Sports

Junior Golf All-Stars Hit the Links at Forest Lake Country Club

Imaad Qureshi, of Bloomfield Hills, finished in the top 10 of the American Junior Golf Association's Junior All-Star Tournament at Forest Lake Country Club in Bloomfield Township.

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Many of the best youth golfers in the United States, southern Canada, and Latin America competed this week in Bloomfield at the Junior Golf All-Stars Tournament organized by the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA).

For three days, boys and girls from around Michigan, and as far as Florida, California, and New York from the United States dominated the greens and fairways at Forest Lake Country Club in Bloomfield Township. Zachary Rosendale, of St. Johns, finished atop the leader board that inlcluded competitors from Costa Rica and Columbia at par (213), two strokes ahead of Austin Hit, of Lakewood, Fla., according to AJGA results.

Imaad Qureshi, of Bloomfield Hills, tied for 8th with a 222. Allyson Geer, of Brighton, was tops in the girl's division with a 228. 

“I knew I had to make this putt, I just told myself ‘you’re not going to fall short’” Geer said after clinching victory in a playoff, a news release stated. “If I putted past the hole, my ball would have rolled 30 feet downhill.”

The event was a 54-hole stroke play competition for ages 12-15. It's one of many future events for metro Detroit youth golfers to showcase their skills in front of college coaches, improving their chances for scholarships, according to organizers. 

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But the key is local sponsorship, said local organizer Chip Carlson. This year's event would not have been possible without sponsors Tom Holtzer Ford and Carl's Golfland, he said. The next goal is to get a major sponsor to host a regional Detroit junior open tournament. 

"We want to grow the AJGA presence in Detroit so more of our kids have the opportunity to earn scholarships," said. "I just hope that a company out there will realize this organization is generating scholarship opportunities through these events."

Roughly 75 percent of AJGA members receive some college scholarship money, which amounts to more than $30 million annually.

See the full tournament results at the American Junior Golf Association website.

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