Local youth golfers headed to Miami to compete in tourney

ST. THOMAS - B.J. Lynch remembers when his father brought him to Mahogany Run Golf Course for the first time when he was just five years old. Back then, he played with plastic clubs and kept a keen eye on how his father and the other adult golfers played the course.

After seven years of fine-tuning his game, the 12-year-old Lynch is ready to take on some of the top youth golfers in the world.

Lynch and five other youth players from St. Thomas will compete in the 2011 Doral-Publix Junior Golf Classic this weekend at the Doral Resort and Spa in Miami, Fla. The three-day tournament will boast over 670 participants representing 48 countries.

"This is easily the biggest junior tournament any of these kids have ever played in," said Veronica Rollins, one of the Mahogany Run assistant club professionals, who helped organize the junior golf program at the course.

"Each golfer qualified within their age group. We had local coaches who have worked with them for the last few weeks and then it was determined who the best players were."

Getting the nod from local coaches is only half the battle. Rollins said thousands of young golfers apply for the tournament every year, so there is a selection process. Aside from each golfer's handicap and tournament experience, their grades in school were also factored in.

Along with Lynch, Charlotte Amalie High School senior Juwan Blyden, 18, Addelita Cancryn Junior High's Lavonte' Blyden, 13, and Joseph Sibilly School's Ricky James, 10, Radiance Peets, 9, and Christian Freyn, 8, will also compete in Miami.

For most of them, it will be their first tournament experience outside the territory.

Lynch, however, has competed in the Caribbean Junior Amateur Golf Tournament each of the last two years - one was held in Barbados, the other was in the Bahamas - and he even got the chance to play the Doral Resort and Spa course three months ago.

"It's like I already have home-field advantage," said Lynch, who attends Antilles School. "This is one of the best courses in the world and I'm excited just to play there."

James and Peets are in the same class in school and they started playing in the junior golf program at Mahogany Run around the same time. Over the last year, golf has become their favorite sport.

"We will play three or four times a week and that includes private lessons," said James, who saw the Miami course when his family was on vacation. "I think I can win a really big trophy."

Practicing on the shorter and more-challenging Mahogany Run course has prepared the youngsters.

"The course in Miami will be different because we have hills and their course is flat," Peets said. "I think that has made us better players."

Juwan Blyden has been on the links for the last five years and would like to play golf in college one day. But he feels a few big victories to pad his golf resume will gain some more attention from college scouts.

"To win this tournament would be amazing," he said. "I played in the Caribbean Junior Amateur in Barbados this past summer and I did OK. No one knows who I am yet so I'd like to play well this weekend."

Each of the six youth golfers played in the Mahogany Run Junior Golf Program, which included 25 youth players and was capped with a tournament at the end of the six-week session. This year's second session held its tournament on Wednesday.

"It's for children ages 7 through 18 and they learn to chip, putt, hit iron and hit wood," said Rollins, who has brought St. Thomas and St. Croix junior golfers to the Doral tournament for the last five years. "During each session, the kids get to go on the course, and everyone looks forward to the tournament at the end."

All the St. Thomas players who are 13 and younger will tee off at the Doral tourney on Saturday, while Juwan Blyden and the rest of the players 14 and older start Tuesday.

- Contact sports writer Aaron Gray at 714-9102 or email agray@dailynews.vi.

Mahogany Run Junior Golf Program Tournament results

St. Thomas, Wednesday

A Flight

1. Kayla Clendinen

2. B.J. Lynch

B Flight

1. Adam Chen

2. Isiah Nelthropp

3. Jonathan Gomez

C Flight

1. Christian Freyn

2. Grant Newton

3. Brent Biscoe

4. Winston Smith

D Flight

1. Caitlynd Born

2. Radiance Peets

3. Erin Hughes

E Flight

1. Dylan McDonald

- Source: Mahogany Run assistant club professional Veronica Rollins

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