Preview: 11th Jimmy Anderson Boys' Invitational

 

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (August 16, 2019) -- The Carolinas Golf Association will conduct the 11th Jimmy Anderson Boys’ Invitational at Jacksonville Country Club in Jacksonville, N.C. on August 17-18, 2019.       

Related:  Field of Players | Starting Times | Scoring

This year marks the eleventh time the tournament has been hosted by Jacksonville Country Club.  All but two past champions have gone on to play Division I college golf including two-time champion Andrew Decker of Greenville, N.C. (NC State); Connor Lewis of Davidson, N.C. (Radford); Thomas Walsh of High Point, N.C. (Virginia); Patrick Cover of Huntersville, N.C. (UNC-Wilmington) and Christian Salzer of Sumter, S.C. (NC State).  The last two champions, Danny Azallion of Hilton Head, SC (Virginia Tech) and Kenan Poole, II of Raleigh (UNC-Chapel Hill) will begin their collegiate career this month.

This annual junior tournament was started in 2009 by the alumni of the Jacksonville Country Club junior golf program to honor their longtime teacher and friend Mr. Jimmy Anderson. 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 Country club, 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 a few players to watch at this year’s Jimmy Anderson Boys’ Invitational:

Nicholas Mathews of Mebane, N.C. - Mathews, a rising high school senior finished in third place in the Hope Valley Junior Invitational, qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship and had a top-15 finish in the Carolinas Junior Championship. Mathews is currently ranked No. 4 in N.C. Mathews has verbally committed to play golf at NC State.

Mason Tucker of Lancaster, S.C. - Tucker, a rising high school junior, won the CGA’s S.C. Junior Match Play Championship this past July and represented the CGA in the Virginias-Carolinas Junior Team matches. Tucker also won the SCJGA’s The Blade Junior. Tucker is ranked No. 6 in the S.C. junior rankings.

Ayush Bodhale of Cornelius, N.C. - Currently ranked No. 56 in N.C., Bodhale won the TYGA Coastal Plains Junior and tied for fourth in the TYGA Bill Harvey Junior. Bodhale is a rising high school junior.

Trey Crenshaw of Lancaster, S.C. - A rising high school sophomore, Crenshaw is ranked No. 20 in S.C. Crenshaw finished in third place in the S.C. Junior Championship and SCJGA’s Fall Challenge along with a tie for fifth in the Caddie Classic.

Tyler DeChellis of Clayton, N.C. - DeChellis, ranked No. 13 in N.C., is a rising high school junior. This summer, DeChellis finished tied for fifth in the Carolinas Junior Boys’ Championship, tied for ninth in the N.C. Junior Boys’ Championship and finished in third place in the NCHSAA 3A State Championship.

Keegan Vaugh of Myrtle Beach, S.C. - Vaugh, a rising high school senior, won the 2018 SC Junior Match Play Championship and has represented the CGA twice in the Virginias-Carolinas Junior Team matches.  Vaugh is ranked No. 7 in S.C.

Charlie Barr of Salisbury, N.C. - Barr, a rising high school junior, won the HV3 Invitational, finished second in the NCISAA 4A State Championship and took third place finish in the Carolinas PGA Junior.  Barr is ranked No. 30 in NC.