(Oct. 20, 2010) — The 12 girls on the Rolex Junior All-America First Team are led by Kristen Park of Buena Park, Calif. Park is a five-time Rolex Junior All-American, which leaves her tied for fourth most Rolex Junior All-American honors in the Girls Division. This is her first time earning first-team honors since 2007. She had three AJGA victories in 2010, including wins at the Rolex Tournament of Champions and The PING Invitational. Ranked No. 2 in the Polo Golf Rankings, Park has verbally committed to Southern Cal.
Victoria Tanco of Bradenton, Fla., was the 2008 and 2009 Rolex Junior Player of the Year and earned first-team honors for the third straight year. Jessica Korda of Bradenton, Fla., and Alison Lee of Valencia, Calif., are also three-time first-team Rolex Junior All-Americans, while Yueer Cindy Feng of Orlando, Fla., was named to the first team for the second straight year.
Previous Rolex Junior All-Americans earning first-team accolades for the first time are Shannon Aubert of ChampionsGate, Fla., Laetitia Beck of Caesarea, Israel, Doris Chen of Bradenton, Fla., Kyung Kim of Chandler, Ariz., Stephanie Meadow of Jordanstown, Northern Ireland, and Emily Tubert of Burbank, Calif.
Ariya Jutanugarn of Bangkok, Thailand, is a first-time Rolex Junior All-American and is making her debut on the first team.
Introduced by the AJGA in 1978, the Rolex Junior All-America Teams annually recognize players who have established themselves as the world’s premier junior golfers. This year’s selections distinguished themselves through their outstanding play in 77 national events, 60 of which were conducted by the AJGA. The Rolex Junior All-America Teams were determined exclusively through the Polo Golf Rankings as of Oct. 20.
The teams are comprised of 96 junior golfers, ages 13-18, from 23 states and six foreign countries (Canada, Israel, Mexico, Northern Ireland, the Philippines and Thailand). These standouts will be honored at the Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet, Nov. 21, at PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
First-team Rolex Junior All-Americans
Shannon Aubert, ChampionsGate, Fla.
A two-time Rolex Junior All-American, Aubert is currently No. 6 in the Polo Golf Rankings and posted five top-10 finishes during the 2010 season. She recorded four runner-up finishes, including a tie for second at The PING Invitational in October, which brings her to nine career AJGA top-five finishes.
Laetitia Beck, Caesarea, Israel
Beck is a 2010 graduate of the Pendleton Academy and is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American. Her 2010 campaign included a win at The Verizon Junior Heritage, as well as runner-up finishes at the ANNIKA Invitational and the Thunderbird International Junior. Now a freshman at Duke, Beck finished her junior career with nine top-10 finishes in national junior golf competition.
Doris Chen, Bradenton, Fla.
The No. 9 player in the Polo Golf Rankings, Chen is being named a Rolex Junior All-American for the fourth consecutive year, with this being her first year as a first-team selection. Victorious at the U.S. Girls Junior Championship, Chen had an impressive 2010, recording four additional top-10 finishes in national junior golf competition, including a tie for fourth at the AJGA Junior at Innisbrook.
Yueer Cindy Feng, Orlando, Fla.
Feng is currently No. 1 in the Polo Golf Rankings and is being named a first-team Rolex Junior All-American for the second consecutive year. She posted two AJGA Invitational victories during the 2010 season – first at the Thunderbird International Junior in May, then at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship in June. These victories brought her AJGA career total to 10, which is tied for eighth most in the Girls Division.
Ariya Jutanugarn, Bangkok, Thailand
In two junior golf seasons in the United States, Jutanugarn, 14, has amassed seven top-10 finishes in eight tournaments. In 2010, she finished second at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship and tied for fourth at The PING Invitational, which helped her climb to No. 4 in the Polo Golf Rankings.
Kyung Kim, Chandler, Ariz.
Kim, 16, is a junior at Hamilton High School and rose to the No. 5 spot in the Polo Golf Rankings after winning the PING Phoenix Junior. She also had a runner-up finish at The PING Invitational and a third-place showing at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship. Kim was a member of the Canon Cup West Team and compiled a record of 3-1-0. Overall, she finished in the top five in five of the seven national tournaments in which she competed in the 2010 season.
Jessica Korda, Bradenton, Fla.
Korda holds the No. 8 spot in the Polo Golf Rankings and has earned first-team Rolex Junior All-America honors for the third consecutive year. She recorded four top-10 finishes in national junior golf competition throughout 2010, including a win at the Scott Robertson Memorial in May.
Alison Lee, Valencia, Calif.
Lee has been named to the Rolex Junior All-America First Team for the third-consecutive year on the strength of wins at the ClubCorp Mission Hills Desert Junior and the Winn Grips Heather Farr Classic hosted by Longbow Golf Club. Along with qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Open, Lee also traveled to Scotland to represent the U.S. on Junior Ryder Cup team, helping to retain the cup for the second year of competition. With two additional top-10 finishes coming at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship and the Thunderbird International Junior, Lee has claimed the No. 7 spot in the Polo Golf Rankings.
Stephanie Meadow, Jordanstown, Northern Ireland
Meadow is a 2010 graduate from the Heritage Academy and is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American. In her final junior golf season, she amassed six top-10 finishes in eight national tournaments, including a win at the AJGA Junior at Innisbrook. Now a freshman at Alabama, Meadow finished with nine career AJGA top-10 finishes.
Kristen Park, Buena Park, Calif.
Park is a five-time Rolex Junior All-American from Buena Park, Calif. She compiled three wins in 2010, earning titles at the Under Armour® / Hunter Mahan Championship, Rolex Tournament of Champions and The PING Invitational. She also finished the year with an additional six top-10 junior golf finishes, advancing her to the No. 2 spot in the Polo Golf Rankings. Additionally, Park helped the West Canon Cup team to their sixth consecutive victory by posting a 3-1-0 record and led the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team to victory in Europe.
Victoria Tanco, Bradenton, Fla.
Ranked No. 3 in the Polo Golf Rankings, Tanco of Bradenton, Fla., has earned a spot on the Rolex Junior All-America First Team for the third consecutive year. The two-time Rolex Junior Player of the Year was victorious at the ANNIKA Invitational, finished second at the 2009 Polo Golf Junior Classic and recorded three additional top-10 finishes in AJGA Invitationals.
Emily Tubert, Burbank, Calif.
Tubert had a successful final year of junior competition, earning her first ever AJGA title at the Under Armour® / Vicky Hurst Championship and claiming the 2010 U.S. Amateur Public Links title. She also tied for second at both the McArthur Towel & Sports Future Legends and the Rolex Tournament of Champions. Now a freshman standout with the University of Arkansas, Tubert captured a victory at the Susie Maxwell Berning Classic – her first collegiate competition.
Second Team
Karen Chung, Livingston, N.J.
Simin Feng, Orlando, Fla.
Ginger Howard, Bradenton, Fla.
Esther Lee, Los Alamitos, Calif.
Erynne Lee, Silverdale, Wash.
Tiffany Lim, San Jose, Calif.
Rachel Morris, Carlsbad, Calif.
Marijosse Navarro, San Antonio, Texas
Kelly Shon, Port Washington, N.Y.
Mariah Stackhouse, Riverdale, Ga.
McKenzie Talbert, North Augusta, S.C.
Lindsey Weaver, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Honorable Mention
Anne Cheng, Torrance, Calif.
Lauren Diaz-Yi, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Irina Paulin Gabasa, Cebu, Philippines
Casey Grice, College Station, Texas
Aurora Kan, Boothwyn, Pa.
Lauren Kim, Los Altos, Calif.
Anna Kim, Chandler, Ariz.
Tanaporn Kongkiatkrai, Bradenton, Fla.
Patricia Lee, Lone Tree, Colo.
Stephanie Liu, Fernandina Beach, Fla.
Gabriela Lopez, Heroes de Padierna, Mexico
Kaira Martin, Paradise Valley, Ariz.
Kendall Martindale, Jefferson City, Tenn.
A.J. Newell, Tampa, Fla.
Ashlan Ramsey, Bradenton, Fla.
Morgan Ransom, Columbus, Ohio
Sarah Schmelzel, Phoenix, Ariz.
Emma Talley, Princeton, Ky.
Gabriella Then, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Beverly Vatananugulkit, Cerritos, Calif.
Juliet Vongphoumy, Providence, R.I.
Lilia Vu, Fountain Valley, Calif.
Samantha Wagner, Windermere, Fla.
Jennifer Yang, Coquitlam, British Columbia
Meet the 2010 Rolex Junior All-America Girls’ Teams
