2005 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship Fact Sheet

July 18-23
BanBury Golf Club, Eagle, Idaho

PAR AND YARDAGE – BanBury Golf Club will play at 6,348 yards with par of 35-36—71.

WHO CAN PLAY? – The U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship is open to female amateur players who will have not reached their 18^th birthday on or before July 23, and who have a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 18.4.

CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE HOLE BY HOLE – 6,348 yards, par 71

ARCHITECT – BanBury was designed by John Harbottle III and opened in 1999.

TICKETS – Admission for all six days of the championship is free of charge. Spectators are invited to walk the fairways behind the players, but no cameras are allowed during the days of competition.

SCHEDULE – Practice rounds will be held Saturday (July 16) and Sunday (July 17). The starting field of 156 players will play two rounds of stroke play, with the low 64 scorers advancing to match play. The schedule is as follows:

• Monday, July 18 – First round of stroke play
• Tuesday, July 19 – Second round of stroke play
• Wednesday, July 20 – First and second rounds of match play
• Thursday, July 21 – Third and quarterfinal rounds of match play
• Friday, July 22 – Semifinals, match play
• Saturday, July 23 – Final, match play (18 holes)

DEFENDING CHAMPION – Julieta Granada has turned 18 and is not eligible to defend her title.

TOP RETURNEES – Twelve golfers are exempt into this U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship by virtue of their play in past USGA women’s events, including the U.S. Girls’ Junior, U.S. Women’s Amateur, U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links and U.S. Women’s Open. They are:

• Sydney Burlison of Salinas, Calif. – 2003 Women’s Open; 2003 Women’s Amateur (match play)
• Esther Choe of La Quinta, Calif. – 2003, 2004 Girls’ Junior quarterfinalist; 2005 Women’s Open
• Megan Grehan of Mamaroneck, N.Y. – 2004, 2005 Women’s Opens
• Mina Harigae of Monterey, Calif. – 2003 Girls’ Junior semifinalist, 2004 Girls’ Junior quarterfinalist, 2003, 2004 Women’s Amateur (match play)
• Isabelle Lendl of Bradenton, Fla. – 2004 Women’s Amateur (match play)
• Hsiao-Ching Lu of Chinese Taipei – 2003, 2004 Girls’ Junior quarterfinalist; 2004 Women’s Amateur (match play)
• Angela Park of Torrance, Calif. – 2005 Women’s Open
• In-Bee Park of Eustis, Fla. – 2002 Girls’ Junior Champion, 2003 Girls’ Junior runner-up, 2004 Women’s Open; 2003 Women’s Amateur (match play)
• Morgan Pressel of Boca Raton, Fla.– 2001, 2003 and 2005 Women’s Opens; 2003 Girls’ Junior semifinalist, 2004 Girls’ Junior quarterfinalist
• Ya-Ni Tseng of Chinese Taipei – 2004 Women’s Amateur Public Links winner; 2003 Women’s Amateur (match play); 2005 Women’s Open
• Amanda Wilson of Hilo, Hawaii – 2004 Women’s Open
• Grace Woo of Burbank, Calif. – 2004 Women’s Amateur (match play

ENTRIES – The USGA accepted 838 entries for the 2005 U.S. Girls’ Junior. The record for most entries, 870, was set in 2002. Entries closed June 8.

SECTIONAL QUALIFYING – Sectional qualifying was held at 31 sites from June 18 – July 2.

IDAHO GIRLS – Sectional qualifying was held at River Bend Golf Course in Boise on June 27. Two local girls qualified for the championship: Lauren Archer, 17, of Boise, and Allison Travis, 17, of Eagle. Travis is the daughter of BanBury Golf Club Superintendent Clint Travis.

FOR THE WINNER— The champion of the U.S. Girls’ Junior will receive:

• A gold medal, and custody of the Glenna Collett Vare Trophy for the ensuing year. The runner-up receives a silver medal; the other semifinalists receive bronze medals. The qualifying medalist receives a bronze medal
• An exemption from sectional qualifying for future U.S. Girls’ Juniors, if otherwise eligible
• An exemption from sectional qualifying for the next two U.S. Women’s Amateurs
• An exemption from local qualifying for the next five U.S. Women’s Opens
• An exemption from sectional qualifying for the next U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, if otherwise eligible

THE USGA AND IDAHO – The 2005 Girls’ Junior will be the first-ever USGA championship conducted in Idaho.

BANBURY GOLF CLUB – The USGA is making its first visit to BanBury Golf Club. BanBury has hosted several USGA sectional qualifiers, including U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur qualifying. The club has hosted the Idaho State Men’s Amateur and Pepsi Idaho Open.

HISTORY OF THE GIRLS’ JUNIOR – The U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship was established in 1949, one year after the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. The inaugural Girls’ Junior drew a starting field of 28 participants from 17 states, although 10 of the players were from the Philadelphia area. The first champion, 15-year-old Marlene Bauer came all the way from Los Angeles to win her first national golf title.   The championship has also helped launch the careers of such outstanding players as Mickey Wright, JoAnne Gunderson Carner, Nancy Lopez, Amy Alcott and Hollis Stacy. Stacy’s record of three consecutive Girls’ Junior Championships, from 1969 to 1971, is among the most remarkable accomplishments in USGA history.

While victory in the U.S. Girls’ Junior by no means guarantees a successful career in women’s golf, Girls’ Junior champions have won the Women’s Amateur 11 times and the Women’s Open 10 times. In addition, 15 Girls’ Junior champions have gone on to represent the United States of America on the Curtis Cup team.

MULTIPLE VICTORIES – Hollis Stacy won the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship three consecutive years (1969, 1970 and 1971). Judy Eller won in 1957 and 1958, and Nancy Lopez captured the championship in 1972 and 1974.

GIRLS’ JUNIOR CHAMPIONS & OTHER USGA TITLES – Twelve U.S. Girls’ Junior champions (year listed in parentheses) have won other USGA championships. They are:

Amy Alcott (1973) – U.S. Women’s Open (1980)
JoAnne Gunderson Carner (1956) – U.S. Women’s Amateur (1957, 1960, 1962, 1966, 1968), U.S. Women’s Open (1971,1976)
Lori Castillo (1978) – (U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links (1979,1980)
Dorothy Delasin (1996) – U.S. Women’s Amateur (1999)
Heather Farr (1982) – U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links (1984)
Pat Hurst (1986) – U.S. Women’s Amateur (1990)
Kelli Kuehne (1994) – U.S. Women’s Amateur (1995,1996)
Pat Lesser (1950) – U.S. Women’s Amateur (1955)
Cathy Mockett (1984) – U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links (1990)
Marcy Newton (1995) – U.S. Women’s Amateur (2000)
Hollis Stacy (1969,70,71) – U.S. Women’s Open (1977,1978,1984)
Mickey Wright (1952) – U.S. Women’s Open (1958,1959,1961,1964)

ONLINE — Log on to the USGA Internet site at www.usga.org/championships/ or www.usgirlsjunioram.org for the latest and most complete U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship information.

FUTURE GIRLS’ JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP SITES – The 2006 U.S. Girls’ Junior will be conducted at Carmel Country Club in Carmel, N.C., from July 17-22, 2006. In 2007, Tacoma Country & Golf Club in Lakewood, Wash., will host the Girls’ Junior from July 23-28.

MEDIA CONTACT – Beth Murrison and Ken Klavon will be the USGA media contacts at the 2005 Girls’ Junior. Prior to the championship, they can be reached at (908) 234-2300, or via e-mail at (Beth) bmurrison@usga.org or (Ken) kklavon@usga.org. During the championship, they can be reached in the media center via phone at (208) 939-2934 or fax at (208) 939-1047.