Sixteen AJGA alumni received 2013 PGA
TOUR cards at the Web.com Tour Championship at TPC Craig Ranch. TOUR cards were
awarded to the top 25 players based on their season-ending finish on the money
list.
Casey
Wittenberg (No. 1) won the 2000 Polo Golf Junior Classic and the 2002
Thunderbird International Junior. He tallied 13 top-five finishes in national
competition and was named Rolex Junior Player of the Year in 2001 before
signing with Oklahoma State University. During his collegiate career, Wittenberg
reached the finals of the 2003 U.S. Amateur, but fell to Nick Flanagan after 37
holes. He also made history at the 2004 Masters, where his even-par 288 finish
was the lowest score by an amateur at the event since 1962.
Luke
Guthrie* (No. 2) had a successful
junior career highlighted by a third-place finish at the 2007 Rolex Tournament
of Champions and a win at the 2007 Rand Graphics-Wildcat Golf Wichita Junior
Championship, the Rolex Junior All-American signed with Illinois. Guthrie led
the Fighting Illini to four consecutive Big Ten team titles. In 2012,
he was named the Big Ten Player of the Year after winning the individual Big
Ten title for the second year in a row.
Russell
Henley* (No. 3) competed in three AJGA events during his junior career,
including the 2006 FJ Invitational. His AJGA career was highlighted by a T4
finish at the 2006 Golf Pride Junior Classic. He won two Georgia Amateur titles
(2008 and 2009), finished fourth at the 2010 Porter Cup and posted a
seventh-place finish at the 2010 Southern Amateur. Henley found success at the
University of Georgia, where he matched the school record for college wins
(seven) and received the 2010 Haskins Awards during his junior season.
Luke
List* (No. 4) competed in AJGA events from 1999 to 2003. His junior
career consisted of six top-10 AJGA finishes, including a runner-up showing at
the 2002 PING Junior at Trophy Lake. Before signing his National Letter of
Intent with Vanderbilt, he was named a two-time Rolex Junior All-American in
2002 and 2003. While competing for the Commodores, he earned First-Team
All-Southeastern Conference honors and was a semi-finalist at the U.S. Public
Links Amateur Championship, where he was defeated in the semifinals by champion
and Vanderbilt alumnus Brandt Snedeker.
James Hahn*
(No.
5) competed in five AJGA events between 1996-1998, culminating with a strong
showing at the 1998 Polo Golf Junior Classic. Hahn placed fourth in the 12-14
age division at the 1996 ClubCorp Mission Hills Desert Junior. In 1998, Hahn
posted a top-five finish at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Junior Classic
and advanced to the quarterfinals match at the Polo Golf Junior Classic where
he fell to eventual champion, Hunter Mahan. Following his AJGA career, Hahn
competed at the University of California – Berkeley.
Shawn
Stefani* (No. 6) made eight appearances in AJGA tournaments from 1998 to
2000. Stefani’s best showing was at the 1999 AJGA Chrysler Junior Classic where
he tied for 22nd. He found success at Lamar University where he
capped his collegiate career with three top-10 finishes.
Robert
Streb* (No. 7) compiled four top-10 AJGA finishes throughout his junior
golf career, including his win at the 2004 OSSO Junior at Oak Tree. His victory
in 2004 earned him honorable mention Rolex Junior All-America accolades before
he signed with Kansas State. Streb continued to find success at the collegiate
level, where he became the first freshman Wildcat ever to advance to the NCAA
Championship in 2005.
Ben
Kohles* (No. 8) was a 2008 honorable mention Rolex Junior All-American. He
competed in six AJGA events before playing college golf at Virginia. The former
Cavalier was named ACC Player of the Year as both a sophomore and a junior and
holds the record at Virginia for most individual career wins.
Paul Haley
II*, (No. 12) began his AJGA career in 2001 at the Junior All-Star
Classic at Midland. During his six seasons with the AJGA, Haley collected 13
top-ten finishes and two AJGA Championships at the 2004 Robert Trent Jones Golf
Trail Junior and 2004 Dunlop Carolina Junior Championship. In the same year,
Haley earned first-team Rolex Junior All-America honors. Haley ended his career
with a T2 showing at the PING Junior at The Woodlands and ninth place showing
at the Thunderbird International Junior which earned him a Rolex Junior
All-America Team honorable mention. Haley continued his golf career at Georgia
Tech where he won the 2011 ACC Championship.
Andres
Gonzales (No. 14) competed in three AJGA seasons and included a personal
best finish of fourth at the 2000 PING Phoenix Junior at ASU Karsten. In 2001, Gonzales
finished among the top 10 with a ninth place showing at the Junior Championship
at Trophy Lake. Gonzales competed at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas for
three seasons.
Lee
Williams* (No. 16) competed in the 1999 TaylorMade Pine Isle Junior Classic.
Following his junior career, Williams competed at Auburn University where he
finished T5 at the 2002 SEC Championships and runner-up at the 2003 NCAA
Championships.
Morgan
Hoffman* (No. 19) notched four AJGA victories while competing at the junior
level from 2003 to 2008, including the 2006 Polo Golf Junior Classic and the
2007 Junior PLAYERS Championship. His performances earned him first-team Rolex
Junior All-America honors in 2007, before capping his junior career with a win
at the 2008 Houston Boys Invitational at Redstone presented by HP and
Administaff (now named the HP Boys Championship at Carlton Woods). Hoffman
signed with Oklahoma State University, where he was named the Big 12 Player and
Newcomer of the Year as a freshman. His best finish with the Cowboys was a
runner-up showing at the 2009 PING/Golfweek Invitational.
Andrew Svoboda* (No. 21) played
in five AJGA events during his junior career with his best showing coming at
the 1997 ClubCorp Junior Championship where he tied for second. He played
collegiate golf at St. Johns University.
Nicholas
Thompson (No. 22) is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American. He was
victorious at the 2000 AJGA Shell World Golf Village Junior Championship. In
addition to his win, the two-time Rolex Junior All-American achieved seven
top-10 finishes before signing with Georgia Tech.
Doug
LaBelle II, (No. 24) played AJGA events from 1987 to 1993, earning eight
top-five finishes including a victory at the 1992 Wakonda Junior Classic and a
T3 showing at the 1992 Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior. The
third-team Rolex Junior All-American continued his golf career at the
University of New Mexico before turning pro in 1998.
Jim
Herman (No. 25) made his lone AJGA appearance at the 1996 Natural
Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior. He went on to play collegiate golf at the
University of Cincinnati before turning professional in 2000.
*will be first-year member of the PGA TOUR in 2013.
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Nick Watney fired
a course record 10-under-par 61 at The MINES Resort & Golf Club on the
final day of competition to win The CIMB Classic, Oct. 25-28, in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia. The 22-under-par victory will not add to his PGA TOUR record, which
includes five TOUR titles, as the tournament will not become an official PGA
TOUR event until next season.
Watney made one AJGA appearance at the 1999 Las Vegas
Founders’ Legacy, where he tied with Ryan
Moore for 16th. He went on to the collegiate level, becoming a
three-time All-American at Fresno State University.