AJGA PING HEATHER FARR CLASSIC Begins Friday, April 15 at Longbow Golf Club
Mesa, Ariz. – 2020 Girls Champion Dianna Lee, 2020 Boys Champion Adam Miller, and 2021 Boys Champion Anawin Pikulthong highlight the field for the 2022 AJGA PING Heather Farr Classic at Longbow Golf Club. Lee, a high school senior from San Diego, is committed to play golf at Northwestern University next fall. Dianna was crowned champion of the Heather Farr Classic in 2020 where she won the tournament by a single stroke after scoring birdies on two of the final four holes to finish her last round. Miller, a junior at Scottsdale Prep, won the 2020 boys’ tournament by three strokes. Adam shot a tournament low 66 in his final round and recorded an incredible five consecutive birdies in his first round of the tournament. A local junior champion at Hamilton High School in Chandler, Pikulthong hopes to defend his crown in the boy’s division after winning the 2021 tournament by three strokes. Anawin carded a fantastic score of 67 (4 under par) in the final round to secure his victory in 2021. Pikulthong is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American and is currently the fifteenth ranked golfer in the Rolex AJGA rankings.
Both boys’ and girls’ fields for this year’s Heather Farr Classic contain a large number of top-50 ranked amateurs, according to Golfweek. On the boy’s side, nine participants currently rank within the top-50 nationwide, led by Bellevue, Washington native Max Herendeen (#19) and previously mentioned Anawin Pikulthong (#20). For the girl’s division, twelve of the thirty-nine golfers in the field are ranked in Golfweek’s top-50. Karen Tsuru (#8) and her fellow Californian Kelly Xu (#9) are the highest ranked coming into the tournament.
“We are extremely happy to have three of our past champions back to defend their crowns and try to repeat again this year,” said Longbow Golf Club General Manager Bob McNichols. “We have only had two repeat winners in the history of The PING Heather Farr Classic, but I am extremely impressed with the talent Anawin, Dianna, and Adam have so it would not surprise me if we see one or even two of them win again this year. They will certainly have to work for it, however, because the field is so competitive with numerous top ranked golfers from all over the country looking to win.”
This year’s tournament will be the 24th year of the PING Heather Farr Classic and the 19th consecutive year hosted by Longbow Golf Club. Notable past champions of this event include Paula Creamer, Inbee Park, Alison Lee, Hannah O’Sullivan, Hunter Mahan, Philip Francis, Beau Hossler, Ricky Castillo, and William Mouw. Today’s Juniors are the PGA and LPGA stars of tomorrow.
The Tournament’s namesake, Heather Farr, was an LPGA Tour mainstay from 1986 through 1990 and was one of the first in the country to play in the newly formed AJGA in her early years. The Phoenix area native chose to stay close to home and attended Arizona State University on a golf scholarship. Farr was an All-American and was inducted into Arizona State’s Hall of Fame in 1990. Farr was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1989 while playing on tour at the age of twenty-four. After a four-year battle, Farr passed away in 1993. Throughout numerous treatments, Farr was always determined to come back to professional golf and became admired by many because of her positive spirit and hope to return to golf. Farr was posthumously named an ambassador of the Grayhawk Golf Club in Arizona, and her family established the Heather Farr Foundation. In 1994, the LPGA established the Heather Farr Player Award to celebrate her life. The award recognizes an LPGA Tour player who, through her hard work, dedication, and love of the game of golf, has demonstrated determination, perseverance, and spirit in fulfilling her goals as a player; all qualities that Farr is remembered for.
2022 marks the sixth consecutive year PING is the title sponsor for the AJGA Heather Farr Classic at Longbow Golf Club. The field for this year’s tournament consists of 84 boys and 39 girls representing seventeen states and four countries. Spectators are welcome and encouraged to attend the tournament which includes a junior-am Wednesday April 13, practice rounds Thursday April 14, and the three-day tournament Friday through Sunday, April 15-17. All spectator carts will need to be approved by the AJGA in advance and, if approved, will be available to rent inside the Golf Shop at Longbow Golf Club.
About Longbow Golf Club
Longbow Business Park and Golf Club is a 330-acre, mixed-use development, being developed by Daedalus Real Estate Advisors, that incorporates office, light industrial, retail, hotel and residential uses surrounded by desert vegetation, a main street transportation design and features the award-winning Longbow Golf Club. Troon-managed Longbow Golf Club was originally designed by Ken Kavanaugh in 1997. In 2003, Daedalus commissioned Kavanaugh to execute a complete redesign of the golf course creating a complete refresh layout. For more information, call (480) 807-5400, or visit www.longbowgolf.com.
About Troon
Longbow Golf Club is professionally managed by Troon. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Troon is the world’s largest golf management company providing services at 630-plus locations around the globe, including managing 650-plus 18-hole equivalent golf courses. In addition to golf, Troon specializes in homeowner association management, private residence clubs, estate management and associated hospitality venues. Troon’s award-winning food and beverage division operates and manages 615-plus food and beverage operations located at golf resorts, private clubs, daily fee golf courses and recreational facilities. With properties located in 45-plus states and 30-plus countries, Troon’s family of brands includes Troon Golf, Troon Privé, Troon International, Indigo Sports, CADDIEMASTER, True Club Solutions, Cliff Drysdale Tennis, Peter Burwash International and RealFood Hospitality, Strategy and Design. For additional news and information, visit www.Troon.com, or connect with Troon on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Troon Chronicles, Press Room, or subscribe to Troon Magazine.
About AJGA
The AJGA (American Junior Golf Association) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. The AJGA has run elite tournaments for junior golfers of both sexes in the United States since 1978. The Association is headquartered at Chateau Elan Resort in Braselton, Georgia. Currently, the AJGA focuses more on developing golfers at the highest skill levels, preparing them for college golf and beyond. For additional news and information on the AJGA, visit www.ajga.org or contact the organization by phone at (770) 868-4200.