2012 Junior Championship

Andy Shim Wins 2012 Georgia Junior Championship
17-year-old goes wire-to-wire for five-stroke victory

ALBANY, Ga. – Andy Shim of Duluth held on to his lead all three rounds to win the 47th annual Georgia Junior Championship at Doublegate Country Club with an 11-under-par 205 (66-69-70) 54-hole score.  Greyson Sigg of Augusta, the 2011 champion, earned runner-up honors, finishing five strokes behind Shim at 6-under-par 210 (73-69-68).

“This feels awesome,” said Shim after accepting the Georgia Junior Championship trophy.  “This is the biggest tournament I have won, and it feels pretty good.  There were a lot of really good players out here, so it was tough.  It just feels really awesome."

In the opening round of the Georgia Junior Championship, Shim fired a 6-under-par 66 en route to the 18-hole lead he held over Seth Sanders of Macon and Adam Wright of Marietta at 2-under-par 70.  Shim recorded two eagles, five birdies, one bogey and one double-bogey on Monday, which gave him the four-stroke advantage.

On day two at Doublegate Country Club in Albany, Shim added to his lead by posting a 3-under-par 69, giving him a 36-hole total of 9-under-par 135.  Shim’s 135 total after two rounds was one stroke short of tying the 36-hole low score set by Scott Wolfes of St. Simons Island in 2009, where he was 10-under-par 134 through two rounds.  In the second round, Shim notched five birdies and two bogeys to bring a seven-stroke lead into the final round.

“This golf course is pretty tricky,” Shim said of Doublegate Country Club in Albany.  “You have to know how to work the ball.  You have to hit your draws and fades really well.  The trickiest part was the tee shots and the greens.  My irons are good right now, so that helped.”

Joining Shim and Sigg in the top-10 included Emmanuel Kountakis of Martinez at 1-under-par 215; Adam Wright of Marietta at even-par 216; Brandon Lee of Alpharetta, Harry Lambert of Suwanee, Christopher Guglielmo of Cumming, and Tye Waller of Griffin, all at 1-over-par 215; Jack Larkin, Jr., of Atlanta at 2-over-par 218; and rounding out the top 10 were two players at 3-over-par 219, Jacob Joiner of Albany and Tyler Young of Kennesaw.

The field of 144 was cut to the low 70 and ties for Wednesday’s final round, with the cutline falling at 11-over-par 155 and 70 players advanced.

Entries were open to male amateur golfers between the ages of 14-17.  A competitor must have been at least 14 years old as of June 18, and not have been 18 as of June 20.

The top eight finishers of the Georgia Junior Championship automatically qualify for the Georgia-South Carolina Junior Challenge Match later this summer.  Shim, Sigg, Kountakis, Wright, Lee, Lambert, Guglielmo and Waller made the Georgia team and will represent their state.  Larkin, Jr., and Joiner are the first and second alternates, respectively.  With the win, Shim also receives an exemption into the Georgia Amateur Championship, which is set for Ansley Golf Club-Settindown Creek in Roswell, July 12-15.