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Gina Kim Named N.C. Junior Girls’ Player of the Year;

Joshua Martin Named N.C. Junior Boys’ Player of the Year

N.C. junior golf’s best honored by the Tarheel Youth Golf Association and the Carolinas Golf Association
 

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. - Gina Kim of Chapel Hill and Joshua Martin of Pinehurst have been named the 2014 N.C. 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.
 

Gina Kim 2014 N.C. Girls' POY

Kim, a 14 year old freshman at Chapel Hill High School, won the Ballantyne Junior Girls’ Open in February, was the medalist in the USGA US Junior Girls' qualifying in June along with winning the NCHSAA 3A central regional this past October.  Kim also finished runner-up in the prestigious Sea Pines Junior Heritage, the NC Trusted Choice Big I state championship, the NCHSAA 3A state championship and the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Tour season ending Invitational at Grandover Resort.

On the national level, Kim advanced to the US Junior Girls’ Championship and the national Trusted Choice Big I Junior Classic.   “By far, the most talented and driven player I’ve had the pleasure to coach during eight years at CHHS,” said Chapel Hill’s golf coach Jim Williams.  Kim had 13 top 10 finishes in the 18 tournaments she played in and finished with a tournament scoring average of 74.02.
 

Josh Marti n 2014 N.C. Boys' POY

Martin, an 18 year old high school senior at Pinecrest High School, won the men’s NC Amateur Championship becoming the youngest champion of NC’s most prestigious amateur tournament. In December, Martin also won the Jones Cup Junior at Sea Island and the Donald Ross Junior at Pinehurst Resort and CC.  In August, Martin competed in the men’s US Amateur Championship at Atlantic Athletic Club.  “Josh is really good,” stated Pinecrest High’s assistant golf coach Rich Wainwright.  “He has a great work ethic and is really great about putting bad shots behind him and moving on to the next.  He is the best player to come out of Pinecest in a long time,” added Wainright.  Martin has 14 top ten finishes in the 18 tournaments he participated in and finished with a tournament scoring average of 71.65.  Martin has signed to play college golf at UNC-Chapel Hill.

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 NC rankings events from January 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014.
 

These outstanding juniors, along with the 2014 N.C. All-State Girls’ and Boys’ teams, will be honored at the N.C. Junior Golf Night Awards Banquet on Saturday, February 21, 2015 at Pine Needles Resort in Southern Pines, N.C.