A Profile of Mississippi's Junior Golfers

compiled by Joe Maxwell and Daniel Townsend

Chad Bounds, 17, Meridian, Mississippi

NATIONAL RANK: 134

Chad Bounds's mom played golf at the University of Alabama, but he is headed for the links at Ole Miss. "I'm going to go up there and give it the four best years that I can," he says.

The 17-year-old Lamar High School student learned golf under Jimmy Gamblin, the pro at the Northwood Country Club.

By age 11, Bounds was playing in-state junior golf tournaments, "just for the fun of it." By 13, he began getting more serious.

"The better I got, the more I wanted to be the best that I could be. I knew tournaments were where I had to prove that."

Bounds is well on his way. Currently, he¹s the highest nationally ranked junior golfer from Mississippi--ranked 134th on Junior Golf Scoreboard out of 5,222 players.

Playing successfully at the national level has helped his game, he says.
"It feels really good because it gives you a lot of confidence playing tournaments in-state."

And knowing he can always go to Gamblin for help at the Northwood Country Club is nice, as well. "He has been teaching me ever since I started."

Esther Huffman, 17, Olive Branch, Mississippi

NATIONAL RANK: 364

Esther Huffman, a rising senior at Center Hill High School in Olive Branch, helped her school make history in May at the Patrick Farms Golf Course in Pearl. Huffman, who began playing golf seven years ago, won the first sanctioned Mississippi High School Activities Association girls golf state championship.

Esther's memorable 2008 season also included an April hole-in-one at the Dogwood's golf course in Grenada and an eagle at Plantation Golf Course in Olive Branch.

During the recent MHSAA championship, Huffman, the number one girl golfer in the Mississippi Junior Golf Association, shot a 2-under 142 over two days.

"Esther is an amazing golfer and an even better person," says her high-school golf coach, Josh McIntyre. "She has that special ability to perform at her highest level whenever the stakes are the highest."

Esther said her favorite aspect of golf is "knowing you can always improve some part of your game. You can always work harder." Esther hopes her hard work will enable her to play college golf, but she said her college plans are based on academics first, golf second.

Esther's goal for the 2008-2009 is to repeat last year's success by winning state. "I want to put women's golf on the map," she said.

From article by April Smith Carpenter, May 14, The Desoto County Tribune.

source: www.juniorgolfscoreboard.com

Chad Ramey, 16, Fulton, Mississippi

NATIONAL RANK: 234

Just give Chad Ramey a golf club and he¹s happy.

"Golf is the only thing I play," says this 16-year-old junior at Itawamba Agricultural High School.
He was recently recognized as the Mississippi Junior Golf Association's Player of the Year.

Chad learned the game on the nine-hole Fulton Country Club course that his father, Stanley, operates. He¹s played since he was age 7. This year he finished second overall at the Mississippi Junior Boys Amateur and won his age group.

For Ramey, playing golf is all about the competition and he'll take a game with anyone. "It really doesn¹t matter to me. I just play with whoever."

Like many other rising junior golfers, he's learned the game under top golf instructor V.J. Trolio at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Mississippi, about an hour away from his home.

Gary Dye, 16, Jackson, Mississippi

NATIONAL RANK: 2463

Gary Dye has "played golf as long as I can remember," says the 16-year-old sophomore at Jackson Prep.

The son of Jackson insurance agent Bobby Dye, who played college football at Ole Miss, Gary is set full-bore on golf.

"I just really enjoy the fact that it is an individual sport," says the 6-foot, 2-inch Dye.

Dye cut his teeth in competitive golf at age eight, in a local set of tournaments called JJIGA (Jackson Junior Inter-Club Golf Association), which no longer operates. A +2 to 3 handicap, Dye takes lessons from Old Waverly instructor V. J. Trolio and Mississippi golf legend, Robbie Webb.

Dye hopes to play golf at the college level and, if possible, professionally as well. For now, whipping his father on the Jackson Country Club¹s red and white nines provides a bit of satisfaction, he admits with a laugh. "He does not like it," says Dye. "But he¹s been playing better
lately."

Kevin Brady, 16, Brandon, Mississippi

NATIONAL RANK: 443

Kevin Brady¹s father, Mark, taught him the game he loves so much.

"He taught me everything," Kevin says of his father. "We play as much as we can." The 16-year old Northwest Rankin High School junior and his dad have roamed the fairways of the Castlewood Country Club since he was only four years old.

By age 12, Brady had won his first Mississippi Junior Golf Association state championship, qualifying him to play in the Junior World Championships in Virginia.

This summer, he played in the historic "Big I" Tournament at the North Carolina Country Club outside of Raleigh, North Carolina.

"It's run as close to a professional tournament as you can get. It was unbelievable. The competition was like I've never seen and the people were as nice as they get."

In the coming year, Brady hopes to compete against top-ranked teens national tournaments run by the American Junior Golf Association. "I would like to show that I'm worthy and can compete with them and hopefully get some attention from some colleges."

Meanwhile, he plays whenever possible with his father, who (Kevin boasts) can "still shoot a 75."

Fletcher Johnson, 15, Tupelo, Mississippi

NATIONAL RANK: 499

People say Fletcher Johnson¹s biggest asset is his sunny disposition. But the 15-year-old can get mean with a golf club, too. Fletcher, a sophomore at Tupelo High School, won this summer's Mississippi State Junior Amateur.

He¹s been playing golf since he was four and practices every day. An all-around athlete, Johnson also played select baseball until age 13, but eventually shifted total focus to golf.

"I just fell in love with the sport," he says.

The 5 foot, 10 inch Johnson has been involved in Mississippi Junior Golf events since he was 11 and currently carries a +1 handicap.

"Golf is part of my life now. It's just something that I do."

Johnson says he's working on his iron play right now. "This summer my strength was putting and it kept me in a lot of golf tournaments. But I¹ve always been a good driver and that's probably my strength long term."

He recently started playing in some national events, which gave him the confidence to know he could win a state junior golf championship. "I found out I could play with those guys. I came into it (the MJGA championship) and I played well the first day and was actually tied for the lead. The second day I was one back. I found myself two back with five to play and I kind of kicked it into a gear that I wasn¹t sure I had. It was a great experience and just a great honor to win."

Connor Beth Ball, 9, Madison, Mississippi

It's no surprise that 4th-grader Conner Beth Ball loves to compete given that her father, Bill Ball, is the head high-school basketball coach at Jackson Academy.

"It's just exciting to see what I can do compared to others," explains 9-year-old Conner Beth.
She started playing golf at age five. A natural athlete, golf "clicked" for Conner Beth early and she feels it's a gift she's been given.

"I think that God gave me a talent and I really should use it," she says. "It's just fun."

Conner Beth even made up some bracelets this summer to give out to fellow players while at a major national tournament this summer. The bracelets read: GOLF (God Offers Life Forever).
She passed them out while playing at the US Kids World Golf Championship in Pinehurst, North Carolina, where she finished 24th out of 70 kids from a worldwide field.

Conner Beth plays on Jackson Academy's high-school golf team. Her +15 handicap holds up just fine with many of the female high-school golfers in the state. Her father, Bill, couldn¹t be prouder.

"She's a good little golfer and has a kind heart," he says.

And he still enjoys a game of golf with his daughter every now and then on the Reunion Golf Course.

" I¹m still playing with her right now," Bill says. "We often have 'grudge matches.' That's what we call it. I'm the champion and she's never beat me yet. But I'm afraid that day is fast approaching."

Hope Biggs, 14, Clinton, Mississippi

Hope Biggs, a Central Hinds Academy freshman, was introduced to golf at a girl scout event.
Now Hope, previously home-schooled, will be the first girl golfer on CHA¹s golf team. "The coaches asked her to play," says Hope¹s mother, June.

Hope plans to recruit more girls to the team, drawing inspiration from several girl players she¹s met through Mississippi Junior Golf Association tournaments.

"I played with a lot of great girls this past year," she says. "They¹re definitely better than me. They're so relaxed. They make me humble."

Hope participated in the Exxon BFI tournament in Greenville earlier this year, as well as an MJGA tournament at the Columbus Country Club, and the State Games in Meridian. In order to pay for the tournaments, Hope collected soft drink cans and cashed them. Somehow word got out, and now people drop bags of cans at the Biggs' house to help.

Hope attributes her success to her family and to God. "He has definitely helped me in all of this. He helps me to calm me down. He's a big, big impact on my life."

Her next big event is the mid-September, Viking Pro Am in Madison. "I'm very, very excited about that."

Hope's next goal is the break 85. "She improved her score by ten strokes this summer," June said. "Another ten would be great." SS

joe@thesportingspirit.com

daniel@thesportingspirit.com

Click here to comment on this article.