Hendricks turns in bogey-free performance; Menne three-peats with final-nine 31.
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- Boys finalists pictured with Thunderbirds (left to right): Brett Parker, Joey Geary, Ben Irwin, Hayden Sayre, Tony Hendricks, Blair Polachek, George Thimsen and Tom Cunningham.
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- Girls finalists pictured with Thunderbirds (left to right): Zack Walz, Ashley Menne, Alyzzah Vakasiuola, Kendall Todd and Tom Cunningham.
Tony Hendricks of Phoenix and Ashley Menne of Surprise earn first-place honors in the Boy and Girls Championship Divisions at the Thunderbird Junior Classic held June 13-14 on Arizona Biltmore Golf Club’s Adobe course. With the largest field in the JGAA circuit, the tournament hosted 221 boys and girls in five age divisions.
Hendricks’ bogey-free performance in the two-round tournament started out with an 8-under-par 64, followed by a 5-under 67 to finish at 13-under-par 131 for the event. Hayden Sayre (66-67) of Phoenix came in second place at 11-under-par 133, two strokes off the pace, and Joey Geary (69-67) of Phoenix and Damon Vilkauskas (64-72) of Mesa finished tied for third place at 8-under-par 136. With the win, Hendricks moves into first place in tournament points race for Player of the Year honors. To date, he has notched three victories – two in Junior Masters Series events – in six events played.
Menne – who won the event for the third consecutive year – carded a first-round 1-under 71 before turning on the heat in round-two with a 7-under-par 65, which included a 5-under-par 31 on the final nine holes, to finish at 8-under 136 for the tournament. Alyzzah Vakasiuola (71-69—140) of San Tan Valley finished in second place four strokes back at 4-under par. Kendall Todd (73-69) of Goodyear, Lauren Garcia (70-72) of Gilbert finished T3 at 2-under-par 142.
Jordan Barker of Bethlehem, Penn. won in a playoff in the Boys 15-18 Division at 1-under par (72-71—143). Anawin Pikulthong of Gilbert won for the second year in a row in the Boys 13-14 Division at 8-under par (68-68—136). Tyler Spielman of Cave Creek also won back-to-back titles in the Boys 11-12 Division at 3-under par (55-50—105), and Shravan Ramesh from Scottsdale won in a playoff in the Boys 10 and Under Division at 5-over par (29-30—59).
Aubrey Waters, Scottsdale, won in the Girls 15-18 Division at 5-over par (77-72—149). Marley Moncada of Tucson won the Girls 13-14 Division at 2-under par (66-76—142). Ailis Tribolet of Chandler won the Girls 11-12 Division at 7-over par (58-57—115), and Aubrey Hilgers won in the Girls 10 and Under Division at 5-over par (31-38—59).
Title sponsors of the Thunderbird Junior Classic, The Thunderbirds were founded in 1937 with the mission of promoting the Valley of the Sun through sports. Consisting of 55 “active” members and more than 250 “life” members, The Thunderbirds host the Waste Management Phoenix Open; the best-attended golf tournament in the world, which to date has raised nearly $110 million for Valley charities, including the JGAA. With its unmatched fan participation and rich history dating back more than 80 years, The Waste Management Phoenix Open has gained legendary status for being a unique stop on the PGA TOUR.
