2009 Junior Update
The 2009 season was a stellar one for junior golf at Lakeview, and my interaction with the young golfers in the area continues to be a focus and highlight of my job as the Director of Instruction.
Coach Rogers and Robbie Failes were all smiles after Robbie shot 72 to win a 12-team high school invitational in August.The Tournament Players’ Series (TPS) 2008-2009 season was won by Robbie Failes, who had an amazing year in golf. Robbie has participated in the TPS for 6 years, was the champion in 2006, 2008, and 2009 (and tied for first in 2007, losing the title in a playoff), and never finished lower than third place in any season. The TPS clearly prepared Robbie for bigger and better things.
He opened the 2009 season on the First Citizens Junior Tour, where he had the lowest scoring average and won 2 of the 3 events he played. He played in two Mid Atlantic PGA Junior tournaments, placing first and second. On the Lakeview Junior Tour he won 4 of the 5 events he entered. And then came the high school season, Robbie’s first at Spotswood.
He birdied the final hole of his first high school tournament to tie for first (74); then, for the remainder of the regular season he medaled in all but one event. He led his team to the regular season and District Championships, winning the post-season tourney by 11 shots when he shot 68 at Shenvalee in wind and rain. He compiled an astounding 70.2 scoring average in the regular season, advanced to the Regional Tournament, and was the only player in the District to qualify for the State tournament. Now, that is a freshman season to remember!
Young Austin Crenshaw is preparing to carry the legacy of great golf played by his father, Chuck.
Second place in the TPS went to young Austin Crenshaw, a little lefty who joined the Series for the first time this season as a 9-year old. Austin also finished in 5th place on the First Citizens Tour in the 9-11 age-bracket (while playing older kids). During the season, he had a T-2nd and a 3rd place finish in individual tournaments, and made it clear that he will be a strong competitor in junior golf for years to come.
The First Citizens 12-13 age-bracket was dominated in 2009 by TPS players: Kyle “Slinky” Templeton won the points, followed by Matthew Shifflett and Ocean Armstrong.
Kyle Templeton emerged as an excellent junior golfer in 2009, and was the Champion of Lakeview Junior Tour.
Kyle, a free-swinging 8th-grader, finished 6th in the points in his first TPS season and added three tournament victories on the First Citizens Tour. He then went on to claim the Championship in the inaugural season of the Lakeview Junior Tour, winning one event and coming in 2nd three other times. Kyle, nicknamed Slinky because of his wiry build and fluid swing, has the rare combination of talent and a strong work ethic, which means he will make an immediate mark on the high school district as a freshman at Harrisonburg in 2010.
Matthew Shifflett, in his second season with the TPS, came out like he was going to own the First Citizens Tour: he won 4 of the 6 tournaments he played, including a career round of 74 at Heritage Oaks, and he finished 2nd in a fifth tournament. He only finished behind Kyle in the bracket because he did not participate in as many events. Matthew gained incredible power in his swing in 2009, which also helped him finish 5th on the Lakeview Junior Tour where he was named the Most Improved Player of the year. His sweet golf game and his quirky diet at the annual TPS dinner earned Matthew the name “El Azucar”, or “Sugar” in Spanish. Matthew will also head to Harrisonburg in 2010, which suggests the Streaks will have a good squad for years to come.
Ocean Armstrong (5th in TPS in 2009) rounded out the top-3 on the First Citizens Tour, claiming two 2nd-place finishes. He also finished the Lakeview Junior Tour season in impressive form—he posted a career round of 76 (with 6 birdies!) to win the final event and leap into second place on the points list. It was a memorable round, and a sign of things to come as Big O prepares for golf at Broadway High starting in 2010.
Matt Shifflett gets a demonstration of impact position from his Coach. Matt had a great season and was the Most Improved Player on the Lakeview Junior Tour.
Third place in the TPS went to Drew Diaz, who will also head to Broadway next year. In just two years in my program, Drew has jumped into the fourth spot in All-Time Points, and is the leader among active participants. This is a testament to the hard work that has led to greatly improved fundamentals, better power, and much more accuracy in Drew’s game. He also finished tied for 5th on the Lakeview Junior Tour in 2009. It looks like Drew is learning to play solid, feisty golf like his father, who carried the Coach in a couple of Two-Man events at Shenvalee this year.
Shelby Estes did not participate as much in the TPS (her third season with the group), but still made her presence known in junior golf. She finished 12th in her age-bracket on the First Citizens Tour (out of 28 juniors) despite playing in only about half the events, and had a 2nd place showing in a Lakeview Junior Tour competition. Shelby saved her best stuff for her second season at Turner Ashby, where she used her length off the tee to earn the second and third spots on the team, posting a career round of 72 in one event. She helped her team advance to the Regional Tournament, and she also qualified for the Girls’ State tournament in Virginia Beach in October. Shelby’s athleticism suggests there are even greater things ahead.
Fourth place in the 2008-2009 TPS season went to one of the younger juniors, Ezra Painter. "Big E" has developed a smooth and powerful swing, which means he is following in the footsteps of his parents. Ezra’s younger brother, Lance Painter, finished 8th in the TPS in his first season, so it looks like there will be a tough Painter foursome going around Luray for years to come.
Juniors in the Tournament Players' Series participate in one of John's many putting games.For the first time in the 2008-2009 season, the TPS expanded to include an older and younger group of junior golfers. The younger group really grew in 2009 with the addition of excellent golfers-to-be. Addison Ritchie made the top-10 in his first season. Mark Slonaker got involved and also played on the First Citizens Tour. The brother tandem of Eric and Will Thompson showed tremendous improvement this year, as did the sibling duo Morgan and Jack Nutter. Katie Dove started her golf career in 2009, while Cade Templeton looked like he might follow the lead of brother Kyle. Sam Clarke was involved by the late part of the season and immediately looked like a contender for the 2009-2010 season.
Coach Rogers seems amused by the juniors at the putting green. Perhaps he was sadistically giving them more push-ups.The older group in the TPS welcomed some newcomers as well. Jack Burden was a standout at Harrisonburg High, and he also had two 2nd-place finishes on the Lakeview Junior Tour. Daniel Wine was a part-timer on the TPS, but he also showed promise by finishing 10th on the First Citizens and 4th on the Lakeview Junior Tour in 2009. Sam Strickler joined the group, started building a solid game, and also played on the First Citizens Tour. Clay Sowers and Matthew Martin got more serious about their games, and it looks like they will help beef up their team at Spotswood. Connor Jones decided golf was the game for him, started lessons, got the equipment he needed, and by the end of the season he was using up the daylight at the driving range several days a week. Ryan Kline, who demonstrated his skills with Coach in a charity fundraiser early in the season, represented EMHS in the Lakeview Junior Tour as he continued to improve his ball-striking. Nathan Landes, fifth in the All-Time Points for the TPS, did not participate much with the group much in 2009, but was competitive in the First Citizens, and continued to build his game with private instruction. Chancellor Morris was a late-season addition to the group, but he quickly showed great improvement.
As the next season of the Tournament Players' Series gets under way and we prepare for a new year of junior golf, there are already some new faces, which means there will be great stories and achievements to report in 2010!
A few juniors who focused on private instruction (instead of the group sessions in the TPS) stood out in 2009 as well. Coach predicted to the sports writer for the Daily News Record that the most improved player in the Massanutten District would be Donnie Erb. Sure enough, Donnie came through with the much-needed fourth score in team matches for Spotswood, including an 80 in the final regular season match to seal the championship for the Blazers. The quiet left-hander incredibly dropped almost 20 shots from his 2008 scoring average. Similarly, John Showalter of Turner Ashby struggled through parts of 2008 and 2009 with a case of the shanks; but he persevered and ended up making the All-District Tournament Team when he posted the final score that propelled his team to the Regional tournament. Brett Smiley followed the good-natured example of father and grandfather in 2009 and promises to be a factor for the TA team in days to come. Brothers Kolby and Corey Foltz came all the way from Mathias, West Virginia to prepare for high school golf, while Jiho Lee showed that it's possible to develop an impressive swing even at age 7. In 2009, the always colorful Emma Pray took her cut-down lefty 7-iron and started learning this great game. Little Shaina Beach found her passion, and so far only mint chocolate chip ice cream seems to outrank golf.
On a personal note, I would like to thank all of the junior golfers and parents who trust me with their development in the game of golf. The “Badger Squad” and the amazing accomplishments of the juniors in this program fill me with pride, and definitely give me a reason to enjoy my job at Lakeview. Sincerely—thank you!