IMG Academy

IMG Academy dedicates its Center for Personal Development to legendary coach John Wooden

john.esfeller@imgworld.com — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:22:51 +0000

On Tuesday, in a special ceremony, IMG Academy dedicated its Center for Personal Development to the late, legendary coach John Wooden. The facility will be known as the John R. Wooden Center for Character & Leadership, and will continue to provide education and training to student-athletes in areas like leadership and mental toughness.

Remarked Greg Phillips, IMG Academy Vice President and Athletics Director: “Coach Wooden’s legacy truly transcends athletics and spans generations. Our greatest pride at IMG Academy comes from the success of our student-athletes as leaders not just on the court or field, but in life. We are thrilled to give new meaning to this Center, where our students learn to build confidence, make decisions consistent with their core values, and maximize the potential of others.”

Nan Wooden, John Wooden’s daughter, as well as Greg Wooden and Cathleen Trapani, joined the special gathering. “We were touched by yesterday’s dedication to our father, grandfather,” said Greg Wooden. “While he had such a deep impact on us personally, it is always rewarding to witness the continuing impact he has on others. We believe there is no better place than IMG Academy to keep his legacy and the fundamentals of his teaching alive in a classroom setting each and every day.”

Dick Vitale, a friend of John Wooden’s, addressed the crowd and spoke fondly of his relationship with the late Coach and the lessons he learned from him.

IMG Academy’s relationship with the Wooden family began in 2012. Wooden’s principles of leadership and his ‘Pyramid of Success’ are integrated into IMG Academy’s leadership curriculum. The programming extends beyond student-athletes, and is available to coaches, corporations, the military, and other groups.

Scenes from the dedication of the Center for Personal Development:

IMG Academy dedicates John R. Wooden Center for Character and Leadership

IMG Academy’s Class of 2013 commemorates more than 165 college commitments

john.esfeller@imgworld.com — Fri, 24 May 2013 20:48:36 +0000

On Thursday, May 23, IMG Academy commemorated 168 of its student-athletes who committed to the colleges of their choice at a special ceremony at the State College of Florida’s Neel Performing Arts Center.

Over the past several years, IMG Academy has sent more than 60% of its student-athletes to Division I schools, while less than 6% of student-athletes nationally play sports at the D-I, II or III level.

Some of the most notable student-athletes’ achievements in this year’s graduating class include:

Tommy Hamilton, a native of Chicago, Ill., is a highly touted center/forward prospect who will move on to the Big East Conference after signing with DePaul University.

Rina Hill, a native of Nagoya-Shi, Japan, signed with Louisiana State University after helping lead the IMG Academy women’s basketball team to a 42-8 overall record, with a 7-2 record against junior colleges. Rina averaged 12.8 points per game, while pulling down 51defensive rebounds and notching 51steals.

Ryan Dance has the distinction of being the first college commitment of the first-year IMG Academy lacrosse team, and will head to prestigious Ithaca College. This season, Dance overcame injury to help lead the team to an astounding 11-1 inaugural season.

Jordan Lippetz achieved accolades on and off the links during her time at IMG Academy, earning 2012 IMG Junior Golf Tour Player of the Year honors, and being named an HP Scholastic Junior All-American in the fall. Lippetz is ranked by Golfweek as the No. 11 player in the state of Florida (No. 75 nationally), and will join the Princeton University ladies’ golf program.

Rigel Fernandes is the top-ranked player in India, and will join the reigning Big East champion University of South Florida men’s golf program as Golfweek’s No. 17-ranked prospect for the Class of 2013.

Apichaya Runglerdkriangkrai, a native of Thailand, will join the 22-time West Coast Conference champion Pepperdine Waves ladies tennis program.

Diego Pedraza, a native of Bogota, Colombia, competed as an amateur and won his first professional event at the Mexico F3 Futures in February, which resulted in reaching a career-high ranking of No. 35 ITF. Pedraza will take his talents to the Ivy League as a member of the Dartmouth University men’s tennis team.

Brett Hanewich, a third baseman and right-handed pitcher, signed with Stanford University. Hanewich was named as 2nd Team Rawlings/Perfect Game All-American entering his senior season. His sister, Corey Hanewich, is a member of the Cardinal softball team.

Pablo Aguilar, a Guatemala native who came to IMG Academy as a freshman in 2009,committed to the No. 17-ranked University of Virginia. Aguilar is ranked as the top midfielder and No. 2 overall soccer player in the state of Florida for the Class of 2013, according to Top Drawer Soccer.

Hannah Howell, a native of Bradenton, Fla.,committed to the No. 17-ranked Georgetown University Hoyas. The attacking midfielder led the IMG Academy U18 girls team and was named as the Bradenton Herald’s ‘All-Area Player of the Year’ for girls soccer.

Listed below is the complete list of seniors and post-grads who have committed to colleges throughout the 2012-13 academic year. A number of IMG Academy student-athletes remain uncommitted, and will be added to this list once they make their final selections.

LAST NAME	FIRST NAME	COMMITMENT	SPORT
Aguilar	Pablo	University of Virginia	Soccer
Alcocer	Diego	Foothills Community College	Tennis
Aldana	Alexander	University of Central Florida	Soccer
Araujo	Franco	Lynn University	Soccer
Aritt	Kayla	University of North Florida	Soccer
Arsenault	Edward	University of Nevada Las Vegas	Golf
Ashley	Allie	Trevecca Nazarene University	Soccer
Bae	Jeo Eun	Georgia State University	Golf
Bicknell	Adrian	Barry University	Soccer
Biggs	Tyler	University of Nebraska - Omaha	Baseball
Bolbjerg	Amalie	Florida State University	Golf
Buehning	Saxon	University of Alabama	Tennis
Camarena	Luis Felix	Suffolk University	Basketball
Carbone	Gianluca	Stetson University	Soccer
Castro	Estaban	University of West Florida	Golf
Catelani	Isabella	University of Akron	Tennis
Chan	Kasum	Chabot College	Golf
Chen	Hsuan	University of Nevada Las Vegas	Golf
Chen	Guanlong	Monmouth University	Tennis
Christie	Dylan	Jacksonville University	Soccer
Cocks	Riley	Belmont Abbey College	Lacrosse
Colliard	Peter	Fairfield University	Tennis
Connor	Kevin	Boston College	Baseball
Contreras	Sebastian	Stetson University	Soccer
Courtney	Trevor Madison	Trinity University	Baseball
Dages	Lucas	Purdue University	Tennis
Dance	Ryan	Ithaca College	Lacrosse
Davis	Hannah	Nova Southeastern University	Soccer
DiBenedetto	Nicholas	Trinity College	Baseball
Dos Reis Fario	Pedro	Flagler College	Soccer
Eduardo	Jose	Whittier College	Baseball
Eranna	Abhilasg	Lancaster University	Soccer
Estrada	Bryan	Midwestern State University	Soccer
Fajardo	Christian	Whittier College	Baseball
Fernandes	Rigel	University of South Florida	Golf
Finney	Evan	Pennsylvania State University	Soccer
Franchi	Joseph	Rollins College	Baseball
Fry	Cody	Cumberland College	Baseball
Fu	Fangqui	Eastern Washington University	Golf
Gallagher	Mitchell	Pepperdine University	Baseball
Garduno Neri	Arantxa	Fordham University	Tennis
Geannelis	Michael	University of Massachusetts - Amherst	Baseball
Ginzburg	Danil	Monmouth University	Tennis
Goldin	Grayson	Florida State University	Tennis
Gonzalez	Raul	University of Memphis	Soccer
Gravatt	Brett	University of Akron	Soccer
Green	Lydia	Exeter University (UK)	Tennis
Grevelink	Johannus	George Washington University	Soccer
Griffin	Adrian	Barton College	Tennis
Guerin	Cynthia	Virginia Tech	Tennis
Gulsrud	Anne	Marshall University	Tennis
Haddad	Alexander	Stetson University	Soccer
Hamilton	Tommy	DePaul University	Basketball
Hanewich	Brett	Stanford University	Baseball
Hartvich	Natascha	Fresno State University	Basketball
Hepp	Annika	University of Central Florida	Tennis
Hill	Rina	Louisiana State University	Basketball
Hodge	Carter	Pepperdine University	Baseball
Howard	Hannah	Elon University	Soccer
Howell	Hannah	Georgetown University	Soccer
Hwang	Kelly	Georgetown University	Golf
Jaar	Christian	Hofstra University	Soccer
Kamiya	Daichi	Arizona State University	Golf
Katz	Zach	University of Arizona	Golf
Kaufmann	Thoms	Stetson University	Soccer
Kerrigan	Cassandra	Lenoir Rhyne University	Soccer
Kitahara	Leonardo	University of San Francisco	Golf
Konstat	Enrique	Anahuac University (Mexico)	Baseball
Kristensen	Camilla	UNC - Wilmington	Golf
Kumthonkittikul	Worvian	Monmouth University	Tennis
Kurgan	Samuel	University of Miami (Ohio)	Baseball
Leadbetter	James	University of Arkansas	Golf
Levy	Zach	Michigan State University	Lacrosse
Lewis	Darius	Dusquesne University	Basketball
Li	David	Long Island University	Golf
Libman	Hadas	Baylor University	Golf
Linares	Miguel	Stonehill College Soccer	Soccer
Liou	Clement	Whittier College	Golf
Lippetz	Jordan	Princeton University	Golf
Logan	Marcus	Trinity University (Texas)	Tennis
Lopez	Manny	Suffolk University	Basketball
Lovell	Chris	University of Texas - Arlington	Golf
Martino	Luis	Nova Southeastern University	Tennis
Martins	Guido	Emory-Oxford College	Basketball
McElwain	Sydney	Coker College	Soccer
McGrail	Daniel	University of Colorado	Golf
Mendez	Paulette	St. John's University	Soccer
Merchant	Sameer	Charleston Southern University	Golf
Misch	Emerson	Valparaiso University	Baseball
Moller	Spencer	University of Memphis	Soccer
Moore	Peter	Tufts University	Tennis
Mulholland	Connor	Whittier College	Baseball
Munoz	Rodrigo	Long Island University	Golf
Murphy	Jackson	Cal State East Bay	Baseball
Naran	Vineet	Temple University	Tennis
Narendra	Resnu	Santa Monica City College	Soccer
Nichamin	Sam	Emory University	Golf
Nolan	Julian	University of Arizona	Baseball
O'Connor	Brendan	St. John's University	Soccer
Ordonez	Cassandra	Coker College	Soccer
Ortiz	Carlos	University of Houston	Soccer
Ozkan	Evrim	Stetson University	Basketball
Patnick	Jason	Manhattan College	Baseball
Pauley	Hunter	College of Canyons	Golf
Pavao	Eduardo	Stetson University	Soccer
Pedraza	Diego	Dartmouth University	Tennis
Peterson	Megan	Carson Newman College	Soccer
Pizano	Salua	Manhattan College	Tennis
Polo	Greta	Florida Institute of Technology	Tennis
Pomyatinskaya	Anna	Marshall University	Tennis
Ponce	Andrew	Whittier College	Baseball
Ponson	Kenneth	Flagler College	Tennis
Powell	William	Seattle University	Basketball
Ramadane	Samy	Johns Hopkins University	Soccer
Ramierz, Jr.	Manny	Central Arizona Community College	Baseball
Reinhart	Jonah	Trinity Western University	Soccer
Ribbins	Emily	Quinnipiac University	Golf
Robinson	Daniel	Florida International University	Basketball
Robinson	Clark	Marshall University	Golf
Rodriguez	Maria	University of South Florida	Golf
Rojas-Uranga	Hector	New York University	Soccer
Rostarchuk	Eugenia	New York University	Tennis
Runglerdkriangkrai	Apichaya	Pepperdine University	Tennis
Saint Remy	Nicolas	Hofstra University	Soccer
Sasaki	Kyotaro	Dixie State Community College	Golf
Schiffino	Diego	Suffolk University	Golf
Schwartz	William	University of Miami (Ohio)	Baseball
Scott	Cameron	High Point University	Baseball
Scott	Cameron	High Point	Tennis
Sergheeva	Julia	State College of Florida	Tennis
Serirak	Weerachan	Suffolk University	Tennis
Shapiro	Jeffrey	College of Charleston	Golf
Sharapova	Dasha	Southern Methodist University	Tennis
Siboupha	Phetnoy	Santa Barbara City College	Golf
Silva Serrano	Maria "Camila"	Florida International University	Golf
Sime	Paul	University of Kentucky	Soccer
Soto	Paulette	St. John's University	Soccer
Spangler	Cassandra	West Virginia University	Soccer
Steininger	Jenna	University of North Florida	Soccer
Strempke	Mark	University of Chicago	Baseball
Sumoyama	Yusuke	Chapman College	Basketball
Suzuki	Ayaka	University of San Francisco	Golf
Sztanyo	Chance	Ohio Dominion University	Soccer
Tabrani	Zach	Hampden-Sydney College	Basketball
Talmadge	Tyler	Seattle University	Basketball
Teixeira	Vitoria	University of Delaware	Golf
Tinsley	Mario	Aurora College	Basketball
Tucker	Juron	Drexel University	Basketball
Van de Flierdt	Jakob	Boston College	Golf
Van Wuijckhuijse	Melissa	Loyola University	Tennis
Vega	Andre	St. Francis University	Soccer
Velez	Yazmin	Florida Gulf Coast University	Soccer
Velez	Marco	University of South Carolina	Soccer
Veloza	Juan	Towson University	Golf
Walker	Gregory	Colorado-Mesa University	Tennis
Wang	Christina	Boston College	Golf
Wilkins	Harry	American University	Soccer
Wilson	Reid	Sacred Heart University	Soccer
Wu	Zihao "Jet"	Johnson and Wales	Golf
Wu	Kailin	University of Indiana	Tennis
Yu Tsui	Hiu	Whittier College	Golf
Yuan	Zi Yao	Whittier College	Golf
Zapata	Juan	University of Indiana	Basketball
Zeff	Alden	Wheaton (Mass.)	Tennis
Zhang	Richard	Fordham University	Golf
Zhao	Pei	University of California - Riverside	Golf

More than 165 IMG Academy student-athletes celebrated their college commitments

IMG Academy Spring Commitment Ceremony celebrates 167 athletes for college signings

john.esfeller@imgworld.com — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:01:13 +0000

IMG Academy is known for preparing its athletes for the next level.

So on Thursday, the 2013 IMG Academy Spring Commitment Ceremony at State College of Florida honored roughly 167 athletes who are heading to colleges in the fall to continue their athletic and academic careers.

They came from a variety of sports, and IMG Academy vice president of student affairs and headmaster Rich Odell said 57 percent are going to Division I programs.

"It really recognizes the level of commitment that we make to both academic and athletic excellence matched only by the social developmental component," Odell said. "We believe that kids to be successful that have passion in sport, or any area for that matter, need to really stand on a three-legged stool for life. And that preparation for the success of that stool is to do well academically, athletically and socially."

One of those Division I recruits is Brett Hanewich, who began his prep career at Lakewood Ranch.

Hanewich is signed to play baseball at Stanford, where he will join his older sister, Corey, who plays softball for the Cardinal.

"I didn't want to base anything just off her," Brett Hanewich said. "It was ultimately my decision and my family's decision, too. But I wanted to go there, and the fact that she's going to be there is a bonus."

Hanewich chose Stanford over other strong baseball programs such as the Florida, North Carolina and Ole Miss because of academic tradition.

Hanewich wasn't alone.

Rina Hill, a native of Japan, is heading to LSU to play women's college basketball. Hill said she hopes to lead the program to the Final Four.

"I loved the coaches and the environment," Hill said.

Pablo Aguilar, who patterns his soccer skills after two Barcelona icons in Xavi and Iniesta, is a Virginia signee.

Aguilar has two older brothers that attended UVA, so that was a factor in the attacking midfielder's decision on where to continue his soccer career.

"I know the coach, because I've been there via summer camps before," said Aguilar, who hails from Guatemala. "It's a good soccer school, and it relates good because it's good academically, too."

IMG Academy Spring Commitment Ceremony featured in Bradenton Herald

IMG Academy holds ribbon cutting for new state-of-the-art Student Residence Hall

john.esfeller@imgworld.com — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:14:37 +0000

Bradenton, Fla. (May 21, 2013) – Last evening IMG Academy held a ribbon cutting for the latest addition to its expanding campus - a five-story Student Residence Hall.

The opening of the new Hall comes just weeks after IMG Academy broke ground on a new multi-sport complex that will open in August.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to open our new Residence Hall, which will quickly become the hub of our campus and provide each boarding student with a living space very similar to what they will experience in college,” remarked Rich Odell, Vice President of Student Affairs and Headmaster, IMG Academy. “This incredible facility marks just the beginning of a campus expansion plan that will include new academic buildings, student life facilities, and sport complexes.”

Several hundred students and staff, as well as community partners led by architect Fawley Bryant and Tandem Construction, were on hand for the event. Special guest Michael Dolan, Chairman and CEO of IMG Worldwide, made the trip to IMG Academy after receiving a personal invite signed by members of the IMG Academy Student Council. Dolan did the honors of cutting the ribbon, leading to a flooding of the Hall by eager students seeking a look at their new home.

Remarked Rick Fawley, President, Fawley Bryant: “The ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Residence Hall featured an energized IMG Academy student body - reminding me that the social environments we create for student-athletes are just as critical to maximizing their personal growth potential as ensuring their long term success to become great citizens of the world.”

Echoed Peter Hayes, President, Tandem: “Since our first days on campus, we have recognized and appreciated IMG’s vision and commitment to transforming this local facility into a world class sports training and educational campus like none other. Last evening, as students and stakeholders from across the country and around the world gathered to celebrate the completion of the first major building component of the new master plan, it became evident that the future is now. Inspiration, collaboration, focus and an unwavering resolve to be the very best is that which defines IMG and the leadership that has made it all possible. We are so very proud to be a member of the IMG Team!”

The Residence Hall will house 500 students during the academic year with the ability to expand to 1000 during the summer camp season. The building is wireless throughout and features a state-of-the-art security system. Floors two through five will feature academic study rooms, while the lounge area on the first floor will feature: a toiletries/snack shop; mail room; large-screen televisions; high-top table seating and relaxing furniture; pool, foosball, ping pong tables; and more. The first floor will also house Campus Life and Health Services offices, as well as a 24/7 Campus Safety desk in the lobby. Ten adults will live in the building – one on each wing of each floor – and will serve as resident assistants for the students.

IMG Academy celebrates the ribbon cutting of the new Residence Hall!

IMG Academy alum Peter Uihlein earns maiden win in Madeira

john.esfeller@imgworld.com — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:40:41 +0000

Peter Uihlein carded a 4-under 68 on Sunday and claimed a 2-stroke victory at the Madeira Islands Open.

Uihlein, an alum of IMG Academy in Bradenton, was tied with Morten Orum Madsen entering the final hole when the latter, playing in the penultimate group, stumbled to a double-bogey 6, allowing the former to wrap up the win with a par.

It was the first professional victory for Uihlein, who finished 72 holes at 15-under 273. Madsen, meanwhile, ended with a final-round 67 at Club de Golf do Santo da Serra and tied for second place with overnight leader Mark Tullo (71).

"I'm just thrilled," said the 23-year-old American. "To do it playing well on the back nine, coming down the stretch, is sweet. I know Morten played a heck of a round and Mark played really well, so it was nice to come out on top."

Second-round leader Craig Lee shot 71 and ended alone in fourth place at 12- under, while Seve Benson (67), Richard Bland (68), Roope Kakko (68) and Rhys Davies (67) tied for fifth at minus-9.

Defending champion Ricardo Santos, the highest ranked player in the field at world No. 145, shot 69 for the second straight day and tied for 19th at 4- under.

Uihlein and Lee began the hard-fought final round one stroke off Tullo's pace, with Madsen trailing by four.

The 2010 U.S. Amateur champ Uihlein stumbled to a bogey at the first, but recovered with back-to-back birdies from the third. Still, he could only watch as his playing partner Tullo dropped his 8-iron tee shot from 201 yards into the cup at the par-3 fourth for a hole-in-one.

The jostling continued, as Tullo and Lee exchanged the lead over the course of their outward nine, with Uihlein hanging back after following a gain at the seventh with consecutive bogeys from No. 8.

Tullo failed to keep the momentum around the turn, carding two bogeys and a lone birdie over his final nine holes, as Uihlein and Madsen charged to the top.

Uihlein made his move with a hatrick of birdies from the 11th, while Madsen, playing in the penultimate group, methodically moved up the leaderboard with seven birdies and just one bogey over his opening 13 holes.

Both players birdied the 16th to reach 15-under and after pars on the next, Madsen unraveled on the tournament's 72nd hole.

The 25-year-old landed beside a tree off the tee, played out from there and promptly found a bunker with his third. He then sailed his fourth over the green, eventually settling for a double-bogey, allowing Uihlein to wrap up the win with a comfortable par.

"I hit some good putts coming down the stretch," said Uihlein, whose father Walter is CEO of golf apparel and equipment manufacturer Acushnet. "When I was at the 17th, I saw Morten was on 15-under and I thought it might have been a little more difficult, but when I got to the 18th green I obviously saw he had dropped back. I'm just delighted to have won."

NOTES: Uihlein was making his 16th European Tour start, His previous best performance on the circuit was a fourth-place finish at the 2013 Tshwane Open ... Tullo recorded two wins on the Challenge Tour in 2010 ... Ten of the past 11 champions at this event have been first-time European Tour winners ... This event ran opposite the World Match Play Championship in Bulgaria.

Peter Uihlein cards first professional victory!

Second annual East/West Team Challenge is a hit for IMG Academy golfers

john.esfeller@imgworld.com — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:16:52 +0000

Recently, the IMG Academy golf program's annual East/West Team Challenge took place at the Lakewood Ranch Country Club, May 9. It was the second year for the event, which pits the top golfers at IMG Academy against one another in greensomes and singles match-play format. Players were chosen based on their College Format Series stroke average and were placed on either the East or West team based on what country they call home.

The East team was captained by coaches Malcolm Joseph and Grant Price, while the West team was under the captained by coaches Nathan Bertsch and Scott Bettger. The rosters for the 2013 East and West teams included:

East Team - Drive Bunmark, Billy Zhao, Kaito Onishi, Newport Laparojkit, Ayaka Suzuki, Hadas Libman, Vivian Chen, Hoyeong Kim, Symba Xu, Jakob Van de Flierdt, Qi Wen Wong and Mario Beltran.

West Team - Jacob Lehman, James Leadbetter, Diego Schiffino, Kavan Eubank, Vitoria Teixeira, Esteban Castro, Camilla Serrano, Felipe Hsu, Jenny Buchanan, Pedro Junqueira, Robbi Howard and Rodrigo Munoz.

The players and coaches enjoyed the uniqueness of the format, with greensomes in the morning and singles match-play in the afternoon. Strong play required more strategy than the players are accustomed to seeing in competitive junior golf, and execution was critical.

However, at the end of the day, the competition ended with the East and West teams arriving at a tie. As a result, the East team was declared winners by a tiebreaker, determined by their status as reigning champions of the event.

Full results from East/West Team Challenge:

Morning Matches – Greensomes

Jakob Van de Flierdt/Mario Beltran (EAST) defeated. Kavan Eubank/Camila Serrano(WEST) 3 & 2

James Leadbetter/Jacob Lehman (WEST) defeated Billy Zhao/Hoyeong Kim (EAST) 1 up

Rodrigo Munoz/Esteban Castro (WEST) defeated Ayaka Suzuki/Symba Xu (EAST) 6 & 5

Kaito Onishi/Vivian Chen (EAST) defeated Vitoria Teixeira/Diego Schiffino (WEST) 3 &2

Pedro Junqueira/Robbi Howard (WEST) defeated Drive Bunmark/Hadas Libman 2 & 1

Qi Wen Wong/Newport Laparojkit (EAST) defeated Felipe Hsu/Jenny Buchanan 2 & 1

Morning Matches 3-3 (tied entering singles)

Afternoon Matches – Singles

James Leadbetter (WEST) defeated Mario Beltran (EAST) 2 & 1

Kaito Onishi (EAST) defeated Rodrigo Munoz (WEST) 3 & 2

Vivian Chen (EAST) defeated Robbi Howard (WEST) 2 & 1

Felipe Hsu (WEST) defeated Hoyeong Kim (EAST) 5 & 4

Symba Xu (EAST) defeated Jenny Buchanan (WEST) 2 up

Pedro Junqueria (WEST) defeated Qi Wen Wong (EAST) 3 & 1

Vitoria Teixeira (WEST) defeated Hadas Libman (EAST) 1 up

Newport Laparojkit (EAST) defeated Diego Schiffino (WEST) 3 & 2

Drive Bunmark (EAST) Tied Jacob Lehman (WEST)

Ayaka Suzuki (EAST) Tied Kaven Eubank (WEST)

Billy Zhao (EAST) defeated Camilla Serrano (WEST) 3 & 2

Esteban Castro (WEST) defeated Jakob Van de Flierdt 6 & 5

Afternoon Matches 5 ½ - 5 ½

Total East 8 ½ -West 8 ½

The East wins IMG Academy East/West Challenge!

IMG Academy student-athlete Louie Liu wins back-to-back events on U.S. Kids Tour

john.esfeller@imgworld.com — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:42:17 +0000

IMG Academy's Louie Liu has been dominant at U.S. Kids Golf Foundation events this season, routinely placing high in the one-day youth events on the Tampa, Fla.-based tour. On May 4th and 5th, Liu played in back-to-back events at the Countryside County Club and Seminole Lake Country Club, winning both, respectively. Liu shot a 44 at Countryside for a five-stroke win, and a 47 at Seminole to win by a six-stroke margin the very next day.

Louie Liu wins back-to-back events at U.S. Kids!

IMG Academy's Kymer Li turns in impressive performance at AJGA Preseason Series

john.esfeller@imgworld.com — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:13:39 +0000

IMG Academy student-athlete Xuzhong "Kymer" Li turned in an impressive performance recently at the AJGA Preseason Junior at Blue Heron Hills, held in Macedon, N.Y., May 3-5. Li, who arrived at IMG Academy from Fuzhou, China, finished with a solid 76+74=150, tying for second place and only a single stroke away from forcing a playoff. The strong finish was Li's best of the year.

Kymer Li records strongest finish of the year at AJGA Preseaon Juniors

IMG Academy's Qi Wen Wong advanced through first stage of US Open qualifying

john.esfeller@imgworld.com — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:55:18 +0000

On Monday May 6, IMG Academy's Qi Wen Wong advanced through the first stage of US Open Qualifying. A native of Singapore, Wong came to IMG Academy with almost no coaching, and a swing that took nearly six months to correct. Three years later, he has become one of the most consistent performers in the program. Playing at the local qualifier at Sara Bay Country Club on Monday, Wong shot an even-par 72, but had to win a five-way playoff to move on to the sectionals.

"It's really amazing, because all my hard work has paid off," Wong said to reporters after the qualifying round. "I'm just overwhelmed right now."

Wong recently won the IMG Academy Match Play Tournament in April, and sunk a hole-in-one during the event. Wong will continue his bid to qualify for the US Open at the Ritz-Carlton Members Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla. on June 3.

Qi Wen Wong advances to sectional qualifying for US Open

IMG Academy golf program gets back to the game's roots in Scotland

john.esfeller@imgworld.com — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:53:50 +0000

Recently, the IMG Academy golf program had a chance to get back to the game's roots with a trip to Scotland. Eight IMG Academy student-athletes, accompanied by coaches Jay Denton and Andrew Oliphant, traveled to the home of golf. The players had the opportunity to play on the historic St. Andrews circuit of courses including Old Course, New Course, Jubilee and Kingsbarns, with an additional stop at Leven Links. The experience gave the players a chance to learn how to play different surfaces and work on their techniques, while also braving the elements during one of the nation’s coldest winters on record. It was also an opportunity to take in some of the local arts and culture in and around Edinburgh, Scotland. Student-athletes Ian Colliard, Guillermo Cortina, Camilla Serrano, Santiago Miranda, Luis Miranda, Andrea Rahandini, Tim Turnham and QiMing Wong were the players to make the trip this year. It was the fourth consecutive year that IMG Academy has organized a trip to Scotland.

Photos from Scotland:

Golf program gets back to the game's roots in Scotland!