102 players to battle for Dixie Junior golf crowns
Published 9:49 pm Friday, June 12, 2015
By the middle of next week, two junior golfers will have their names on the same trophy as major champions Stewart Cink and Bubba Watson.
The 54th annual Bud Burns Dixie Junior Championship will be held Monday-Wednesday at the Selma Country Club. As of Friday afternoon, 102 golfers were registered to try to win the prestigious championship, which was won by Cink in 1988 and 1990 and Watson in 1994 and 1995.
Cink won the British Open in 2009 and Watson won The Masters in 2012 and 2014.
“I’m all about this golf tournament. It carries on my dad’s legacy in junior golf and that’s why I try to keep it going,” said Tommy Burns, who serves as the PGA professional at the Selma Country Club.
The entry list on the Alabama Junior Golf Association shows players from every corner of the state taking part.
Three players from Selma — Jones Free, Arrington Mooney and Thomas Morris — are on the AJGA list.
Last year’s boys champion Matt Lorenz was not on the list Friday, which only showed 95 of the 102 players registered.
The defending girls champion, Brooke Sansom from Pike Road, is registered to defend her title. Last year her winning score was 152.
The girls will begin the tournament Monday morning at 8 a.m. Girls 9-and-under will play nine holes Monday and Tuesday. All other girls will play 18 holes Monday and Tuesday, with an overall champion and each age division winner being announced Tuesday.
The boys will play 18 holes Monday and Tuesday.
Players that qualify for the boys “A” division, which will include 15, 16, 17 and 18-year-olds, will play 36 holes Tuesday after playing 18 Monday. Burns said playing 54 holes in two days really tests a player’s skill as well as his stamina.
“I don’t know of another tournament where they would play 36 holes in one day,” Burns said. “
We’ve always felt like its not just about 18 holes. It’s not just about playing well. It’s about endurance and who can go out there all day long and play 36 holes on the last day and not only have the stamina to play but also stand up to the pressure.”
Burns said he will set up the course with six easy pin placements, six moderately tough pin placements and six difficult placements.
Last year the boys winning score was 219.
Play will begin each day at 8 a.m. Scoring will be available at www.alabamajuniorgolf.org.