March 28, 2005
Texas A&M signee Bronson Burgoon fired a final-round 69 on Sunday and made his hometown proud with a three-stroke victory at the PING Junior at The Woodlands. The Woodlands, Texas, native earned his first AJGA victory with a tournament total of 139 and, for the second consecutive day, dominated on the back nine.
The 36-hole stroke play event, conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center - Panther Trail Course, featured 93 boys and 42 girls, ages 12-18, and included players from 19 states, China, Canada and Mexico.
Burgoon, a 2004 third-team Rolex Junior All-American, has several top-10 finishes in his AJGA career, but Sunday's was his first win. He is a senior at The Woodlands High School and will enter A&M in the fall.
"This is really important for me," Burgoon said. "I've been close so many times and to finally win here is great. I really enjoyed myself this weekend- especially my play on the back nine."
Over two days, Burgoon played the back nine at 8-under-par, which included an opening-round 5-under-par 31. He carded four birdies during his final round, including Nos. 1 and 18.
"I got off to a good start and just tried to aim for the middle of the green throughout the round," Burgoon said. "I stayed out of trouble off the tee and my short game was really great."
The win delighted the large hometown gallery, which grew larger as the round wore on. Burgoon took the outright lead with a birdie on the par-5 16th and drew loud cheers as he walked onto the 18th green, where he added insurance to his lead with another birdie.
The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. The largest association of its kind, the AJGA has a junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,000 junior golfers from 50 states and 30 foreign countries.
Titleist, the AJGA's National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association's success since 1989. Rolex Watch USA, which enters its third decade of support, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004.
For more information about the PING Junior at The Woodlands, please contact the AJGA National Headquarters at (770) 868-4200.
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