JOHNSON -- The top female players in the world are not the only ones in Northwest Arkansas this week to show off their golf skills.
For the second consecutive year, the Stacy Lewis Junior All-Star Invitational will take place the week leading up to the Wal-Mart LPGA NW Arkansas Championship, starting today. With some of the top 12- to 15-year-old male and female golfers on the American Junior Golf Association circuit, the invitational tournament figures to have competition equal to that as the professional event up the road.
Stacy Lewis Junior All-Star Invitational
WHEN Today-Thursday
WHERE Blessings Golf Club, Johnson
NOTEWORTHY Lost Springs Golf Club in Bentonville hosted the Stacy Lewis Junior Open as part of the American Junior Golf Association series in 2012-2014. … The tournament moved to Blessings Golf Club in 2015 and is the only mixed-pairing stroke play tournament on the AJGA schedule.
2015 WINNERS Boys: Noah Goodwin, Corinth, Texas; Girls: Hailee Cooper, Montgomery, Texas
Tournament field
Boys
Name^Hometown
Nicholas Cassidy^Johns Creek, Ga.
Aaron Chen^Fremont, Calif.
Philip Choi^Corinth, Texas
Canon Claycomb^Bowling Green, Ky.
Connor Creasy^Abingdon, Va.
Denver Davis^Fayetteville
John Driscoll III^Ridgewood, N.J.
Mauricio Figueroa^Guadalajara, Mexico
Connor Gaunt^Cabot
Sixian (Tyler) Guo^China
Chris Kim^Cary, N.C.
Jude Kim^Plantation, Fla.
Kelvin Lim^Thornhill, Ontario
Tyler Lipscomb^Carrolton, Ga.
Andy Mao^Johns Creek, Ga.
Mason Nome^Houston
Clay Seeber^Newport Beach, Calif.
James Song^Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
Nicklas Staub^Boynton Beach, Fla.
Khavish Varadan^Malaysia
Vivek Vasireddy^Fremont, Calif.
Karl Vilips^Australia
Robin Williams^England
Kento Yamawaki^ Japan
Alex Zhu^San Ramon, Calif.
Girls
Name^Hometown
Briana Chacon^Whittier, Calif.
Ya Chun Chang^Taiwan
Anne Chen^Australia
Jayna Choi^Collierville, Tenn
Harmie Constantino^Philippines
Quynn Duong^San Jose, Calif.
Sadie Englemann^Austin, Texas
Macy Fox^Marble Falls, Texas
Megan Furtney^South Elgin, Ill.
Estibaly Garcia Rubio^Tijuana, Mexico
Rachel Heck^Memphis
Angelina Kim^Los Angeles
Auston Kim^St. Augustine, Fla.
Xin (Cindy) Kou^China
Laura Miller^Niceville, Fla.
Michaela Morard^Huntsville, Ala.
Katherine Muzi^Walnut, Calif.
Brianna Navarrosa^San Diego
Grace Ni^Cypress, Texas
Casey Ott^Conway
Baili Park^Germantown, Tenn.
Jennie Park^Carrolton, Texas
Kayla Sam^Anaheim Hills, Calif.
Brittany Shin^Cape Coral, Fla.
Ellie Szeryk^London, Ontario
"This being an AJGA Junior All-Star event, it's for 12- to 15-year-olds, where our open events are for 12- to 19-year-olds," said Laura Fellwock, the event's media official. "It will be fun to see college coaches out here looking at the future of golf, and this is the best of the best in the next generation."
Lewis, the former Arkansas All-American who was ranked No. 1 on the LPGA Tour in 2013 and 2014, first partnered with the AJGA to start the Stacy Lewis Junior Open, held at Lost Springs Golf Club in Rogers in 2012-2014. When the tournament was elevated to a junior all-star event for 2015, it was moved to the Blessings Golf Club in Johnson, where it returns this week.
"Most of the players have never seen this course before this week," Fellwock said. "It's such a good challenging test, and it's very unique.
"It's just a beautiful course with all the landscape, and we love coming here."
Players from Australia, Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, England and all across the United States will compete in a mixed pairing format, which is one of a kind among AJGA stroke play events.
Players compete for three days in a 54-hole tournament, with one girl and one boy pairing up.
"It's a really fun competition, and the players really enjoy it," Fellwock said. "We only have one other tournament, the Wyndham Cup, that uses mixed pairings. But this is our only stroke play tournament with mixed pairings, and we have a lot of fun."
Eight golfers who already have committed to colleges are in the field, including four making verbal commitments to SEC schools. The field has just three players from Arkansas, Denver Davis of Fayetteville and Connor Gaunt of Cabot in the boys division and Casey Ott of Conway in the girls division.
Players will tee off each day from 7:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. today through Thursday.
Sports on 06/21/2016