British Columbia Golf Announces 2016 Girls Junior Americas Cup Team
British Columbia Golf has just announced its team for the 2016 Girls Junior Americas Cup (GJAC) being held this year at Del Rio Country Club, Modesto California on July 26 – 28.
Since 1978, the Girls Junior Americas Cup has provided an internationally recognized team format tournament for young women. The event was founded in 1978 by Joan Teats, who also founded the Washington State Junior Golf Association.
She was seeking to create a high level college-style tournament for women and this tournament is indeed heavily recruited by College Coaches.
Charter members of the GJAC tournament were; Northern California, San Diego, British Columbia, Southern California, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Southern Nevada, Idaho, Alberta and Northern Nevada. GJAC has grown since then to 18 teams, all located in the Western part of the US, Canada and Mexico.
Team BC:
- Amanda Minni
- Alisha Lau
- Mary Parsons
- Sumie Francois
Volunteer Non-playing Captain: Pat Thompson. Pat has been the non-playing captain for the past 6 years. Pat is also a former BC Golf Board Member and a current member of Golf Canada’s Board of Directors.
Player Bio’s
Amanda Minni, Delta, BC - 16 years old
- First year on the Girls Junior America’s Cup
- Member of the 2016 North Pacific Junior Girls Team Champions
- At Spallumcheen Golf and Country Club she shot 71-72-69 and came third in 2015 BC Juvenile
- Won a Maple Leaf Junior Tour event at Mayfair Lakes in 2015
- Won two U17 division and one U19 CJGA event(s) in 2015
Alisha Lau, Richmond, BC - 16 years old
- Member of the North Pacific Junior Girls' Team in 2014 and 2015
- Won a Maple Leaf Tour event in 2015 at Meadow Gardens in Pitt Meadows and a CJGA event at Hazelmere in 2014
- Member of Team Canada in 2015
- Won the 2015 CN Future Links Prairie Championship
- Champion – 2015 MJT Girls Division at Meadow Gardens
Mary Parsons, Delta, BC – 17 years old
- Member of the 2014 and 2015 Girls Junior Americas Cup Team
- Won the 2016 CN Future Links Pacific Championship
- Set the new course record at the 2016 CN Future Links Pacific by shooting 66
- 2nd at the 2015 CN Future Links Prairie Championship
- Attending Indiana University in the Fall of 2017
Sumie Francois, Burnaby, BC – 16 years old
- T3 at the 2016 CN Future Links Pacific Championship
- 2013 BC Juvenile Champion
- First time on the Girls Junior America’s Cup Team
- 3rd place at the 2014 MJT KIKKOR Classic and the 2014 MJT Jr. World Qual/Prodigy Series
- 2015 Zone 4 Junior Champion
GJAC Facts
- Girls Junior America’s Cup website – www.gjac.org
- In Modesto, California at Del Rio Country Club on July 25th to 28th, 2016
- Girls aged 14 – 17 years old
- Other teams include; Alberta, 12 U.S. states: (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, California, New Mexico Hawaii) and Mexico
- BC players who have gone to GJAC in past years have included: Dawn Coe-Jones, AJ Eathorne, Samantha Richdale, Sue Kim, Kirby Dreher, Jessica Wallace, Soo Bin Kim and Christine Wong – all players who have played on the LPGA or currently playing the Symetra Tour
GJAC Tournaments Previously Hosted In British Coliumbia
- 1986 Shaughnessy G & CC, Vancouver, B.C.
- 2004 Royal Colwood GC, Victoria, B.C.
(B.C.'s Next Date As Host Will Be In 2022 At A Site As Yet To Be Determined)