Sayre wins back-to-back titles; Menne wins by six strokes
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- Girls Champs (LtoR) Eve Worden, Kelly Su, Ashley Menne
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- Boys Champs (LtoR) Ben Lorenz, Hayden Sayre, Tony Hendricks
Hayden Sayre of Phoenix and Ashley Menne of Surprise took home top honors at the Willie Low Invitational Presented by MJ Insurance, a JGAA Junior Masters Series tournament contested June 25-26 at Phoenix Country Club.
Boys Championship
Sayre fired a first-round, 4-under-par 67, the low round on the tournament in the boy’s division, followed by an even-par 71 to win by one stroke at 138. This marks Sayre’s second consecutive win at the Willie Low Invitational to go along with a T3 finish three years ago, and it’s his second Junior Master Series win of the season. Ben Lorenz of Peoria came in second place with a 3-under-par 139 (71-68). Tony Hendricks of Phoenix finished three strokes off the pace at 1-under-par 141 (73-68) to earn third place.
Girls Championship
Ashley Menne of Surprise jumped out to a seven-stroke lead after the first round with a scorching 8-under-par 63. She followed with a 1-over-par 72 to finish six strokes clear of Kelly Su of Scottsdale who posted a steady 1-under-par 141 (70-71) to earn second place. Eve Worden of Phoenix turned in a solid performance to finish in third place at 1-over-par 143 (72-71).
Click here for complete final standings.
Willie Low’s Legacy
The event honors the late Willie Low, one of the Valley’s top golf professionals for nearly a half century who started the tournament in 1969. It has been showcasing the talents of junior golfers from across the state since then with past winners including PGA TOUR golfers Billy Mayfair (1983 and ’84), Ted Purdy (1989), Charlie Beljan (2000) and LPGA player, Sara Brown (2004).
Low influenced many of the Valley’s top juniors, including Howard Twitty and a young George Boutell who would later go on to win the 1962 Arizona Amateur Championship and then post a stellar career at Arizona State University, earning All American status.
Junior Masters Series
The JGAA’s Junior Masters Series consists of five regular tournaments at some of the most prestigious courses in Arizona.
“Our goal is to provide a competitive place for aspiring players to play,” said George Getz, Chairman of the Board of the JGAA. “This tournament series will allow kids to earn national-level points and will serve as a launching pad into nationally chartered events.”
To learn more about the JGAA and the Junior Masters Series, contact Scott McNevin, JGAA Executive Director, smcnevin@jgaa.org, 602-944-6168.
