As my career in tournament golf winds down, I have had time to reflect on my start in the game at the Country Club of Charleston. I was extremely fortunate to be a part of a great junior program, and to have a membership that strongly supported junior golf and our efforts to learn the game. My time there was the platform I needed to have a successful amateur and professional career, and more importantly, a lifelong love of the game.
I would like to pass on this support by becoming involved, along with the South Carolina Junior Golf Association, in the 2008 Junior Azalea. Hart Brown has run this tournament for many years, and we want to help him turn this tournament into a national invitational and bring it to the status of the Azalea. Our ultimate goal is to have a 54 hole event of 40 boys and 40 girls from the junior national rankings. The tournament has already been recognized by the AJGA in their Performance Based Entry System for this year. It will be a wonderful way to showcase our state, and to help local junior golfers achieve national experience and exposure. I hope that you can be a part of the 2008 Championship.
Sincerely,
Beth Daniel
Bryan, O'Brien Claim 2007 Titles
Wesley Bryan, of Chapin, fired a 6-under-par 65 to claim the 2007 Junior Azalea golf tournament. Bryan's 36-hole 10-under-par 132 was seven shots ahead of runner-up Jacob Burger. Local Ellie O'Brien of Charleston also was a seven-shot winner in the the girls' 14-17 age group, with a 150 total.