US: Mangalore Boy Rigel Fernandes Wins Vicky Hurst Golf Championship

Media Release

Los Angeles, Apr 30: Rigel Fernandes of Mangalore, India (based in Bradenton, Florida), fired a final-round even-par 72 to win the boys division of the Under Armour / Vicky Hurst Championship at Squire Creek Country Club on April 28 and 29.

This follows his back to back victories last month in the Future Collegians World Tour (FCWT) tournaments held at Saddlebrook and Feather Sound Golf courses in Florida. He was voted ‘Player of the Week’ for this performance by Golfweek.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the Under Armour / Vicky Hurst Championship was a 36-hole stroke play competition played on the par-72 Squire Creek Country Club in Choudrant, Louisiana. The event featured 54 boys and 24 girls, ages 12-18, from 20 states and seven countries. The boys division played the course at 7,013 yards while the Girls Division played the course at 6,132 yards.

Fernandes, who was tied for second place at one-under-par 71 heading into Sunday's round, feels his hard work is starting to show.

“I have worked really hard on my putting and short game and it paid off on the greens,” Fernandes said. “I was able to get some shots up-and-down that I don't think other people really did. I think it paid off at the end of the week.”

Tied for second place were Sam Burns of Shreveport, La., Matthew Rushton of Bluffton, SC, and Maxime Blandin of Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida, at 2-over-par 146. In a tie for fifth place at 3-over-par 147 were Blake Cannon of Scottsdale, Arizona, and Thadd Obecny II of Wheeling, West Virginia.

Earlier this month, Rigel Fernandes took home his second title of the Future Collegians World Tour season this past weekend. Fernandes won the tournament at Feather Sound by three strokes shooting 70-75=145(+1). He also won his previous event on the FCWT at the Saddlebrook Resort on March 4.

After his performance at Feather Sound, Fernandes was recognized as Golfweek’s Junior Player of the Week.

Rigel is the younger son of Ivan and Renny Fernandes, of Ashoknagar parish in Mangalore.

Some of his other achievements in the golf arena include: FCWT National Champion (13 - 15yrs) - May 2010; AJGA Hilton Head Champion (12 - 15 yrs) Jul 2010; US Kids Teen World Cup - 4th Place (14 yrs) - Aug 2010; HJGT Tour Championship - 2nd Place (16 - 19 yrs) Dec 2011 and All India Junior Champion (15 - 17 yrs) Dec 2011.

About AJGA

The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit 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 provides valuable exposure for college golf scholarships, and has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,500 junior golfers from 49 states and more than 40 countries. To ensure scholarship opportunities for all junior golfers who have the skill, the AJGA created the Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant program to provide financial assistance to young players in need.

AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 500 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Stewart Cink, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Inbee Park and Morgan Pressel.