Mesa, Ariz. (April 18, 2022) – After starting the day in a four-way tie for first place, Mesa’s Johnnie Clark recorded a tournament low 63 in his final round on Easter Sunday to win the boy’s division at the AJGA PING Heather Farr Classic hosted at Longbow Golf Club. Clark, who began playing at Longbow Golf Club since he was seven years old, scored nine birdies in his final round to take the tournament crown by six strokes over past champion and Phoenix area native, Adam Miller. Clark finished the tournament at 14-under par, good for a total 54-hole score of 199. Miller placed second at 8-under par, while Gilbert, Arizona’s Rylan Johnson and Austin, Texas’ Jacob Sosa tied for third at 6-under par. Rounding out the top-five was Katy, Texas’ Xing Luo and Gilbert native and former champion Anawin Pikulthong with scores of 4-under par. Four finishers within the top-five in the boy’s division are local golfers from Arizona in this nationwide tournament.
In the girl’s division, Cerritos, California’s Jasmine Koo overcame a four-stroke deficit to start her final round to win the tournament by two strokes. Koo used a clean scorecard on the back nine of her last round with two birdies and no bogies to secure her second AJGA tournament win in 2022. Jasmine also had a bogey free first round 68 to gain momentum on her way to victory. California is represented by each of the top-five finishers. Kelly Xu and Rianne Malixi finished tied for second place at six-under par, while Kylee Choi and past champion Dianna Lee placed fourth and fifth with scores of 2-under par and 1-under par, respectively.
“A huge congratulations to Johnnie and Jasmine on winning the 2022 AJGA PING Heather Farr Classic,” stated Longbow Golf Club General Manager Bob McNichols. “Both are deserving winners and performed their best on such a big stage. We had numerous college golf representatives from all over the country in attendance this entire weekend and they really showcased themselves.” Regarding Mesa’s own Johnnie Clark winning the boy’s title this year, McNichols said, “I have known Johnnie since he was seven years old. He has been coming to play at Longbow Golf Club since then. He even chooses the same table to sit at every time he is here inside of our clubhouse, otherwise known as “Johnnie’s table”. He first began playing in the Heather Farr Classic back in 2019 when he won the qualifying tournament that we host each year about a month before the tournament starts. He shot a 64. He has played in the tournament each year since then, and just beat his best round in competition this year with a 63 in his final round. He is the first winner of this tournament that calls Longbow Golf Club his home golf club. I am so proud of him on his accomplishment and know he will continue to be great moving forward.”
This year’s tournament is 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. 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 consisted of 90 boys and 42 girls representing seventeen states and four countries. 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.
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.
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.