Hough, Crowe Earn Top Honors at Beth Daniel Junior Azalea
Charleston, SC – The 2014 Beth Daniel Junior Azalea wrapped up at the Country Club of Charleston today with two distinct finishes. Spectators witnessed a wire-to-wire finish on the young ladies side with Anne Taylor Hough hoisting the trophy. High school teammates and Bluffton residents Trace Crowe and Bryson Nimmer found themselves in a shootout seeing Crowe take the crown in the boys division.
Anne Taylor Hough of Spartanburg is the 2014 Girls Division Champion of the this year’s version of the Beth Daniel Junior Azalea. Hough, who finished runner up in this event last year, never gave up the lead after she took control on the tenth hole. Kathleen Sumner of Daniel Island was the only other player along with Hough to break par for the second round at one under 70. Sumner finished second, two shots behind Hough. Hailey Cleary of Lexington, who won the Blade Junior Golf Classic in July, finished third just three shots back.
Round one leader Trace Crowe of Bluffton held on to claim victory in the Boys Division. Crowe surrendered the lead early after making bogey on three of his first four holes, but righted the ship by carding three consecutive birdies, finishing his first nine at even par. Bryson Nimmer, also from Bluffton, made a charge early with birdies on holes two and five to take the lead outright. It was a back and forth final nine for Crowe and Nimmer sharing the lead most of the way. A three putt bogey cost Nimmer his portion of the lead, but rebounded with a birdie on the par three 17th hole squared things back up heading to the final hole. Both players found the fairway off the tee. Crowe’s approach shot found the green while Nimmer’s found the greenside bunker. Bryson hit his shot long from the bunker and Crowe two putted his way to victory. Charleston Native and club member Wil Sheppard played his way into a tie for second place with Nimmer after firing a score of two under par 69.
Special thanks to Southcoast Community Bank who has been the presenting sponsor of the Beth Daniel Junior Azalea for seven consecutive years. Along with the bank, many other gifting partners support this tournament, South Carolina junior golf programs and local programs like The First Tee of Greater Charleston. Speaking of which, The First Tee of Greater Charleston deserves credit for engaging their program participants for volunteering and staffing the scoring stations on the course that provided live scoring. Tee gifts and volunteer apparel were provided in part by Taylor Made Adidas Golf.
Beth has been a long time friend of the SCJGA and junior golf. The Beth Daniel Player of the Year award goes annually to the top female golfer in SC based on the Heritage Classic Foundation Rankings. She has also been involved with the LPGA – USGA Link Girls to Golf Program and several other junior golf specific programs. She has won 33 times on tour, been on the Solheim Cup Team nine times, elected to the LPGA Hall of Fame in 1999, and elected to the World Golf Hall Of Fame in 2000. The Charleston native was also the 2009 USA Solheim Cup Captain and former SCJGA Player of the Year, Kristi McPherson, was on that team.
Results are posted on www.scjga.org.