Wednesday, June 24, 2015 – The 16th Annual Bill Dickey Invitational, hosted by Ibis Golf & Country Club, wrapped up its 36-hole competition today in West Palm Beach, Florida. Penn State commit, Lauren Waller from Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, took home top honors in the Girls Division with a two day total of 149. Alex Wright, originally from Midlothian, Virginia, who now attends the IMG Academy, finished in 2nd place with a total of 155.
Sahara Washington from Universal City, Texas, rounded out the top three with a total of 158. First Round leader, Noel Sims, who shot a 2-under par 70, fired a 75 today. Noel’s two day total of 145 was enough to win the Boys Division. Three players finished tied for second place with a score of 147. This trio included local standout Jeffrey Cunningham from West Palm Beach; Battle Creek, Michigan-native Andrew Walker; and Troy Taylor II from Westerville, Ohio. Congratulations to all the winners and participants in this year’s event.
On Tuesday, June 23, Lauren Waller from Canonsburg, PA fired the low round of the day in the Girls Division with a 73. Lauren has accepted a full scholarship to attend and play golf at Penn State University.
Alex Wright , originally from Midlothian, VA who now attends the IMG Academy, scored a 75. A pair of 77s rounded out the top three coming from Jordyn Sims of Berkley Lake, GA and Sahara Washington from Universal City, TX.
The Boys Division low round of the day came from Noel Sims with a 2-under par round of 70. Noel, from Phoenix, AZ fired a 3-under par 33 on the back nine to take the overnight lead from Westerville, OH native Troy Taylor II.
Taylor birdied his final hole to finish with an even par round of 72. Defending Champion, Kendel Hodges from Temecula, CA recorded a 76 to round out the top three in the Boys Division.
The final round on Wednesday started with tee times at 7:30 a.m.
By: Ben Bauer, PGA Director of Golf
Photos by Ted Hollins
Girls Division
Winner – (73-76) Lauren Waller, Canonsburg, PA +5
2nd – (75-80) Alex Wright, Midlothian, VA +11
3rd – (77-81) Sahara Washington, Universal City, TX +14
4th – (77-82) Jordyn Sims, Berkley Lake, GA +15
5th – (79-81) Erica Han, Mt. Laurel, NJ +16
Photo left: Jeffrey Cunningham from West Palm Beach, FL, 2nd Place Boys Champion Winner.
Boys Division
Winner – (70-75) Noel Sims, Phoenix, AZ +1
T-2nd – (77-70) Jeffrey Cunningham, West Palm Beach, FL +3
(72-75) Troy Taylor II, Westerville, OH +3
(77-70) Andrew Walker, Battle Creek, MI +3
5th – (76-74) Kendel Hodges, Temecula, CA +6
Alex Wright & Martin Hall Girls Division 2nd Place
The mission of The Bill Dickey Scholarship Association is to increase the participation of minority youngsters in the sport of golf as well as provide financial assistance in support of their efforts to experience the extraordinary advantage of education and opportunity.
William “Bill” Dickey Invitational Junior Golf Championship is named in honor of the late William “Bill” Dickey, Founder of the Bill Dickey Scholarship Association (BDSA) who, in August 1999, became the first African American to receive the Distinguished Service Award from the Professional Golf Association of America. An ambassador for youth around the country, he was uniquely positioned to both promote the game of golf and assist students in pursuit of academic excellence.
The 16th Annual Bill Dickey Invitational (BDI) is a premier 36-hole junior golf championship that also features a Junior-Am/Corporate Challenge. Champions of both the boy’s and girl’s divisions will receive exemptions into the prestigious PGA Junior Championship.
In accordance with the mission of the Bill Dickey Scholarship Association, the purpose of the BDI is to identify college scholarship candidates and to provide an internationally recognized and highly competitive venue for the country’s top minority junior golf talent. Junior golfers will participate in plenary sessions and leadership workshops that will expose them to a variety of personal and professional mentoring, networking opportunities and life skills training to help them succeed in school and beyond. They will meet with current BDSA scholars and alumni, golf industry professionals and corporate executives.
Proceeds from the Bill Dickey Invitational will fund minority student scholarships. The Bill Dickey Scholarship Association was established in 1984 to introduce youth of color to the game of golf, at all levels, and to provide financial assistance to college bound students. To date, over 1,000 students have been empowered to pursue their higher education aspirations with the aid of $3.4 million in scholarships.
For more information about the Bill Dickey Invitational and the national programming efforts of the Bill Dickey Scholarship Association, please contact: Andrea Bourdeaux, Executive Director Bill Dickey Scholarship Association 1301 East Washington Street. Suite 200 Phoenix, Arizona 85034
Telephone: 602.258.7851
Fax: 602.258-3412
andrea@bdscholar.org
www.billdickey.org
