Ben and Blake Lorenz, Hayden Sayre and Tony Hendricks take on international field.
The 2018 Junior America’s Cup kicks off July 22-26 with team Arizona set to compete at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort Golf Course against an elite international field of teams representing Alberta, British Columbia, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Mexico I, Mexico II, Montana, Nevada, Northern California, Oregon, San Diego, Southern California, Sun Country, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Team Arizona is made up of brothers Ben and Blake Lorenz of Peoria, Hayden Sayre and Tony Hendricks, both from Phoenix. The four players were selected by virtue of their top-4 status on the JGAA’s Player of the Year points ranking. They will compete in a 54-hole format where their three lowest scores will determine the team score. All players also will be competing for the Sally Pini award recognizing the individual medalist.
“We look forward to the Junior America’s Cup each year,” said Scott McNevin, Executive Director of the Junior Golf Association of Arizona (JGAA). “It’s a storied event with a long history that includes many of the top professionals on tour today. The Arizona team is very strong this year. We’re looking for a solid finish.”
Arizona Boys Team:
Sayre, class of 2019 at Thunderbird High School, currently leads the points race with 1,030, and recently notched his third win of the season on July 11 at the Northern AZ Jr Championship to go along with wins at two coveted JGAA Junior Masters Series (JMS) events: Willie Low Invitational in June and AM&E Classic – Bryce Molder in March. He also posted four other top-5 finishes.
Hendricks, class of 2019 at Brophy College Preparatory, sits at 920 with three wins, most recently the Thunderbird Junior Classic in June. He also won two JMS events: the Thunderbird Invitational in March and Wigwam Invitational in January – in addition to a pair of third-place finishes at two other JMS tournaments.
Ben Lorenz, class of 2020 at Sunrise Mountain High School, has 860 points highlighted by wins at the SWS PGA Junior Qualifier and BMO Invitational, a JMS tournament. In nine events entered this season, Ben finished in eighth place or better in all but one.
Ben’s brother Blake, 2018 graduate of Sunrise Mountain High School, is in fourth place in the points race with 822. He has one win so far this season at the AJGA Club Corp Mission Hills Desert Jr in June to go along with nine other top-10 finishes in 11 events. In the fall, Blake will enter college at the University of Oklahoma as a member of the golf team.
About The Junior America’s Cup:
The Junior America’s Cup first started in 1959 as matches between Mexico, Alberta and the Southern California Junior Golf Associations with each association hosting the event every three years. Since 2001, the competition annually brings together an elite international field of 18, four-player teams featuring the top boys representing 12 western states, two Canadian provinces and Mexico. To learn more about the Junior America’s Cup, visit http://www.junioramericascup.net/, or contact Scott McNevin, JGAA Executive Director, smcnevin@jgaa.org, 602-944-6168.
