Ashley Menne, Toni St John, Madeleine Laux and Kelly Su take on international field.
The 2018 Girls Junior Americas Cup kicks off July 23-27 with team Arizona set to compete at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen, Colorado against an elite international field of teams representing Alberta, British Columbia, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Mexico, Montana, New Mexico, Northern California, Southern California, Northern Nevada, Southern Nevada, Oregon, San Diego, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Team Arizona is made up of Ashley Menne of Surprise, Madeleine Laux of Goodyear, Toni St John of Gilbert and Kelly Su of Scottsdale. 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 compete for the individual medalist honors as well as the Joan Teats Inspirational Award, which honors the best team exhibiting the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, honesty, friendship and respect.
“We look forward to the Girls Junior Americas Cup each year,” said Scott McNevin, Executive Director of the Junior Golf Association of Arizona. “They came in fourth place last year. We’re looking for another strong finish again this year given the fact that all of them have played in the event before.”
Arizona Team:
Ashley Menne, class of 2020 at Xavier College Preparatory, makes her third consecutive appearance at the Girls Junior Americas Cup as the current Player of the Year points leader. So far this season, she has dominated the JGAA’s Girls Championship Division notching 7 wins in 16 events entered. She also recently made it to the round of 32 at the U.S. Girls’ Junior.
Madeleine Laux, class of 2020 at Millennium High School, holds the second spot in the Player of the Year ranking with two wins under her belt, Tucson City Jr Championship in May and the Tucson Spring Classic in April, to go along with three second-place finishes. This marks her second-consecutive appearance on Arizona’s Girls Junior Americas Cup team.
Also playing for the second-consecutive time, Toni St John, class of 2020 at Hamilton High School, is in third place in the points race with three wins so far this season – the SWS PGA Junior Qualifier in June, as well as two coveted Junior Masters Series tournaments, the BMO Invitational in February and the Wigwam Invitational in January.
Su made the team for a third time (2015, 2016, 2018), and on the JGAA schedule this season, she posted four second-place finishes and one victory at the Thunderbird Invitational in March, a Junior Masters Series tournament. A 2018 graduate of Chaparral High School, Su will attend Northwestern University in the fall as a member of the golf team.
Laux: Millennium High School – 2020
Su: Chaparral High School – Northwestern Committ
St John: Hamilton High School – 2020
Menne: Xavier College Preparatory 2020
About the Girls Junior America’s Cup:
The GJAC is a non-profit organization established in 1978 under the leadership of Joan Teats with a mission to provide a premier international team-golf tournament that encourages sportsmanship, friendship, personal growth and development of young women golfers. The event began with 11 teams in ’78 that grew into 18 teams by 1991. Each team consists of the top four girls from each state/country that exemplify not only outstanding skill and experience, but also true sportsmanship, discipline, courtesy and strength of character. The tournament is a 54-hole competition with teams counting three scores and throwing out the team’s highest score. The event also includes a practice round, opening and closing ceremonies, a tournament banquet and a social event. Being chosen to represent your state/country to play in the Girls Junior America’s Cup is one of the highest honors in girls’ junior golf. to lean more, visit http://gjac.org.
