Sanders, Lawson earn co-medallist honors to advance to U.S. Junior Amateur

  MALVERN, Pa.– David Sanders of Mt Laurel, N.J., and Andrew Lawson of West Chester, Pa., each posted 10-over-par 150s at a wet then sunny Chester Valley GC (Par 70, 6,631 yards) Wednesday to earn co-medallist honors and a trip to the 60^th U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. The Championship is set for July 23-28 at Boone Valley GC in Augusta, Mo.

  Russell Hartung of Doylestown, Pa. (Doylestown CC), and Clark Gates-George from Bradenton, Fla., each carded 13-over-par 153s to finish tied for third earning the final two spots into the championship at the qualifier administered by the Golf Association of Philadelphia.

  Sanders, out of Laurel Creek CC, who came into Wednesday’s qualifier after finishing second in the American Junior Golf Association’s Foot Joy Boys Invitational last week with a four-round final score of 8-under-par 280, attributed his accuracy off the tee as the key to his round.

  “I only missed only one or two fairways all day,” said the 16-year-old who finds himself ranked 17^th in the AJGA Polo Golf Rankings.

  One of those putts came on No. 15 (par 3, 186 yards) when Sanders hit a 4-iron in the left rough hole high. He chipped up to just about 13-feet past the hole and made the comeback putt to save par.

  “I felt like that was one of the only longer par putts I had all day,” said Sanders.

  Lawson, who swapped rounds with Sanders with a 73-77 to Sanders’ 77-73, shared Sanders’ fairway success with only three missed fairways in his two rounds.

  “My caddie really kept my mind on the game and didn’t let me wander or do anything stupid,” said Lawson of Mike Polinski, an assistant pro at Hershey’s Mill GC. “I think I just got tired after playing 36 [holes]. I’m not used to playing 36 in one day.”

  Lawson, who advances to the Junior Championship for the first time, said he is really excited to head to Missouri for the Championship.

  “I can’t wait to go,” said the 17-year-old out of West Chester East High School. “I’m not really nervous. I’m just going to go in there and see what I can do.”

  The Chester Valley qualifier was one of 64, 36-hole qualifiers for the U.S. Junior Amateur to be held throughout the country. The U.S. Junior Championship consists of 36 holes of qualifying over two days followed by a 64-player match play draw.

  A field of 156 players will compete in the U.S. Junior Amateur.

  Players needed to have a USGA Handicap Index of 6.4 or lower.

  Founded in 1897, the Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) is the oldest regional golf association in the United States and serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. Its 135 Member Clubs and 60,000 individual members are spread across parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. The purpose of the Association is simple: To promote, protect and preserve the game of golf in the region.