TOUR Highlights: July 5

LPGA Tour

Danielle Kang, a four-year AJGA alumna, sealed not only her first LPGA victory but her first major title at last week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club.

The two-time Rolex Junior All-American birdied her final hole to add to her collection of 18 birdies made over the 72-hole event. Shooting 69-66-68-68 over the four days, Kang and runner-up Brooke Henderson were the only two players in the field to break 70 on each day in the windy conditions.

After sealing the deal on No. 18, Kang’s Rolex Ranking jumped 25 spots, now sitting at 18th.  Since turning professional in 2012, Kang has earned 13 career top 10s and sits fifth on the money list.

Over Kang’s time as an AJGA junior, she achieved 11 top-10 national finishes and qualified for the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open. In her last year as an AJGA junior, reached the quarter finals at the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship before attending Pepperdine to play college golf. 

PGA TOUR

AJGA alumni Kyle Stanley carded a 4-under-par 66 in the final round of the Quicken Loans National at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm to enter a sudden-death playoff with playing partner, Charles Howell III. The pair played No. 18 again where Stanley drained a five-footer to save par following Howell III’s bogey.

After a bogey on the first hole, Stanley produced his first of five birdies on the fifth. With the PGA TOUR win, his second, Stanley moved up 24 places in the FedEx Cup Standings, now ranked 14th.

As an AJGA junior, Stanley was a three-time Rolex Junior All-American, winning three national junior event titles, earning 12 top-10 finishes and playing as a member of the Wyndham Cup’s West Team in 2005 and 2006 before attending Clemson University in 2006.

Web.com Tour

Lanto Griffin earned his first-ever Web.com Tour victory at the Nashville Golf Open Benefitting the Snedeker Foundation last week by sinking a 17-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole.

During his three years as an AJGA player, Griffin had five top-25 finishes including a T3 at the 2005 Stars of Texas Junior. Griffin then went on to play his college career at Virginia Commonwealth University before turning professional in 2010.