Jim Liu
Photo by Yiming Liu
Jim Liu’s name will be linked forever with the great Tiger Woods following his historic victory last week during the annual U.S. Junior Amateur Championship golf tournament in Ada, Mich.
When the 14-year-old from Smithtown, N.Y., defeated Justin Thomas of Goshen, Ky., 4 and 2, in the 36-hole finale, he surpassed Woods – by seven months – as the youngest champion in the history of the prestigious event. Woods was 15 when he captured the title for the first time in 1991, having lost in the semifinals the previous year.
Could the 5-foot-9, 165-pound rising sophomore at the Knox School (St. James, N.Y.) possibly be the next Tiger Woods?
"We’ll have to wait and see," said Huntington Beach, Calif., resident John Anselmo, who coached Woods from ages 10-18. "I feel he has the same attitude and is the same type of person as Tiger was as a young boy. He’s already been playing all over the country against older boys, so he’s been well prepared."
The 89-year-old Anselmo has been working with Liu for seven years and wasn't surprised at all that his young protégé surpassed Woods.
"He kind of grew into his body," Anselmo said. "Tiger grew six inches when he was 13 and he grew out of his swing. I had to re-plane his whole swing."
Liu said his record-setting victory feels great.
"At first, it didn’t sink in. Now I’m starting to think about it and it means a lot to me," Liu said. "My goal going into the week was to just try and get past how far I went last year (the final 16), so I would get an exemption (into the U.S. Amateur)."
Following qualifying medal play, however, Liu was seeded only No. 27. He said that either his short or long game was weak in each round leading up to match play.
"Once match play started, I really found my game and put all the pieces together," he explained. "I played extremely well in the second round and was 8-under-par after 11. That gave me a real confidence boost.
"I’m good at course management. I hit it pretty long for my age, but I really like the way I’m putting right now. It’s almost perfect."
Liu has been playing golf since he was five, with his father, Yiming Liu, being the guiding light. Still, the key was a move from Queens to Smithtown where his family purchased a home on the Stonebridge Golf Course.
"I figured it would be kind of funny if we lived on a golf course and I didn’t know how to play golf," Liu said. "It was kind of coincidental (that he ended up playing the sport). It came pretty easy for me. I’m just having fun out there. It seems when I’m having fun, I keep getting better."
Liu actually made his first big splash at age 9 when he shot a sensational 59 during the Plantations Junior Golf Tour Championship at Disney World. It was a somewhat shortened course, but the par was 72.
He also was Overall Player of the Year on the International Junior Golf Tour at age 12 and 13 while competing against players from ages 16-19.
Now he has a two-year exemption to play in the U.S. Amateur, which will be played Aug. 23-29 at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash.
What about the pressure of beating a Tiger Woods milestone?
"I won’t feel too much pressure," he insisted. "I’ll just try to have fun and play my best like I did this week. But it’s always an honor to be mentioned with Mr. Woods."
* Doris Chen, age 17, of Bradenton, Fla., won the U.S. Girls Junior Championship with a 3 and 2 victory over 15-year-old Katelyn Dambaugh of Goose Creek, S.C., in Pinehurst, N.C. She will attend the University of Southern California in 2011.
* Chenxiao Duan, a recent graduate of the Pendleton Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), tied an American Junior Golf Association record when he fired a 61 (9-under-par) during the second round of the Trader Joe’s Junior Championships in Pleasanton, Calif.
Carver wins national title
Carver (Birmingham, Ala.) shocked the talent-laden 12-state field, beating McGill-Toolen (Mobile, Ala.), 30-19 and 25-23, to win the double-elimination National 7-on-7 Football Championship in Hoover, Ala.
Rising sophomore quarterback Jeremy Johnson (6-6, 235) paced the champs, throwing often to Antonio Pitts (5-10, 180). The MVP, however, was rising junior quarterback Maty Mauk (6-2, 185) of Kenton (Kenton, Ohio), who led his team to the Final Four.
* La Villa (La Villa, Texas) defeated Southeast (Bradenton, Fla.), 39-29, to win the first annual 7-on-7 national football tourney sponsored by the National High School Coaches Association. The double-elimination tourney was played at the IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla.
* Andy Erickson, a recent graduate of Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), was named Offensive MVP after leading the South to a 36-23 victory over the North in the 78th annual Texas High School Coaches Association All-Star football game. Already enrolled at Rice University, the 5-10, 165-pounder scored on a 96-yard kickoff return, a 73-yard punt return and a 19-yard reception. Liberty (Frisco, Texas) linebacker Jake Weddle, who had 5.5 tackles and an interception for the North, was named Defensive MVP.
* The Sun-Sentinel reports that rising senior offensive tackle Bobby Hart (6-4, 283) of St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) has committed to Florida State University.
* Another talented offensive lineman, Ryan Kelly (6-5, 290), a rising senior from Lakota West (West Chester, Ohio), has committed to the University of Alabama, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
* Rising senior running back Ronnie Daniels (6-1, 195) of La Cueva (Albuquerque, N.M.) has committed to Texas Tech, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
* The Waco Tribune reports that Baylor University has received a commitment from rising senior offensive tackle Spencer Drango (6-6, 270) of Cedar Park (Cedar Park, Texas).
USA wins U17 gold medal
The USA women routed France, 92-62, to win the FIBA U17 World Championship gold medal in Toulouse, France. The American teenagers went 8-0 in the tourney and were led by 6-3 rising senior Elizabeth Williams of Princess Anne (Virginia Beach, Va.), who averaged 13.5 points.
* Brea Olinda (Brea, Calif.) defeated La Jolla Country Day (La Jolla, Calif.), 39-31, to win the 3A championship in the 24th annual San Diego Classic girls basketball tournament. Rising junior Keitra Wallace (5-11) had eight points, nine rebounds and paced the defense for the champs to earn MVP honors.
Montrose adds transfers
Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) continues to add transfer students for its boys basketball team. Joining 6-3 rising senior point guard Tyrone Johnson from Plainfield (Plainfield, N.J.) is 5-11 Carmelo Betancourt, who is a member of the Puerto Rican National Team. A Puerto Rican teammate, 6-2 Gabriel Anglero, will play for St. Benedict’s (Newark, N.J.).
* Sunset (Portland, Ore.) rising junior Landen Lucas (6-9) is transferring to Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.).
* Defending Class 3A state champion Horizon Christian (Tualatin, Ore.) is adding height with the transfer of 6-8 Andrew Batiuk from Lake Oswego (Lake Oswego, Ore.).
Hughes sets Wisconsin record
Franklin (Franklin, Wis.) baseball coach Jim Hughes won a Wisconsin state-record 743rd game with a 6-2 victory over Greenfield.
* Pryor (Pryor, Okla.) is the first American Legion baseball team to win Oklahoma’s Class 2A and 3A state titles in the same summer.
Sisson sets USA record
Emily Sisson, a recent graduate of Parkway Central (Chesterfield, Mo.), set a USA record by placing sixth (15:48.91) in the 5000-meter race during the 13th annual IAAF World Junior Championships in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. The previous USA record was 15:52.88 by Caitlin Chock in 2004.
Finishing fourth were Ashton Purvis of St. Elizabeth (Oakland, Calif.), in the 100-meter dash; and Nick Vena of Morristown (Morristown, N.J.), in the shot put. Purvis was timed in 11.60 seconds, while Vena threw a distance of 64-08.50. New Zealand’s 15-year-old sensation, Jacko Gill, won the shot with a brilliant toss of 68-00.50.
McCauley is top wrestler
Apple Valley (Apple Valley, Minn.) rising senior Destin McCauley was named Most Outstanding Wrestler during the prestigious Junior & Cadet Nationals in Fargo, N.D. He won eight matches in two days, taking the 152-pound title with a 3-1, 6-0 victory over Californian Matt Hickman.
Ranked the No. 1 college recruit in the USA by InterMat, McCauley has a 237-7 career record with four state titles at powerhouse Apple Valley. Coach Jim Jackson predicts that his star will be the winningest wrestler in Minnesota history by the time he graduates.
Holt (Holt, Mich.) star Freddie Rodriguez defeated Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.) standout Evan Silver at 112 pounds to become only the second wrestler in history to win a Junior Triple Crown. That includes a national title in Freestyle, Folkstyle and Greco-Roman in the same year.
Price wins Clay Courts
Caroline Price of Duluth, Ga., defeated top-seeded Whitney Kay of Alpharetta, Ga., 6-3, 6-3, to win the USTA Girls 18 National Clay Courts championship in Memphis, Tenn. Price, a rising senior, is the daughter of former NBA player Mark Price.
The 17-year-old stars, who live 15 minutes apart, have played each other four times during the past 18 months, with Price winning three matches.
Wieber is top gymnast
DeWitt (DeWitt, Mich.) rising sophomore Jordyn Wieber won the junior all-around title with 59.950 points during the talent-laden CoverGirl Classic gymnastics meet in Chicago, Ill. She was first in vault (15.900) and uneven bars (14.850), with her vault score being the highest on any apparatus during the meet.
Rodeo champs crowned
Dakota Freeman of Klamath Falls, Ore., was named All-Around Cowgirl during the National High School Rodeo in Gillette, Wyo. She placed second in pole bending and fifth in barrel racing while piling up 1,080 points.
Dalton Richards of Hawkinsville, Ga., was All-Around Cowboy. He scored an even 1,000 points, taking first in tie-down roping and 11th in team roping.
