JOHNSON -- Xin Kou missed a couple of months of golf with a back problem, but she enters the KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior All-Star Invitational with some momentum.
Kou, 14, fired a five-under 66 last week in Brentwood, Tenn., to earn a spot in the USGA Girls Junior Amateur to be played in Pebble Beach, Calif., in mid-July. Kou shot the low score in the 25-person field in the 18-hole qualifier.
KPMG STACY LEWIS JUNIOR ALL-STAR INVITATIONAL
WHEN Today through Thursday
WHERE Blessings Golf Club, Johnson
WHAT American Junior Golf Association stroke-play event that features mixed pairings of girls and boys
FORMAT 54 Holes
NOTABLE It’s the fourth year for the event hosted by LPGA pro and Arkansas alum Stacy Lewis. … Players from 16 states and six foreign countries will compete. … Players in the field range from age 12-15. … John Daly II, son of five-time PGA Tour winner, will play in the event for the second straight year, he made a hole-in-one in last year’s tournament. … Jackson Rivera of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. and Zoe Antoinette Campos of Valencia, Calif., each won last year’s event.
Boys Division
Name^Hometown
Kuangyu Chen^ Shenzhen, China
Evan Chien^Irvine, Calif.
Kelly Chinn^Great Falls, Va.
John Daly II^Clearwater, Fla.
Kripa Dharan^Los Altos, Calif.
Eric Doyle^San Diego
Garrett Engle^Harrisburg, Pa.
Alejandro Fierro^Merida, Mexico
Grant Gobezie^Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Aidan Goldstein^Las Vegas
Matthew Griggs^Prosper, Texas
Marshall Meisel^Chevy Chase, Md.
Narayan Mohan^Charlotte, N.C.
Drue Nicholas^Egg Harbor Township, N.J.
Jay Nimmo^Benton, Ky.
Phisher Phillips^Rogers
Michael Senn III^Rogers
Ngai (Kelvin) Si^Bradenton, Fla.
Manning Sloop%Rock Hill, S.C.
Nicklas Staub^Boynton Beach, Fla.
Junyi Tang^Beijing, China
Cohen Trolio^West Point, Miss.
Evan Vo^Austin, Texas
Evan Woosley-Reed^Shelbyville, Tenn.
Ray Xiong^Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
Girls Division
Name^Hometown
Kynadie Adams^Gallatin, Tenn.
Paola Alonso^Guadalajara, Mexico
Sophia Bae^Norwood, N.J.
Melena Barrientos^Plano, Texas
Camille Boyd^Shanghai, China
Juliana Camargo^Winter Garden, Fla.
Kamille Dimayuga^Buena Park, Calif.
Yoon Min Han^Bradenton, Fla.
Jiarui (Joyce) Jin^Encinitas, Calif.
Taylor Kehoe^Strathroy, Ontario, Canada
Xin (Cindy) Kou^Windermere, Fla.
Lynn Lim^Gallatin, Tenn.
Yu Wen Lu^Shanghai, China
Mackenzie McRee^Tucson, Ariz.
Brooke Morales^McKinney, Texas
Jana Ni^Beijing, China
Makenzie Niblett^Austin, Texas
Bohyun Park^Farmers Branch, Texas
Kaleiya Romero^San Jose, Calif.
Calynne Rosholt^Cedar Park, Texas
Ashely Shim^San Mateo, Calif.
Isabella van der Biest^Kingsport, Tenn.
Charlie Whorton Springdale
Jinyu Wu^Bradenton, Fla.
Sophie Zhang-Murphy^Saratoga, Calif.
Kou, who goes by Cindy, got the chance to play a practice round at The Blessings Golf Club on Monday with friend Jiarui Jin when they convinced John Daly II, Kou's original partner, to swap and play with Alexjandro Fierro, who was Jin's original playing partner.
"We've played a lot of tournaments together," Kou said. "Outside the golf course we're good friends. When we're playing, we're competitors."
Kou and Jin are two of only three Rolex Junior All Americans in the field, which includes 25 guys and 25 girls. They rank No. 33 and 59, respectively, in the current Rolex American Junior Golf Association rankings. Play starts today in the three-day event with the final round scheduled for Thursday.
Kou's golf activities were limited mostly to putting for a couple of months earlier this year because of a back injury. But she got back to competition in June.
"I couldn't hit a full swing, but I did a lot of work on my short game," said Kou, who lives in Windermere, Fla., a suburb of Orlando.
She's familiar with Northwest Arkansas, after finishing tied for 10th in this event in 2016, but also acknowledged the course has changed some since then.
Jin dealt with windy conditions last week at the Rolex Girls Invitational in Park City, Utah. She finished tied for 35th in the event, which included more than 70 entries. The 15-year-old fired a one-under par 71 on the first day but struggled as the wind kicked up the final three days.
Kou pulls no punches when asked about her expectations this week.
"I'm going for first," Kou said. "That's kind of like everyone's goal. I think it's a realistic goal for me."
This year's 54-hole event, which is the fourth that bears the former Arkansas and current LPGA Tour star's name, includes players ages 12-15 from 16 states and six foreign countries. It's also the only American Junior Golf Association stroke play event that includes mixed pairings as one male and one female will play together.
There are three local players entered in the event. Phisher Phillips and Michael Senn III from Rogers are playing on the boys' side, while Charlie Whorton of Springdale is playing on the girls side.
Evan Vo is one of the highest rated players on the boys' side of the tournament this week. He's looking to be a bit more relaxed this week
The 15-year-old from Austin, Texas, struggled some last week and missed the cut for the final day of the Wyndham Invitational in Greensboro, N.C.
"The first two days were pretty shaky," Vo said. "The last day I played all right. I felt like I put too much pressure on my shoulders. I didn't have fun."
Vo tied for ninth last year at this event, but that was played at Fayetteville Country Club. Daly II, the son of the five-time PGA Tour winner from Arkansas, is playing in the event for the second consecutive year.
Sports on 06/19/2018