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Players to Watch at Anderson Boys'
The Carolinas Golf Association’s boys’ championship season gets started for 2016 with the 8th Jimmy Anderson Boys’ Invitational at Jacksonville CC in Jacksonville, N.C. on April 2-3, 2016.
This year marks the eighth time the tournament has been hosted by Jacksonville CC. All but one past champion has gone on to play Division I college golf including: two-time champion Andrew Decker (NC State); Connor Lewis (Radford); Thomas Walsh (Virginia); and Patrick Cover (UNC-Wilmington). 2015 champion Christian Salzer of Sumter, S.C. will begin his college career this fall at 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.
The Jimmy Anderson Junior Invitational is conducted by the Carolinas Golf Association.
Here are 10 players to watch at this year Jimmy Anderson Boys’ Invitational:
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Nicholas Lyerly of Salisbury, N.C. In January, Lyerly, a high school junior at East Rowan HS, was named the 2015 N.C. Junior Player of the Year for his outstanding play that included a tie for third at last year’s Anderson Boys’ Invitational. Lyerly won the North State High School Challenge and looks to defend his individual title as the NCHSAA 3A state champion. Lyerly is ranked #1 in N.C. and has verbally committed to play college golf at UNC-Greensboro.
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Eric Bae of Pinehurst, N.C. Bae, a high school senior at Pinecrest HS, won the state 4A individual championship and led Pinecrest to the team title in 2015. Bae has played in four straight U.S. Junior Championships and was named the 2014 Carolinas Junior Player of the Year. Bae will play college golf at Wake Forest this fall.
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Patrick Golden of Murrells Inlet, S.C. Golden, a high school junior at Waccamaw HS, is currently ranked #6 on the SC junior rankings. Golden has won two junior tournaments and placed in the top ten 12 times in the past 12 months. Golden reached the quarter-finals in the CGA’s SC Junior Match Play Championship and finished tied for twelfth place in the Carolinas Junior Boys’ Championship.
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Patrick Stephenson of Four Oaks, N.C. Stephenson, a high school senior at South Johnston HS, is currently ranked #2 on the NC junior golf rankings and has won four junior tournaments since last September. Stephenson will play collegiate golf at East Carolina beginning this fall.
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Reed Bentley of Welford, S.C. Bentley, a high school junior at Byrnes HS reached the semi-finals of the CGA’s S.C. Junior Match Play, tied for fifth place in the CGA’s Carolinas Junior Boys’ Championship and represented the CGA in the Virginias-Carolinas Junior Team Matches in 2015. Bentley is ranked #7 on the current SC junior rankings.
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Jack Massei of Cary, N.C. Massei, a high school sophomore at Green Hope HS, won the 2015 NC Junior Boys’ Championship and represented the Carolinas Golf Association in the Virginias-Carolinas Junior Team Matches last summer. Massei was named second team all-state for his stellar play in 2015 and is ranked #18 on the NC junior rankings.
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Zack Gordon of Gaffney, S.C. Gordon, a high school sophomore at Gaffney HS is ranked #12 in S.C. by the SC Junior Golf Association. Gordon won the Orange Jacket Classic last fall and reached the quarter-finals in the CGA’s S.C. Junior Match Play Championship last summer at Dataw Island Club.
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AJ Beechler of Pinehurst, N.C. Beechler, a high school sophomore at Pinecrest HS, helped his high school win the 2015 4A state title while finishing tied for sixth individually. Beechler tied for fifth in the CGA’s Carolinas Junior Boys’ Championship which earned him a place on the CGA’s team that competed in the Virginias-Carolinas Junior Team Matches.
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Levi Moody of Greenville, S.C. Moody, a high school sophomore at Travelers Rest HS finished tied for 18th in the 2015 SC Men’s Amateur Championship. Moody has 19 top ten finishes over the past 12 months which include three first place finishes. Currently Moody is ranked #13 on the SC junior rankings.
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Stephen Carroll of Concord, N.C. Carroll, a high school junior at Concord HS, finished in seventh place in the CGA’s 2015 Carolinas Junior Boys’ Championship which earned him a spot on the Carolinas junior team that represented the CGA in the Virginias-Carolinas Junior Team Matches. Carroll is ranked #14 on the current NC junior rankings and has verbally committed to play college golf at East Carolina.
Others also who look to contend in this year’s Anderson Boys’ are Jonathan Brightwell of Mint Hill, N.C.; Daniel Castleberry of Greer, S.C.; Quentin Davis of Jacksonville, N.C.; Justin Emmons of Asheboro, N.C.; George Eubank Jr. of Roebuck, S.C.; Peter Fountain of Raleigh, N.C.; Joey Funderburg of Wilmington, N.C.; Dalton Mauldin of Sanford, N.C.; Cole Pridgen of Warsaw, N.C. and Nick Russell of Hilton Head, S.C.