2014 AJGA E-Z-GO Vaughn Taylor Championship Winners

Lee wins E-Z-GO Vaughn Taylor Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf
Burkhardt finishes five strokes ahead to win at Jones Creek Golf Club

2014Winners

 

EVANS, Ga. – S.M. Lee of Buford, Georgia, won the E-Z-GO Vaughn Taylor Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf at 5-under-par 211, after posting a final round score of 1-under-par 71. Carly Burkhardt of Greenville, South Carolina, won the Girls Division by five shots, finishing at 2-over-par 218.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the E-Z-GO Vaughn Taylor Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf was a 54-hole stroke play competition played on the par-72 course at Jones Creek Golf Club.  The event featured 63 boys and 21 girls, ages 13-18, from 10 states and six countries. The Boys Division played the course at 6,745 yards, while the Girls Division played the course at 6,017 yards.

In a tight race for the lead, Lee finished the final round at 1-under-par 71 to secure his win. After completing the front-nine, Lee was leading by one shot and was able to card two birdies and seven pars on the back nine to keep his lead.

 “I played most of my shots safe today,” Lee said. “I didn’t want to go for every hole because I wanted to play well. I knew that playing my shots safer would keep me in the hunt for the championship.”

Gabriel Lench of Lake Mary, Florida, finished in second place at 3-under-par 213.  Tied for third were Jake DeZoort of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Chase Ibbotson of Sanford, Florida, and Jake Milanowski of Peachtree City, Georgia, with tournament-total scores of 2-under-par 214.

With scores of even-par 72 and 2-over-par 74 in the first two rounds, Burkhardt started strong in the final round, shooting par or better every hole on the front nine. In her eighth AJGA event, Burkhardt came into the final round trailing the lead by one stroke. She posted an even-par 72 in the final round, winning by five strokes.

“I shot 2-under on the front nine and then had a double on the back, but it worked out that I had an even par round,” Burkhardt said. “My putting really made all the difference, especially on this course and with this field, you really need to control your putts and you will do well.”

Burkhardt also expressed gratitude to her family, coaches, AJGA staff and Jones Creek Golf Club staff and volunteers.

“Playing in the AJGA is such an honor. The tournaments are run so well and the fields are made of the best junior players in the world,” Burkhardt said. “It is fun that I get to make friends and play with them consistently as a member of this organization.”

Natalie Srinivasan of Spartanburg, South Carolina, finished in second at 7-over-par 223, and Yunjie Zhang of (China) Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, placed third at 8-over-par 224.

For more information about the E-Z-GO Vaughn Taylor Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf, contact AJGA National Headquarters at (770) 868-4200.

 

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