Countdown to the 35th Junior PGA Championship

As part of the countdown to the 35th Junior PGA Championship in August, The PGA of America takes a look back at the memorable 2007 Junior PGA Championship, with the boys' division won by current University of Illinois men's golfer Chris DeForst and th girls' division won by phenom Alexis Thompson, who recently embarked on a career on the LPGA Tour at the tender age of 15. 2007 Junior PGA Championship – A Championship to Remember Alexis Thompson of Coral Springs, Fla., a 12-year-old with a game of a veteran, became the youngest champion in the history of the Junior PGA Championship when she defeated Kimberly Kim, the 2007 Women's U.S. Amateur Champion, in an epic battle on the back nine of Westfield Group Country Club in Westfield Center, Ohio. Thompson birdied four of five holes (the 12th through 16th holes) to turn an early deficit to Kim – the third-round leader – into a one-stroke victory. She finished with a 2-under-par 69 and a 72-hole total of 1-under-par 283. Kim closed with a final-round 70. Chris DeForest of Cottekill, N.Y., ran away with the boys' title, finishing with a 74 for a 10-under-par 274 total and a six-stroke margin over Mark Johnson of Tulsa, Okla. DeForest, who fell just three-strokes short of the 72-hole record of 271 held by Pat Perez in 1993, eliminated any doubt about his impending victory with a solid round under stiff, 20-mile per hour gusts throughout the day. His previous best finish in four previous appearances was a tie for 10th in the 2004 Championship. 35th Junior PGA Championship Sycamore Hills Golf Club in Fort Wayne, Ind., will host the 35th Junior PGA Championship, Aug. 2-5, 2010. It marks the first time the Junior PGA Championship has been hosted in the state of Indiana. The PGA of America founded the Junior PGA Championship 35 years ago to attract the finest junior golfers. Since 1976, more than 300,000 juniors have competed on the PGA Section level, in the PGA Junior Series and in select national tournaments to earn a berth in the Championship. Sycamore Hills Golf Club One of the finest golf club's in the Midwest, Sycamore Hills opened its doors in 1989. The course, first deeded by Andrew Jackson in 1835, is marked by generous fairways, peninsula greens, waste bunkers and white sand. Sycamore Hills is ranked No. 93 in Golf Digest's "America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses for 2009-10" and No. 63 on Golf Digest's "Top 100 Greatest Practice Facilities for 2009-10." For more information on The PGA of America and Junior Golf, click here. Editor's Note: Annika will be available for media interviews at Parkview Field before and after the Welcome Dinner. All interviews must be arranged prior to Aug. 1. Please contact Randy Stutzman at The PGA of America to arrange an interview: Work: (561) 624-8438 Cell: (561) 809-8609 E-mail: rstutzman@pgahq.com