GGGA students Karen Arimoto, Camilo Mexsen, Mai Dechathipat and Tiger Lee all qualified for the Boys & Girls 2013 US Junior Amateur Championships this week.
Arimoto, of Japan, and Dechathipat, of Thailand, took two of eight spots Tuesday at Lake Wales Country Club in Lake Wales, Fla.
Dechathipat posted a 73 for third, four shots back of medalist Dree Fausnaugh, while Arimoto carded a 75. Both 2015 graduates, Arimoto and Dechathipat have also been students for several years in the Full-Time Junior Program at the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy.
The 2013 US Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship will get underway in about a month as Sycamore Hills Golf Club in Fort Wayne, Ind. plays host July 22-27.
The championship is open to any amateur female golfers who will have not reached their 18th birthday by July 27, 2013, and who have a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 18.4. Sectional qualifying, played over 18 holes, is conducted at 32 sites between June 14 and July 2.
The first two days of the event are contested with 18 holes of stroke play in the first and second rounds with the low 64 advancing to match play. The first round of match play is set for the third day followed by the second and third rounds of match play the fourth day and the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds the fifth day. Rounding out the event, the 36-hole championship final will be held Saturday, July 27.
The champion receives an exemption into the 2014 U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur Championships prior to her 18th birthday as well as exemptions into the next two U.S. Women’s Amateurs and the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship, if eligible.
Past notable champions include Nancy Lopez, I.K. Kim, Inbee Park and Lexi Thompson.
On the boy’s side, Mexsen and Lee qualified at separate sites for the 2013 US Junior Amateur Championship.
Mexsen, of Mexico, took the final of two spots in a playoff Thursday at Gainesville Country Club in Gainesville, Fla. A par on the fourth playoff hole gave Mexsen the last spot as he posted a two round total of 143 with rounds of 73 and 70.
Lee, of China, grabbed one of three spots Wednesday at Fieldstone Golf Club in Auburn Hills, Mich. Back-to-back 71s gave Lee a two round total of 142.
Lee and Mexsen are also both students in the Full-Time Junior Program at GGGA.
The 2013 US Junior Amateur Championship is set for the same week at the Girl’s Championship July 22-27 but will take place at Martis Camp Club in Truckee, Calif.
The format is the same as the girl’s event with 36 holes of stroke play followed by the top 64 advancing to match play. The winner of the event receives exemptions to all future U.S. Junior Amateurs (if eligibile), exemptions to the next two U.S. Amateurs and the next two U.S. Amateur Public Links as well as a three-year exemption from local qualifying for the U.S. Open.
Past winners of the event include golf legends Johnny Miller and Tiger Woods.
About GGGA
Based at the Mission Inn Resort & Club, 40 minutes outside of Orlando, Florida, the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy is the leading full-time junior golf academy in the world.
Led by Golf Digest Top 50 Teacher and Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Gary Gilchrist, the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy features a boarding program for junior golfers and the following programs: Full-Time Junior Program, Post Graduate Program, summer golf camps, winter golf camps and golf lessons and programs for adults, amateurs and professionals.
GGGA is committed to excellence in every facet of golf, fitness, personal development and academics, evident through exclusive relationships with Montverde Academy, an acclaimed private college preparatory school, and the American Junior Golf Association. As part of GGGA’s partnership with the AJGA, the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy is the official title sponsor of the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Series, an AJGA tournament series reserved for the world’s top 12-15 year-old golfers.
For more information about GGGA, the GGGA’s full-time residential boarding program and other year-round opportunities to Train, Think and Play like a Champion, visit www.ggga.com or call 1-866-639-9099.
