Thanksgiving Point RMJGT Boys 11-13 Division winners: (2nd from left, Ryan Lowe from Sandy, Utah finishing 2nd, 3rd from left, Kai Ruiz from Mapleton, Utah ties for 3rd) |
|
Wingpoint RMJGT Tournament Boys 14-15 Division winners: Austin Banz (r)from Salt Lake City, Utah finishes 1st. Remington Schultz (l)from Salt Lake City, Utah finishes 2nd |
The Rocky Mountain Junior Golf Tour was established to expand the opportunities for junior golfers in the Rocky Mountain region to experience different climates, elevations, course conditions and field sizes. In 2010, the tour will host nearly 50 events in Idaho, Montana, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Arizona.
Five tournaments are scheduled in Utah for 2010. Sky Mountain in St. George will be the tour’s first stop in the state on April 10-11, followed by Thanksgiving Point (May 15-16), Promontory (June 12-13), Stonebridge (September 4-5) and Wingpointe (October 2-3).
In 2009, the tour saw talented players from Utah place in events hosted in different states. Notably, Devon Purser (age 17) from Clearfield, Utah, won two Colorado events (Walking Stick and Red Hawk). At the Wingpointe Open in July, players from Utah dominated the Boys 14-15 Division. Austin Banz of Salt Lake took first, Remington Schultz also from Salt Lake placed second and Colton Dallimore of Syracuse, Utah ended up third. This event also saw Utah players Arman Ben-Jacob, fourth; Nick Smart, fifth; Jonah Bolton, sixth and Kendrick Gibson, eighth. Kai Ruiz of Mapleton took second in the Boys 11-13 Division.
The Rocky Mountain Junior Golf Tour event held at Thanksgiving Point in August saw some of the same finishers from Utah. Banz, Smart, Ben-Jacob and Gibson took second thru fifth in the Boys 14-15, Ruiz tied for third in the 11-13 Division and Ryan Lowe of Sandy taking second. This qualifying event earned these players an invitation to RMJGT’s end of the season Tournament of Champions in Scottsdale, Arizona in December.
Ben-Jacob went back to Utah as the Tournament of Champions winner in his age division. Smart took a respectable fourth in the same division. Lowe finished tenth in the 11-13 Division. The strong play of these three Utah juniors was especially impressive as they competed in a field of 98 players from seven different states. The competition was fierce, and the race was close.
The Rocky Mountain Junior Golf Tour has found that junior golfers not only want to experience tournament golf in other states, but they also want to see how they stack up against juniors they do not always see at the state association level. RMJGT is dedicated to promoting juniors who are determined to grow their competitive edge, build character, display sportsmanship and gain confidence in golf and in life.
The tour works closely with college coaches who are following RMJGT players and are taking notice of their successes. These events prepare players to take their game to the collegiate level and beyond. Every event is ranked by Junior Golf Scoreboard, thus individual RMJGT members, including Utah players, are moving up in the National Rankings. |
