Many of the top girls and boys junior golfers in the world are coming to the Roanoke Country Club.
The 33rd annual Scott Robertson Memorial will be played at the historic A.W. “Tillie” Tillinghast-designed course in Roanoke on May 20, 21 and 22.
Roanoke Country Club has been a long-standing championship venue, having hosted over the years the Virginia State Golf Association Open, VSGA Junior, VSGA Mid-Atlantic, Virginia State Amateur and VSGA Men’s Team Matches. The course will play a challenging and tight 6,589 yards for the top boy’s division and 5,825 yards for the girls 15-18 division.
This edition of the Scott Robertson again attracts a top-notch field, a tradition that has cemented its reputation among players, parents and college coaches as one of the most prestigious junior golf tournaments in the world.
According to tournament administrator Debbie Ferguson, this year’s tournament has received more applications than ever before. A total of 375 applications for the tournament and qualifiers were received, with the tournament organizers anticipating a field of 167 participants in four divisions, girls 15-18 (37 entrants), girls 14 and under (14), boys 15-18 (92) and boys 14 and under (24). The initial field is based on national events and honors along with regional and American Junior Golf Association and USGA events.
Three qualifiers round out the fields of predetermined entrants. The first took place in late April in Naples, Florida at Quail Creek Country Club.. The Naples qualifier is extremely popular, and attracts a large number of tournament hopefuls because of the many junior golf academies in the area with a large international presence. Ten spots, 2 in the girls 15-18 and 8 in the boys 15-18 were filled in Naples.
The final two qualifiers take place April 30th and May 18th at Roanoke Country Club, where a large number of players will vie for one of the last coveted sports in the field.
The 2016 field is assured of a significant national and international presence. According to Ferguson, this year’s field is comprised of participants from 26 states, Washington D.C. and 16 countries including Mexico, South Korea, New Zealand, Phillippines, China, India, Japan, Thailand, Canada, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Czech Republic, Myanmar and Italy.
The Scott Robertson Memorial has been a springboard for future PGA and LPGA Tour members.
The 2014 girls 15-18 champion, Brooke M. Henderson, turned pro six months after her Scott Robertson victory. In late April, Henderson ranked 8th in the 2016 LPGA Tour Money Leaders with $426,550 in winnings. Likewise, former Scott Robertson winners Jessica Korda and Paula Creamer, the 2010 Women’s U.S. Open winner, were ranked in the LPGA 2016 Top-25 Money Leaders. Current LPGA contender Moriya Jutanugarn continues to dot the LPGA leader board. Moriya Jutanugarn won back-to-back SRM titles in 2011-2012 before turning pro, and her sister Ariya, also a SRM participant, is currently ranked among the LPGA Top-25 Money Leaders.
On the men’s side, former Scott Robertson boys 15-18 winners Webb Simpson, Kevin Na and Hunter Mahan are familiar names on the PGA Tour. And, 2016 Masters contender Smylie Kaufman won the Scott Roberston 14 and under in 2006, one of his three Scott Robertson appearances. Kaufman was in the hunt for the Masters title after three rounds at Augusta National before finishing tied for 29th.
The Scott Robertson Memorial is a 54-hole stroke play event held in memory of Scott Robertson, a promising young Roanoke Country Club golfer.
Scott, a 14 year-old ninth grader at North Cross School, was a top student and sports enthusiast who had won his age division in several junior golf tournaments. Scott died as a result of infectious mononucleosis in the summer of 1982. A group of golf enthusiasts in the Roanoke Valley subsequently organized the tournament in honor of this promising young golfer.
In a unique twist for 2016, last years girls and boys 14 and under champions, Madeline Jin and Akshay Bhatia, will return to compete in the 15-18 divisions, joining 2015 15-18 girls and boys winners Emilia Migliaccio and Austin Eckroat, both of whom likewise return in 2016.
The Scott Robertson Memorial has made great strides in attracting top caliber junior golfers since its inception in 1984. In the first five years of the tournament every division winner came from Virginia or North Carolina. Now, champions come from every corner of the globe.
The Robertson will still have plenty of local flavor. Hidden Valley High School standout and Virginia Tech signee, Kristin Hearp, will be gunning to be at the top of the leader board in the girls 15-18 division. In the boys 15-18 Elliott Gardner of Salem and John Hatcher Ferguson of Rocky Mount will be looking for strong performances, as will Vinton’s Bryce Corkery, who played his way into the field as the medalist in the April 30th boys 14-under qualifier.
Ferguson says that the tournament attracts 30+ college coaches each year, with the majority from Division-1 schools. Over 100 volunteers will be on hand at Roanoke Country Club to ensure the event runs smoothly.
Spectators (spectator carts are not allowed) are welcome to come and watch theses fantastic young players, many of whom will be future pros, compete during the three days.
Bill Turner
