Chang and Lyerly named NC Junior Players of the Year
Jennifer Chang of Cary, N.C. and Nicholas Lyerly of Salisbury, N.C. have been named the 2015 North Carolina Junior Players of the Year by the Tarheel Youth Golf Association (TYGA) and the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA). The N.C. Junior Player of the Year award recognizes one girl and one boy who have had the most successful year in amateur and junior golf events at the local, state, regional and national levels.
Chang, a 16-year-old sophomore at Athens Drive High School, finished first place five times in 2015. Her wins included the Carolinas-Georgia Junior Championship, the NC Trusted Choice Big I Junior Girls’ Championship, the TYGA Toys for Tots tournament, the NCHSAA 4A State Championship and was co-champion of the CGA’s Jimmy Anderson Girls’ Invitational.
"Jennifer is a person with many unique qualities and a delight to work with,” said Ben Hynson, the Director of Instruction at Lochmere Golf Club in Cary. “She is a very hard worker and a person that when she goes out to play, she not only wants to beat you, she wants to bury you," added Hynson. In the 15 events Chang played in 2015, she placed outside the top 10 once and finished the year with a stroke average of 72.5. Chang has verbally committed to play collegiate golf at University of Southern California.
Lyerly, a 17-year-old high school junior at East Rowan High School, won seven tournaments in 2015. His wins included the NCHSAA 3A Championship, the High Point Junior Open, the Rowan Junior Open, the Palmetto High School Championship, the TYGA State Championship, the NCJGF Irish Creek tournament and tied for first in the NC Trusted Choice Big I Junior Championship.
“Nicholas is a hard worker who loves to play golf and loves to practice. He is very coachable and always listens which makes him a great student of the game,” stated Jay Hill, the Head Golf Professional at Balsam Mountain Preserve who has worked with Lyerly for the past five years. “He is very sharp mentally and has developed a mindset of playing smart, but being aggressive when he can. He is just a great kid on and off the golf course,” added Hill. In the 28 events Lyerly played during 2015, he finished in the top ten 20 times and had a scoring average of 71.51. Lyerly has verbally committed to play college golf at UNC-Greensboro.
The Player of the Year awards were determined by a combination of each player’s tournament scoring differential and the total points earned in the TYGA N.C. ranking’s events from January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015.
These outstanding juniors, along with the 2015 N.C. All-State Girls’ and Boys’ teams, will be honored at the N.C. Junior Golf Night Awards Banquet on Saturday, January 30, 2016 at Pine Needles Resort in Southern Pines, N.C.