Annually Over the Last Two Decades, Grayhawk Golf Club Hosts The Top Junior Golfers Worldwide
The Thunderbird International Junior – a major on the AJGA schedule – will reach a momentous milestone this Memorial Day weekend: its 20th anniversary.
“It has been very gratifying to watch this event grow,” said Del Cochran, Grayhawk’s Captain of the Club, member of The Thunderbirds and co-chairman of the tournament. “I can’t say enough about the way The Thunderbirds, Phil and Amy Mickelson, AJGA and Under Armour developed it into one of the most competitive junior golf tournaments in the world.”
A Who’s Who of Past Champions
The list of past champions includes Ryan Moore, Brian Harman, Brad Dalke, Sam Burns and Norman Xiong. Other distinguished participants include Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, Rickie Fowler, Webb Simpson, Patrick Cantlay, Kyle Stanley, Beau Hossler, Kevin Na, Justin Thomas and Hunter Mahan.
Ariya Jutanugarn, Morgan Pressel, Belen Mozo and Brittany Lang are all champions, while players such as Paula Creamer, Inbee Park, Anna Nordqvist, Azahara Munoz, Amanda Blumenherst, Alison Lee and Lexi Thompson also participated. And last year’s champion, Yuka Saso of the Philippians, recently made headlines with a T3 finish at the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
For the second year, Ashley Menne will be the “Lone Ranger” from Arizona to play. She turned in an eight-place finish last year, and she is currently listed at No. 32 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. With a win, Menne will join Philip Francis as the second Arizona residents to win.
The tournament will be played May 24-27 with tee times each day beginning at 7:00am.
MORE THAN JUST GOLF!
