Zac Blair is in second place heading into the final round.
Trusted Choice Big “I” Junior Classic Country Club of North Carolina–DogWood Course Pinehurst, N.C. • Aug. 3–7, 2008
McCracken Stands Alone in the Lead After Three Rounds at the Big “I” Howard Leads Girls Division by Four Shots
Pinehurst, N.C.––
Logan McCracken of Oklahoma City, Okla., held onto the lead in the Boys
Division for the third consecutive day, carding an eagle on No.18 that
put him two shots ahead of the field leading into Thursday’s final
round. In the Girls Division, Ginger Howard remains atop the
leaderboard by four shots after a third-round 4-over-par 217 at the
40th annual Trusted Choice Big “I” Junior Classic in Pinehurst.
Conducted
by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, the
Trusted Choice Big “I” Junior Classic is the nation’s largest junior
stroke-play golf tournament and is being held at the Dogwood Course of
the Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst. The event features 168
players from 42 states consisting of 108 boys and 60 girls ages 12-18.
The Boys Division is playing the 72-par Dogwood course at 7,144, while
the Girls Division is playing at 6,145 yards.
McCracken was tied
for first after a second-round 73, but drained a 30-foot putt on the
501-yard, par-5 eighteenth to give him his second eagle of the
tournament. McCracken started his round with a double bogey on No. 2,
which put him at 1-over-par for the first nine holes. After making the
turn, McCracken birdied his next hole, which set the pace for the rest
of his round.
“I ended up with a bogey on No.2 because I got a
excited. My adrenalin was pumping and I drove the ball further than I
usually do, but I calmed down and knew I would get it together and be
alright,” said McCracken.
Zac Blair of Ogden, Utah fell back
from a tie for first with McCracken with bogeys on Nos 1 and 7 to make
the turn at even-par. Blair finished the third round at even-par and
4-under-par 212 for the tournament. One shot behind Blair are Austin
Cook of Jonesboro, Ariz., and Blake Brown of Scottsdale, Ariz., tied at
third with 3-under-par 213 for tournament.
In the Girls
Division, 14-year-old Howard holds a four-shot lead entering the final
round. Her lone birdie came on the par-4 eleventh hole on the strength
of a long birdie putt.
“I was happy I had finally made a
birdie and unfortunately it was followed by a bogey, but it feels like
I have made a statement so far and I’m going to continue to I hope,”
said Howard.
Behind Howard are Alexandra Stewart of Peoria,
Ariz., who finished 5-over-par 221 for the tournament and Briana
Espinoza from Phoeniz, Ariz., who posted a score of 6-over-par 222
after three rounds.
The Final round of the Trusted Choice Big
“I” Junior Classic begins Thursday, Aug. 7 with tee times running off
the first tee from 7:30 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. at the Country Club of North
Carolina. For more information about the Trusted Choice Big “I” Junior
Classic, please contact Laura Dark at 252-412-1398 or via email at
keith@bigIjuniorclassic.com.
Players in the Trusted Choice Big
“I” Junior Classic hope to follow in the footsteps of past participants
including Phil Mickelson, Bob Tway, Justin Leonard, Charles Howell,
David Duval, Craig Stadler, Fuzzy Zoeller, Cristie Kerr, Candie Kung
and Grace Park.
The Big “I”, formerly the Insurance Golf
Classic, began in 1969 as a community service project devised by a
group of independent insurance agents. Its goal is to provide young
golfers the opportunity to channel their energies into a positive
experience, while competing in a sportsmanlike atmosphere. Each year
more than 2,000 independent agents volunteer their time and resources
to organize and administer the Classic.
The Tiger Woods
Foundation, this year’s Big “I” sponsor, was established in 1996 and
seeks to empower young people to reach their highest potential by
initiating the supporting community-based programs that promote the
health, education and welfare of all the American’s children. The
foundation has been sponsoring the Big “I” for the past three years and
continued its support this year.
