--158
15. Daiki Okada, Tokyo, Japan *82-77--159
15. Thomas Lantzounis, Mahwah, NJ *81-78--159
15. Sun Wongwaiwate, Chiang Mai, Thailand *78-81--159
18. Andrea Bacchi, Milan, Italy *82-79--161
18. Michael Nasser, Shreveport, LA *80-81--161
20. Matthew Kemps, Palos Verdes Estates, CA *79-83--162
21. Garrett Johnson, Bloomfield Hills, MI *88-76--164
21. Braden Donayre, Miami, FL *77-87--164
23. Kevin Reich, Winterthur, Switzerland *82-83--165
23. Jae Sung Hur, Seoul, South Korea *82-83--165
25. Cutter Boit, Sammamish, WA *79-87--166
26. Wataru Koguchi, Fukuoka, Japan *85-83--168
27. Keanu Hasmana, Jakarta, Indonesia *84-85--169
28. Erik Tiitus, Tallinn, Estonia *91-83--174
28. Katsuya Asano, Kanagawa, Japan *86-88--174
30. Ryan Balfour, Edmonton, Canada *87-93--180
31. Jasper Volver, Kolding, Denmark *86-95--181
32. Will Friedman, Mount Pleasant, SC *91-99--190
33. Shogo Taniguchi, Osaka, Japan *95-101--196
34. Imroz Farhan, Dhaka, Bangladesh *94-103--197
34. Fernando Kim, Sao Paulo, Brazil *89-108--197
36. Sheock Hyun Shim, Seoul, South Korea *121-129--250

DID NOT FINISH
Bevan Petrikin, Nashville, TN *84-JWD

Boys 14 & Under Division - Blue Tees, 6165 yards, Par 72
1. x-Blake Smith, Knoxville, TN *75-75--150
2. Julien Paltrinieri, Hilton Head Island, SC *74-76--150
3. Masato Yoshitsugu, Aichi , Japan *75-79--154
4. Farro Thanathaipakdee, Phathumthani, Thailand *76-80--156
4. Shogo Ito, Tokyo, Japan *73-83--156
6. Christian Thornton, Chicago, IL *81-78--159
7. Prescott Butler, Locust Valley, NY *82-78--160
8. Tennoshin Ogawa, Ichinomiya-shi, Japan *84-79--163
9. Adam Agustin, El Dorado Hills, CA *91-77--168
9. Dongjin Park, Fresh Meadows, NY *82-86--168
11. Bradley Thomson, Mount Pleasant, SC *86-87--173
12. Alexandr Kuzmin, Almaty, Kazakhstan *92-84--176
13. Marshall Clemens, Weston, MA *87-97--184
14. Cam Hammel, Wexford, PA *96-97--193

x-Won in Playoff

DID NOT FINISH
Sarist Panichewa, Bangkok, Thailand *96-JWD
Connor Downey, Franklin, TN *JWD

Girls Division - White Tees, 5833 yards, Par 72
1. Christina Wang, Guangzhou, China *71-70--141
2. Ayaka Nakayama, Kanagawa, Japan *70-72--142
3. Saya Aono, Yamanashi, Japan *72-71--143
4. Laura Restrepo, Panama City, Panama *74-75--149
4. Julia Shin, Campinas, Brazil *74-75--149
6. Nicole Okada, Manhattan Beach, CA *73-82--155
7. Emilie Paltrinieri, Hilton Head Island, SC *78-84--162
8. Bria` Sanders, Cordova, TN *83-87--170
9. Molly Park, Daniel Island, SC *86-87--173
10. Kali Boyer, New Ringgold, PA *94-86--180
11. Lizzie Hammel, Wexford, PA *89-92--181
12. Irisa Wong, Hong Kong, China *117-113--230

DID NOT FINISH
Carolin Schart, Vilshofen, Germany *78-JWD