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Publication: East Valley Tribune; Date: 03/24/2005
Blumenherst leads locals at junior tourney
By Bill Huffman
Scottsdale’s Amanda Blumen herst and Esther Choe will be among eight first-team Rolex Jun ior All-Americans competing this weekend in the Heather Farr Clas sic at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa.
Other elite players in the Amer ican Junior Golf Association event are Californians Tiffaney Joh, Jen nie Lee and Angela Park; In-Bee Park from Las Vegas; and defend ing boys champ Rory Hie and Jamie Lovemark, also of California.
According to Scott McNevin, the tournament director for the AJGA, the field will consist of 132 players between the ages of 12 to 18, including 20 other nationally ranked players.
"We’ve got an excellent field, just a lot of really good players," McNevin said. "It’s our first event of the season, and we could not be happier that we’re back here at Longbow Golf Club in the peak season."
McNevin said the event is open to the public at no cost, with play starting at 7 a.m each day. He also pointed out that there will be an AJGA record 18 players with Arizona ties playing in the tournament.
"Most of the players in the field will be from Southern California," said McNevin, noting that almost one-third of the AJGA’s 5,000 members are from that area of the Heather Farr Classic When: Saturday and Sunday, starting at 7 a.m. each day Where: Longbow Golf Club, 5601 E. Longbow Parkway, Mesa country.
"But Arizona is making inroads with players like Amanda Blumen herst, Esther Choe and Philip Francis, to name just a few."
Unfortunately, due to a dead line snafu, Francis will not be in the field.
But other Arizonans include Erik Coover, Drew Kittleson, Tim McKenney, Josh Porter and Tay lore Karle from Scottsdale; Cam eron Edens, Ryan Kelley, Melissa Mabanta and Cheyene Woods from Phoenix; Michael Haenel Jr., and Sara Gogolak from Paradise Valley; Kristen Schelling from Mesa, Brandon Holub of Higley, Brooke Schneider from Cave Creek; Nick Shimon from Peoria; and Scott Pinckney from Anthem.
This is the seventh year that the Heather Farr Classic has been hosted in the Valley, and the second consecutive year it has been held at Longbow.
Listen to Bill Huffman on "Backspin: The Golf Show" on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at 9 a.m. on XTRA (910 AM).
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