Orrin, Jutanugarn Bring The Thunder
Thunderbird Inte
Tae Wan Lee (Orl
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA | Max Orrin, of Kent,
United Kingdom, carded a final-round 69 and
posted a 10-under 206 total to become the first
international boy champion at the Thunderbird
International Junior held at Grayhawk Golf Club.
Ariya Jutanugarn, of Bangkok, Thailand, pre-
vailed in a sudden-death playoff to become the
fourth international girl champion in the event’s
13-year history, and first since 2008 (Jessica Wal-
lace of Langley, British Columbia).
A birdie barrage kept the front nine lively,
as A.J. McInerney, of Henderson, Nev., birdied
Nos. 4-6 to take a one-shot lead. McInerney
made it four consecutive birdies on No. 7, but
Orrin pulled even after making a four-foot
eagle putt on the same par 5.
“He went ahead quite early after I had my
bogey (on No. 6),” Orrin said of McInerney. “He
played great on the front nine; he was pretty
awesome. It kind of struck me on a little bit to
make a few more birdies. Without that though
I don’t think I would’ve attacked as much and
made as many birdies.”
Orrin took a four-shot lead after a birdie
on No. 12, and six pars coming in resulted in a
five-shot victory.
“The first day we came and I looked at the
board of past champions and they were all
Americans, so it added a bit of pressure coming
in,” said Orrin, who is No. 21 in the European
Golf Rankings. “There are a lot of good lads
who have come from England but haven’t won.”
McInerney finished second at 5-under-par
211, while Tae Wan Lee, of Orlando, finished
third at 4-under-par 212.
In the Girls Division, Jutanugarn made bird-
ies on Nos. 3-7 en route to a bogey-free, front-
nine 31. Laura Sojo, of Barranquilla, Colombia,
also turned in a bogey-free front nine, and her
2-under-par 34 left her just one shot behind
with nine holes to go.
Facing the same one-shot deficit on the par-
5 18th, Sojo took dead aim and stuck her 60-
yard approach to within a foot of the front-right
hole location. After Jutanugarn two-putted for
par and posted 5-under-par 211, Sojo’s tap-in
birdie forced a playoff for the third time in the
last four years.
“I had a playoff with Gabby and I lost, and
before the playoff today I told myself, ‘I’m go-
ing to make it,’” said Jutanugarn, who lost to
Gabriella Then in a playoff at the 2011 Rolex
Tournament of Champions.
Playing the par- 4 10th, Sojo was forced
to take an unplayable lie after her drive flew
through the fairway and finished in a bush.
Jutanugarn found the fairway and green, and
the ensuing par resulted in her fourth career
national junior victory.
For Sojo, the runner-up finish was her
fourth top 10 in five AJGA events. Sierra Sims,
of Austin, Tex., and second-round leader Shan-
non Aubert, of Reunion, Fla., finished tied for
third at 1-under-par 215.
RESULTS
68 -
69 -
Preseason Junior
Tyler Hitchner (Tu
71 -
Thunderbird Inte
Shannon Aubert
Laura Sojo (Barra
Gabriella Then (R
74 -
Preseason Junior
Anna Redding (C
Natalie Srinivasan
PERFORMANCE WHEN IT MATTERS MOST
The Bridgestone Award recognizes those players
who performed when it mattered most, speeding
ahead of the competition at American Junior Golf
Association events across the country, and carding
ow first round totals.
