SCOTTSDALE, Az. — Andy Zhang of Reunion,
Florida, won the 2014 Thunderbird
International
Junior with a dominating final round of 9-
under-
par 63 to finish at 17-under-par 199 for the
tournament. Maddie Szeryk of Allen, Texas,
took
the Girls Division title after a two-hole playoff
on
The Raptor Course at Grayhawk Golf Club,
carding a 3-over-par 75 for a tournament-total
2-under-par 214.
After a string of five birdies and an eagle on
the
front nine, Zhang made the turn at 29, putting
him at 15-under-par for the tournament. The
2013 Rolex Junior All-American added another
eagle and birdie on Nos. 11 and 12 to stay
bogey free through 13 holes and reach 10-
under
for the day. Zhang finished the tournament
with
a tap-in birdie on No. 18 to match a
tournament
record of 9-under-par 63 and capture his first
career AJGA victory.
“It feels good,” Zhang said. “It’s something
that
I worked really hard for. To know that hard
work
pays off and to have this win means a lot to
me.
Going into today I asked my dad, mentor, and
friends for advice. They helped me have a
good
mentality going into today which helped my
putts fall. It makes me happy.”
Zachary Bauchou of Forest, Virginia, finished
second at 5-under-par 67 for a tournament-
total
13-under-par 203. Sam Burns of Shreveport,
Louisiana, finished one shot behind Bauchou at
12-under-par 204 after a final of even-par 72.
In fourth place, Cheng Jin of Singapore, carded
a 5-under-par 67 for a three-day total of 9-
under-par 207. Nathan Jeansonne of Keithville,
Louisiana, and defending champion Jorge
Garcia
of Miami, Florida, tied for fifth place with a
tournament-total 8-under-par 208.
Szeryk and Andrea Lee of Hermosa Beach,
California both finished the tournament at 2-
under-par 214, resulting in a playoff. They
both
parred the first playoff hole, No. 10. Szeryk’s
approach shot on the second playoff hole
reached the green to set up the winning birdie
putt, marking her fourth career AJGA title and
first Invitational win.
“It was nerve racking,” Szeryk said of the
playoff with Lee. “I tripled 10 during the round
but I ended up hitting a good shot off the tee
and made par. I hit a really good wedge on 11
and made the four-footer. It was a nice
feeling.”
Kristen Gillman of Austin, Texas, Bailey Tardy
of
Norcross, Georgia, and Cheyenne Knight of
Aledo, Texas, each carded tournament totals
of
1-under-par 215 to finish in a three-way tie for
third place.
ABOUT THE AJGA
The American Junior Golf Association is a
501(c)
(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the
overall growth and development of young men
and women who aspire to earn college golf
scholarships through competitive junior golf.
The AJGA provides valuable exposure for
college
golf scholarships, and has an annual junior
membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of
more than 6,000 members from all 50 states
and more than 45 foreign countries. To ensure
scholarship opportunities for all junior golfers
who have the skill, the AJGA created the
Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant
program to provide financial assistance to
young
players in need.
Titleist, the AJGA's National Sponsor, has been
the catalyst and driving force behind the
Association's success since 1989. Rolex, which
is in its fourth decade of AJGA support,
became
the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004. In
2007, after 12 years of support, Ralph Lauren
became the AJGA's second Premier Partner.
AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur,
collegiate and professional golf. Former AJGA
juniors have compiled more than 500 victories
on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni
include Jordan Spieth, Brandt Snedeker, Bubba
Watson, Webb Simpson, Hunter Mahan, Phil
Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Stacy Lewis, Vicky
Hurst, Inbee Park, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr,
Brittany Lincicome and Morgan Pressel.
ABOUT THE Thunderbird International Junior
Conducted by the American Junior Golf
Association, the Thunderbird International
Junior is a 54-hole stroke play competition
played on the par-72, Raptor Course at
Grayhawk Golf Club. The event features 48
boys and 30 girls, ages 12-18, from 17 states
and 14 countries. The Boys Division is playing
the course at 7,112 yards while the Girls
Division is playing the course at 6,342 yards.
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