The TJGT salutes each of the following players on the honor of being selected to the world’s top junior golf tournament:
Cody Gribble (2009, AJGA All-American), Cory Whitsett (2010, AJGA All-American), Anthony Paolucci (2011, AJGA All-American), Jordan Spieth (2011, AJGA Winner), Talor Gooch (2011), Josh Jones (2008 LSU Signee), Mary Michael Maggio (2009, AJGA All-American), Will Kropp (2008 Georgia signee), Adam Wennerstrom (2008 Texas signee), Sang Yi (2008 LSU signee)
This year, four (3 Boys and 1 Girl) TJGT players finished in the top ten, Kropp (t-2nd), Spieth (t-5th), Jones (8th), and Maggio (3rd). In addition to players already mentioned, players the past two years who have participated in Thunderbird from TJGT/iAlliance are the following: Kevin Tway (Oklahoma State Freshman), Conrad Shindler (Texas A&M Freshman), Patrick Reed (2008 Georgia Signee), Lisa McCloskey (2008 Pepperdine signee),
The selection process by the AJGA is the most stringent of any invitational and it is a tribute to the players & families for their hard work and dedication of playing with the best.1
The TJGT & iAlliance partners have placed 18 players the past two years in the AJGA Thunderbird International.
TJGT President Dave Jones stated, “It is a great honor to be selected to the AJGA Thunderbird. It is been a privilege to watch all these great players play on the TJGT the past several years. The past two years, the TJGT & iAlliance partners have placed more players than any other junior tour outside the AJGA into the Thunderbird. This is a testament to the strong fields and depth of competition the TJGT offers throughout the southwest region. It is important for players & parents to understand that playing in a strong field, with the best players is very important to collegiate recruiting.”
The TJGT has stressed the fact that saving $10 or $15 on a tournament that assures a better finish is not as important as playing in strong competition each & every week against the best players you can find. Collegiate coaches are looking for strong competition on quality venues. The TJGT believes with the number of players from TJGT in Thunderbird and a 95% success rate of collegiate scholarships from our 2006/07 season senior class, this is the place to play for collegiate exposure when playing outside the AJGA. Our 2008/09 schedule will be released shortly with a new & improved invitational schedule at collegiate & PGA tour venues. We hope to see many new and talented players on the TJGT this season starting Aug. 4/5 at Redstone GC, Home to the PGA Tours’ Shell Houston Open.
Check out TJGT.com for the latest updates.
Footnotes
- In 2003, the AJGA abandoned its tournament selection process that was based on the strength of a tournament application and resume in favor of a Performance Based Entry process. This enables 12-18-year-old members to earn their way into AJGA Open tournaments based on performances at the national, regional and state levels. ↩
