A Luna Landing At Trump National

Colombian 17 year old cards 66 for first-round lead at U.S. Junior Amateur

By Ken Klavon, USGA

Bedminster, N.J. – While eating lunch Monday, Emiliano Grillo started waving across the table at Juan Luna and pointed excitedly toward the scoreboard. Two numbers popped in atop the screen. Both happened to be those of the two friends, who moments earlier were smiling and joking with one another in Spanish.

Luna

The 17-year-old Luna, of Colombia, rode a bogey-free first round to lead the U.S. Junior Amateur at 6-under 66. His 17-year-old Argentinean friend, Grillo, was one shot back at Trump National Golf Club’s New Course on a humid but overcast day.  Austin Cody, 17, of North Charleston, S.C. and 16-year-old Will Murphy of Columbia, S.C., also turned in 5-under 67s.

Anton Arboleda, 16, of La Cañada, Calif., and one of the semifinalists from last year at Shoal Creek, 15-year-old Jordan Spieth, recorded 4-under 68s. All of these were registered in an otherwise tranquil morning.

“I just tried hitting the center of the greens,” said Arboleda, notching six birdies. “All my birdies were 10 to 15 feet.”

Six players - Logan Harrell, 17, of Huntersville, N.C.; Grayson Murray, 15, of  Raleigh, N.C.; Mequon, Wis., resident Jordan Niebrugge, 15;  Wyndham Clark, 15, of Greenwood Village, Colo.;  Nicholas Reach, 17 of Moscow, Pa.;  and 16-year-old Bobby Wyatt of Mobile, Ala. - registered 3-under 69s.

Twenty-eight players shot sub-par rounds.

Clark and Reach had afternoon tee times. By the time they started, the wind had picked up considerably. That didn’t stop Clark from nearly tying the Junior Amateur nine-hole score. He made the turn 5-under 31, one off the mark that is held by three players.

How did he do it? On No. 1, he guided in a 30-footer for birdie, followed with another one on No. 3 and sank a 60-footer at  No. 7.

“I knew it was a really good score,” said Clark, playing in his first Junior Amateur. “I just said to my caddie, ‘Let’s forget about it and protect par’” on the next nine.

Luna had six birdies and 12 pars, seemingly having the time of his life as he navigated around the 7,099-yard, par-72 setup. His 66 was tied for the third-lowest 18-hole score in the championship.

“It was great. Perfect conditions,” said Luna, through broken English, who will attend the University of Memphis. “I love the greens. They are perfect.”

One couldn’t blame him for feeling that way, especially after he walked off No. 16. Seconds earlier, he converted a 35-footer for his final birdie. At 17, he might seem like a late-bloomer, but he never tried qualifying for the championship until this year. He picked up the game at San Andres Golf Club in Colombia when he was 11.

Other Colombians, such as Camilo Villegas and Maria Jose Uribe, helped grow the sport there.

“It’s really important to be here,” said Luna.

Grillo, a quarterfinalist last year, nodded in agreement.  A recent influx of Argentinean players has left an imprint on U.S. soil. Angel Cabrera and Eduardo Romero have won USGA championships, and at last year’s Junior Amateur Jorge Fernandez Valdes carded the second-lowest stroke-play score in the first round (65).

Grillo lost to eventual winner Cameron Peck, 6 and 5.  His only blemishes on an otherwise sterling card were bogeys at Nos. 9 and 16. The winner of the Byron Nelson Junior Award, playing in his second Junior Amateur, acknowledged that the aim is securing one of the 64 match-play positions.

“I just try to make as many fairways as possible and as many greens in regulation,” said Grillo, winner of the Junior World in San Diego.

Like Luna, Cody pieced together a bogey-free round that saw five birdies. He started on No. 10, finessing in two 20-footers for birdie on the par-3 seventh and par-4 first.

With one Junior Amateur and U.S. Amateur under his belt, Cody doesn’t feel overwhelmed. He missed the cut last year at Shoal Creek, which changed his mindset coming into this week. Making match play is the target, and the fact he shot a low number on what several players have said is the easier course, eased any lasting nerves, Cody said.

Tuesday’s second round will be conducted on the Old Course, considered by some players to be the more difficult of the two venues because of its length.

As an aside, 12-year-old Plano, Texas, native William Zalatoris carded a solid 1-under 71.

“Just coming in here and being 12, seeing some of these kids and getting paired with an 18 year old and another kid who’s a junior or senior coming up. You just got to have fun,” said the eighth-grader-to-be.

“I had first-tee jitters…. First tee I piped it right down the middle and told my caddie, ‘If you had my heart right now. Holy moly.’ ”

The cut for match play will come after Tuesday’s second round of stroke play on the Old Course. The low 64 scorers advance to Wednesday’s first round on the New Course. The second and third rounds of match play will be conducted on the Old Course. The quarterfinals, semifinals and final will be played on the New Course.

Ken Klavon is the USGA’s editor of new media. E-mail him with questions or comments at kklavon@usga.org.

First Round Stroke-Play Qualifying Results

Bedminster, N.J. – Results following Monday’s first round of stroke play at the 2009 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at the par-72, New Course at Trump National Golf Club:

Juan Luna, Colombia - 33-33--66
Austin Cody, N. Charleston, S.C. - 33-34--67
Emiliano Grillo, Argentina - 35-32--67
Will Murphy, Columbia, S.C. - 34-33--67
Anton Arboleda, La Canada, Calif. - 36-32--68
Jordan Spieth, Dallas, Texas - 34-34--68
Bobby Wyatt, Mobile, Ala. - 35-34--69
Grayson Murray, Raleigh, N.C. - 35-34--69
Jordan Niebrugge, Mequon, Wis. - 33-36--69
Logan Harrell, Huntersville, N.C. - 34-35--69
Nicholas Reach, Moscow, Pa. - 33-36--69
Wyndham Clark, Greenwood Village, Colo. - 31-38--69
Curtis Thompson, Coral Springs, Fla. - 36-34--70
Cyril Suk, Czech Republic - 37-33--70
David Pastore, Greenwich, Conn. - 33-37--70
Patrick Fishburn, Ogden, Utah - 34-36--70
Patrick Rodgers, Avon, Ind. - 34-36--70
Rak Cho, Korea - 35-35--70
Shuugo Imahira, Japan - 34-36--70
Stephen Powers, Naperville, Ill. - 36-34--70
Andrew Kim, Lake Mary, Fla. - 34-37--71
Ben Palanszki, Hungary - 33-38--71
Brendan Connolly, Castle Rock, Colo. - 35-36--71
Charlie Hughes, Canada - 32-39--71
Garrett Moss, Gilbert, Ariz. - 35-36--71
Oliver Schniederjans, Powder Springs, Ga. - 35-36--71
William Zalatoris, Plano, Texas - 35-36--71
Yaroslav Merkulov, Penfield, N.Y. - 32-39--71
Anthony Alex, Wayne, N.J. - 37-35--72
Anthony Paolucci, Dallas, Texas - 39-33--72
Ben Itterman, Carlsbad, Calif. - 35-37--72
Damon Postal, Blythewood, S.C. - 37-35--72
Denny McCarthy, Burtonsville, Md. - 35-37--72
Joe Toland, White River Jct, Vt. - 33-39--72
Michael Yiu, Laguna Hills, Calif. - 36-36--72
Mike Miller, Brewster, N.Y. - 37-35--72
Adam Schenk, Vincennes, Ind. - 36-37--73
Austin Green, Frisco, Texas - 35-38--73
Austin Roberts, Carmichael, Calif. - 38-35--73
Chen-Lin Liu, Chinese Taipei - 37-36--73
Cheng-Tsung Pan, Chinese Taipei - 37-36--73
Chris Houston, Gilford, N.H. - 37-36--73
Chris Ingham, Miami, Fla. - 38-35--73
Henry Todd, Trophy Club, Texas - 35-38--73
Jack Perry, Santa Barbara, Calif. - 38-35--73
Jay Hwang, San Diego, Calif. - 35-38--73
Joseph Winslow, Overland Park, Kan. - 35-38--73
Lee McCoy, Palm Harbor, Fla. - 35-38--73
Lorens Chan, Honolulu, Hawaii - 33-40--73
Patrick Cantlay, Los Alamitos, Calif. - 36-37--73
Tye Gabriel, Portland, Ore. - 36-37--73
Yung Gu (Justin) Shin, Canada - 38-35--73
A J Crouch, Jacksonville, Fla. - 36-38--74
Andrew Knox, Cary, N.C. - 36-38--74
Ben Warnquist, Rockville, Md. - 36-38--74
Charlie Edler, Fair Haven, N.J. - 37-37--74
Colin Gunstream, Missoula, Mont. - 35-39--74
Hank Lebioda, Winter Springs, Fla. - 36-38--74
Jeff McNeil, Nipomo, Calif. - 36-38--74
Jim Liu, Smithtown, N.Y. - 36-38--74
Kevin Dehuff, Coto De Caza, Calif. - 39-35--74
Mark Hicks, Bermuda Dunes, Calif. - 40-34--74
Payne Denman, Riverwatch, Tenn. - 37-37--74
Ramsey Sahyoun, Reseda, Calif. - 35-39--74
Ryan McCormick, Middletown, N.J. - 36-38--74
Santiago Gavino, Mexico - 36-38--74
Trevor Cone, Concord, N.C. - 36-38--74
Yosuke Asaji, Japan - 38-36--74
Allan Jun, Oceanside, Calif. - 35-40--75
Austin Smotherman, Loomis, Calif. - 33-42--75
Bjorn Kallerud, Moraga, Calif. - 38-37--75
Bryan Lichimo, Canada - 38-37--75
Cameron Wilson, Rowayton, Conn. - 37-38--75
Chase Marinell, Cape Coral, Fla. - 37-38--75
Eric Edmunds, Auburn, N.Y. - 36-39--75
James Sullivan, Katy, Texas - 38-37--75
Kevin Gorman, Chula Vista, Calif. - 39-36--75
Kolton Crawford, Mansfield, Texas - 39-36--75
Kyle Kmiecik, Avon, Ohio - 36-39--75
Marcel Puyat, Philippines - 37-38--75
Matthew Anderson, Tompkinsville, Ky. - 36-39--75
Max McKay, Saint Augustine, Fla. - 38-37--75
Myles Lewis, Metairie, La. - 38-37--75
Richard (Sun Il) Jung, Canada - 37-38--75
Sean Kelly, Staten Island, N.Y. - 37-38--75
Zachary Kempa, Canada - 39-36--75
Andrew Presley, Fort Worth, Texas - 38-38--76
Austin Romeo, Erie, Pa. - 40-36--76
Charlie Phillips, Mount Vernon, Ohio - 36-40--76
David Flynn, Elk Grove Village, Ill. - 37-39--76
David Lee, Houston, Texas - 39-37--76
Derek Laporte, Tucson, Ariz. - 42-34--76
Gavin Hall, Pittsford, N.Y. - 39-37--76
Ian Vandersee, West Des Moines, Iowa - 41-35--76
Michael Johnson, Birmingham, Ala. - 40-36--76
Nick Tremps, San Antonio, Texas - 37-39--76
Ryan Zech, Kearney, Mo. - 38-38--76
Travis Wilmore, Alexandria, La. - 37-39--76
Yuki Kato, Las Vegas, Nev. - 37-39--76
Albin Choi, Canada - 38-39--77
Alec Ceravolo, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. - 38-39--77
Brett Ochsenreiter, Destin, Fla. - 36-41--77
Caleb Meyers, Edmond, Okla. - 37-40--77
Cameron Beal, Bowling Green, Ky. - 40-37--77
Daniel Bidle, Virginia, Minn. - 39-38--77
James Chapman, Gastonia, N.C. - 42-35--77
Lexus Keoninh, Murfreesboro, Tenn. - 37-40--77
Nicholas Austin, Midlothian, Va. - 40-37--77
Nicholas Scott, Englewood, Ohio - 39-38--77
Paul McClure, Mobile, Ala. - 40-37--77
Brian Bullington, Frankfort, Ill. - 39-39--78
J J Holen, Castaic, Calif. - 39-39--78
Kevin Lee, Dacula, Ga. - 37-41--78
Motin Yeung, Ppls Rep. of China - 38-40--78
Spencer Lawson, Raleigh, N.C. - 39-39--78
Tyler Manning, Novi, Mich. - 40-38--78
Alexandre Belmont, Concord, Mass. - 38-41--79
Brandon Ng, Canada - 41-38--79
Cody Proveaux, Leesville, S.C. - 36-43--79
Easton Renwick, Punxsutawney, Pa. - 40-39--79
Evan Russell, Essex Jct, Vt. - 38-41--79
Hojin Kang, Orlando, Fla. - 38-41--79
Keith Mitchell, Chattanooga, Tenn. - 39-40--79
Michael Schoolcraft, Englewood, Colo. - 39-40--79
Spencer Mikles, Santa Barbara, Calif. - 41-38--79
Stephane Dubois, Canada - 40-39--79
Talor Gooch, Midwest City, Okla. - 36-43--79
Wilson Day, Raleigh, N.C. - 38-41--79
Mark Mumford, Rye, N.Y. - 37-43--80
Matt Kitto, Lake Oswego, Ore. - 41-39--80
Michael Balzer, Bismarck, N.D. - 40-40--80
Seth Sullivant, Mountain Home, Ark. - 41-39--80
Tommy Hearden, Green Bay, Wis. - 41-39--80
Zach Wanderscheid, Goldendale, Wash. - 39-41--80
Adam Ball, Richmond, Va. - 40-41--81
Andrew Cho, La Crescenta, Calif. - 40-41--81
Austin Degrate, Houston, Texas - 39-42--81
Daniel Berger, Jupiter, Fla. - 38-43--81
Justin Haley, San Ramon, Calif. - 41-40--81
Sean Bosdosh, Clarksburg, Md. - 40-41--81
Simon Miller, Albuquerque, N.M. - 41-40--81
Tyler Thomas, Beaumont, Texas - 38-43--81
Tyler Wingo, Fairfax, Va. - 41-40--81
George Cunningham, Phoenix, Ariz. - 44-38--82
Tim Crouch, Mt Vernon, Ohio - 44-38--82
Nick Allen, Littleton, Colo. - 40-43--83
Saejin Hyun, Canada - 41-42--83
Sam Jackson III, Pelion, S.C. - 43-40--83
Andrew Bieber, Danville, Pa. - 43-41--84
Leif Neijstrom, Greensboro, N.C. - 43-41--84
Brian Mahlstedt, Clarks Summit, Pa. - 44-41--85
Tyler Carney-DeBord, Delaware, Ohio - 43-43--86
Anthony Dadamo, Canada - 42-45--87
Kyler Dearden, S Weber, Utah - 44-43--87
Mikiya Akutsu, Japan - 45-42--87
Hayden Squadrito, Oviedo, Fla. - 43-46--89