Blue Mound To Host 2010 Western Junior

The 93rd Western Junior, presented by Callaway, will be held June 21-25 at Blue Mound Golf & Country Club in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, in the championship's first visit to Wisconsin since 1993.

"Wisconsin is a great golf state both in its support of championship golf and in its tradition of producing golf champions, such as Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly," noted Vince Pellegrino, Western Golf Association's vice president of tournaments. "We're looking forward to bringing our national Western Junior Championship back to Wisconsin, and we're particularly excited about being at Blue Mound, where we've enjoyed a history of support for both our championships and our Evans Scholars program."

Blue Mound hosted the 1916 Western Open won by Walter Hagen in the first of a record five Western Opens won by Hagen. The historic course - designed by the acclaimed Seth Raynor - also was the site of Wisconsin's first hosting of one of professional golf's major championships, the 1933 PGA Championship won by Gene Sarazen.

"We're pleased to have the Western Golf Association return to Blue Mound for the Western Junior," said Blue Mound President Mark Vetter. "It's been a long time in between championships, but our members have been loyal for many years in their support of the association's Evans Scholars program. Giving back to junior golf and supporting the Evans Scholarships for young caddies demonstrates our commitment to future generations of leaders on and off the course."

Fifty-seven Blue Mound caddies have graduated from college as Evans Scholars and eight currently are enrolled in college, including two new Evans Scholars selected in 2010.

Among the nationally-ranked players expected to contend for this year's Western Junior title are:

Patrick Rodgers, 17, Avon, Indiana, the 2009 Indiana Junior Player of the Year. Currently 14th in the AJGA Polo Junior Rankings, he won the 2009 SAP AJGA Junior Open, tied for second in the 2009 John Deere Classic Junior Open and placed third in the 2010 AJGA Junior at Innisbrook. He was a second-team AJGA All-American in 2009. Rodgers will be a senior at Avon High School.

JD Tomlinson, 16, Gainesville, Florida, winner of the 2010 AJGA Junior at Innisbrook. Currently 19th in the junior rankings, he also won the 2010 Florida Junior, the 2009 SJGT TPC Junior Classic, the 2009 Quail Heights Invitational and the 2009 Rye Grass Amateur. An incoming senior this fall at Oak Hall School, Tomlinson placed second in the 2009 Florida State Boys Junior Championship. Tomlinson turns 17 on June 7, two weeks before the Western Junior.

Matthew Ceravolo, 17, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, 22nd in the junior rankings and winner of the 2009 Terra Cotta Amateur Invitational, the 2009 Qdoba Championships and the 2009 Florida Junior Tour. A senior at First Education school, Ceravolo finished second in the 2009 Florida High School Championship.

Wyndham Clark, 16, Greenwood Village, Colorado, 2009 Colorado State High School champion and Colorado High School Junior Player of the Year. He also won the 2010 Under Armour/Vicky Hurst Championship and finished third in the 2009 Colorado Men's Amateur and the 2009 Junior World Golf Championship. A 2009 AJGA Junior All-American, he will be a junior this fall at Valor Christian High School.

Drew Czuchry, 18, Auburn, Georgia, winner of the 2010 Scott Robertson Memorial and the 2009 AJGA Charles Howell III Junior Championship. A 2010 high school graduate, he has signed a letter of intent with the University of Akron.

The Western Junior, the oldest national junior tournament in the United States, draws the top junior players from more than 40 states and internationally each year. The field is limited to 156 entrants. Exemptions into the Western Amateur are awarded to the top three finishers and ties. The tournament has been a testing ground for stars of the future, such as current PGA TOUR stars Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Hunter Mahan and Rickie Fowler, and veterans Fred Couples Craig Stadler and Corey Pavin.

Championship week opens on Monday, June 21, with practice rounds. Competition begins with 18-holes of stroke play on Tuesday, June 22. Following a second round of stroke play on Wednesday, June 23, the field will be cut to the low 70 and ties. The third round of stroke play will be held on Thursday, June 24, followed by the final round on Friday, June 25.