AJGA Rolex TOC winners Paphangkorn Tavatanakit and Davis Shore
(AJGA Photo)
GREENSBORO, GA (July 1, 2016) -- Davis Shore of
Knoxville, Tennessee, captured the Boys Division crown
with a 10-under-par 274 at the AJGA Rolex Tournament
of Champions. Paphangkorn Tavatanakit of Bangkok,
Thailand, won the Girls Division with a tournament total
5-under-par 283 at Reynolds Lake Oconee’s Great
Waters Course. The Boys Division finished third round
play Friday morning after the round was suspended due
to darkness, Thursday.
Begun in 1978, the Rolex Tournament of
Champions is one of the two longest-running AJGA
events. Past winners of the Rolex Tournament of
Champions include Inbee Park, David Duval, Heather
Farr, Charles Howell III, Morgan Pressel, Webb
Simpson, two-time winner Beth Bauer and three-time
victor Phil Mickelson.
Shore, ranked second in the Polo Golf Rankings,
won his third career AJGA event, and his first since the
2015 Toyota Music City Junior. He is only the second
junior from Tennessee to win the Rolex Tournament of
Champions, with David Gossett being the first in 1997.
“It was pretty crazy. I’ve been working pretty hard
to win one of these tournaments,” he said. “It felt really
good to get it going this week.”
During his four rounds, the University of Alabama
commit tallied 10 birdies and just one bogey on the
back nine.
“I told myself if I can hang in there, make some
putts and continue to hit good shots, I can win it,”
Shore said. “My strategy going into today was to be
aggressive. I finally got a birdie to drop on No. 14 and
the rest of the round just kind of rolled from
there.”
The 17-year-old discussed what it means to have
his name mentioned next to other great junior golfers
who have won the Rolex Tournament of Champions.
“There are so many good players that have won
this tournament,” Shore said. “I hope that this is
something that I can draw some confidence from
moving forward.”
John Pak of Scotch Plains, New Jersey, finished
second with a 5-under-par 279 tournament total. Pak
shot a 1-under-par 70 in the final round, including a
bogey-free back nine.
Pak, committed to Florida State, came within three
strokes of the lead after he birdied No. 12, but Shore
responded with birdies on Nos. 14 and 18 to seal the
win.
Kaiwen Liu of San Diego, finished in third with a
one-under-par 283 tournament total. Liu, a University
of California Berkeley commit, carded a 1-under-par 70,
including three birdies and no bogeys on the back nine.
S.M. Lee of Buford, Georgia, had the low final round
and tournament score with an 8-under-par 63, including
7-under-par on the back nine.
To claim the Girls Division, Tavatanakit of Bangkok,
Thailand, carded a 3-under-par 69 in Friday’s final
round. Four birdies and no bogeys on the front nine
helped the UCLA commit take a lead she wouldn’t
relinquish. She said it was all about the mental game
today.
“I would say my mind-set was my strength today. I
didn’t give up or have any bad thoughts about the
round,” said Tavatanakit. “I just wanted to go out and
play good golf, happy golf, and you can tell I am so
happy to be out here.”
This is the 16-year-old’s third AJGA win, but first
Invitational; her other two wins came at the L.A. Junior
Open (2014, 2015). She spends summers in the United
States playing golf and then returns to Thailand for
school in the fall. She has always known she was going
to come to college in the United States. This is her ninth
AJGA appearance and second Rolex Tournament of
Champions.
Yu Sang Hou of Taipei City, Taiwan, trailed
Tavantanakit by three strokes with a 2-under-par 286.
Hou led the Girls Division following the second and third
round. The rising senior made four birdies, two on each
nine. She plans to play in three more American
tournaments, before returning home. This is her fifth
AJGA event and first Rolex Tournament of Champions
appearance.
Gina Kim of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Rachel
Heck of Memphis, Tennessee, tied for third with
tournament totals of 1-over-par 289. Kim led the Girls
Division after the first round with a 3-under-par 69. This
is the Duke University commit’s 23rd AJGA appearance.
She won at the 2016 Rolex Girls Junior Championship
and 2014 AJGA Junior at Cattail Creek. Heck carded 15
birdies during the tournament, helping her sustain the
third place position. The 14-year-old is a Rolex Junior
All-American and has appeared at 16 other AJGA
events, winning at the 2015 AJGA Huntsville Junior.
View results for Rolex Tournament of Champions
ABOUT THE
Rolex Tournament of Champions
The Rolex Tournament of Champions features 84 of
the best junior
golfers in the world. The tournament assembles
the
Rolex Junior All-Americans with the past year’s
champions to create The Greatest Week in Junior
Golf.
Format is
72 holes of stroke play, with boys and girls
competitions.
View Complete Tournament Information