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9th Jimmy Anderson Boys' Preview
The Carolinas Golf Association’s boys’ championship season gets started for 2017 with the 9th Jimmy Anderson Boys’ Invitational at Jacksonville Country Club in Jacksonville, N.C. on April 1-2.
Related: Championship website
This year marks the ninth time the tournament has been hosted by Jacksonville CC. All but two past champions have gone on to play Division I college golf including two-time champion Andrew Decker (NC State); Connor Lewis (Radford); Thomas Walsh (Virginia); Patrick Cover (UNC-Wilmington) and Christian Salzer (NC State).
This annual junior tournament was started by the alumni of the Jacksonville Country Club junior golf program in 2009 to honor their longtime teacher and friend Mr. Jimmy Anderson. Jimmy Anderson was the head golf professional at Jacksonville Country Club for over 25 years. Each Saturday morning, he conducted a junior golf clinic to help spread the game of golf to the next generation. During his tenure at Jacksonville CC, he taught many juniors including Mallory Miller, the 1987 N.C. Junior Champion and numerous future collegiate and golf professionals. Not only did he teach the game of golf, but was always there with a helpful word of encouragement to any young golfer. The tournament began as a boys and girls tournament, but due to the success of the event, the girls have been given their own tournament that is conducted each fall in October.
Here are 10 players to watch at this year’s Jimmy Anderson Boys’ Invitational:
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Nicholas Lyerly of Salisbury, N.C. Lyerly, a high school senior at East Rowan HS, won the 2016 North Carolina Amateur Championship, becoming the youngest player to hold the state’s most prestigious title. Lyerly was named the 2015 and 2016 N.C. Junior Player of the Year. He is ranked #1 in N.C. and will begin his college golf career this fall at UNC-Greensboro.
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AJ Beechler of Pinehurst, N.C. Beechler, a high school junior, won the US Kids Teen World Championship and the Donald Ross Junior Boys in 2016. Beechler is currently ranked #2 in N.C. and has verbally committed to play college golf at UNC-Greensboro.
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Holden Grigg of Myrtle Beach, S.C. Grigg, a sophomore in high school, is ranked #15 in S.C. Grigg has won two Hurricane Junior Golf Tour tournaments along with the Fort Dorchester High School tournament.
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Mason Elmore of Charlotte, N.C. Elmore, a senior in high school, is currently ranked #9 on the N.C. junior rankings. Elmore has finished in the top 10 ten times in the twenty junior tournaments he has played over the past twelve months. Elmore will play college golf at UNC-Chapel Hill.
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Grant Sellers of McBee, S.C. Sellers, a high school junior, tied for second in the SCJGA Caddie Classic and has nine top ten finishes in the past twelve months. Sellers is currently ranked #18 in S.C.
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Jack Massei of Cary, N.C. Massei, a high school junior, won the 2015 NC Junior Boys’ Championship and is ranked #5 in N.C. Massei has verbally committed to play college golf at East Carolina.
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Nicholas Mayfield of Rock Hill, S.C. Mayfield, a high school sophomore, finished tied for seventh in the SCJGA Ford Picard Christmas Classic and is currently ranked #28 in S.C.
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Michael Childress of Salisbury, N.C. Childress, a high school junior, was co-medalist in the US Junior Boys’ qualifying and finished tied for fourth in the 2016 North and South Boys’ Championship. Childress sits at #3 on the N.C. rankings.
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Drew Weary of Bluffton, S.C. Weary, a high school junior, tied for second in the Carolinas PGA Charles Tilghman and the SCJGA Tradition Fourball. Weary is ranked #44 in S.C.
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Alex Goff of Kings Mountain, N.C. Goff, a high school junior, reached the semifinals of the 2016 NC Junior Championship and tied for eighth in the Dogwood State Junior Boys’ Championship. Goff is ranked #8 in N.C.
Others also who look to contend in this year’s Anderson Boys’ are Bryson Boyette of Wilson, N.C.: Zack Brown of Bermuda Run, N.C.; Brandon Einstein of Clemmons, N.C.; Nathan Franks of Roebuck, S.C.; Peter Hinnant of Raleigh, N.C.; Chris Kim of Cary, N.C.; Brandon McBride of Bluffton, S.C.; Manning Sloop of Rock Hill, S.C.; Nicholas Stuedli of Charlotte, N.C.; Jackson Van Paris of Pinehurst, N.C.; Johnny Velasquez of Mt. Pleasant, S.C.; Ben Woodruff of Huntersville, N.C.; and Grayson Wotnosky of Wake Forest, N.C.
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