The Bobby Bowers: An SGCC Tradition

BY JOHNNY GARSTKA | COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE

Springfield Golf and Country Club is abundant with traditions, The Bobby Bowers Memorial Junior Golf Tournament being one of them. For as long as I can remember, it has been one of the biggest summer golf tournaments at SGCC. The Bobby Bowers Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization with a Board made up of dedicated SGCC members including myself, Alexandra Austin, Brandon Luxenburg, Cliff Thomas, Gordon Austin, Quin Sullivan, Tres Currie, and Todd Currie. The tournament is manned by a crew of volunteers. We are always looking for marshals. If you would like to help with this year’s tournament, please reach out to Cliff Thomas at cliffanddottie@verizon.net.

Created in 1975, the tournament honors the legacy of SGCC’s first Head Golf Professional and his dedication to junior golfers. Bobby Bowers was well-known throughout the Washington, DC area. He served as Head Pro from the Club’s inception in 1960 until his untimely death due to cancer in 1974. During his tenure, he helped establish SGCC’s commitment to growing the game of golf through the development of beginner golfers.

The Bobby Bowers Memorial Junior Golf Tournament has grown into one of the East Coast’s largest and most prestigious events. The annual tournament is recognized as a major national event due to its unique format of both stroke and match play. It provides an opportunity for young golfers to test their competitive spirit in a format not often played.

Each year, up to 240 junior golfers from all over the United States, and occasionally foreign countries, begin stroke play qualifying for match play. There are five divisions: Boys 16-18, Boys 14-15, Boys 10-13, Girls 14-18, and Girls 10-13. Qualifying is a near dawn-todusk, one-day marathon round to determine the match play participants in a format that mirrors the US Junior Amateur. Many Bowers contestants have gone on to star in college and professional golf; some are head golf professionals or still in the golf industry.

Growing up at SGCC, I recall watching junior golfers compete in The Bowers and wishing my game was at the same level. They inspired me to practice and improve my golf game, and I eventually competed in the tournament several times.

One of the coolest memories I have from The Bowers is caddying for Smylie Kaufman in 2007. Players may bring caddies, but their caddies must be tournament eligible, meaning, they must be 18 or younger as of the last day of the tournament. Smylie won the Boys 14-15 Division that year. He went on to play for LSU and turned professional after graduating in 2014. He has competed in all four major championships (Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and The Open Championship). In 2015, Smylie won the United Leasing Championship on the Web.com Tour and the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open on the PGA Tour. He now serves as an on-course reporter for NBC Golf Channel.

A more recent notable Bowers Champion is Michael Brennan, the 2017 Boys 14-15 Division winner. He won the 106th VSGA Amateur Championship in 2019 by embracing the concept that no matter how dire the situation, you always have a chance to make birdie or save par which influenced his shot selection on the final hole where he held a 1-up lead. Michael currently plays collegiate golf at Wake Forest University. Earlier this year, he won the 2023 ACC Men’s Golf Individual Championship at the Country Club of North Carolina.

SGCC’s own Melanie Walker won the 2022 Bobby Bowers Girls 14-18 Division. As a high schooler, Melanie earned multiple distinctions including: four-time member of the All-Virginia Girls Golf Team, four-time All Patriot District, four-time All Occoquan Region Team, 2021 Virginia State Girls High School Champion, and 2021 USA Today National High School Golfer of the Year. She also secured a win at the 2022 AJGA Arnold Palmer Invitational, is a two-time USGA Junior Girls Qualifier, and was a Quarterfinalist at the 2022 USGA Women’s Amateur Fourball. Melanie currently plays collegiate golf at the University of Missouri where she just finished her freshman year.

Melanie is not the only SGCC member to have secured a win at the Bowers. Current Green Committee Chairman Danny Derisio won the 1978 Boys 14-15 Division before going on to play golf for the University of Alabama. Danny has won ten SGCC Club Championships.

The Bobby Bowers Memorial Junior Golf Tournament is open to all junior amateur golfers between the ages of ten and eighteen as of the last day of the tournament. 2023 marks the tournament’s 48th year and will be held July 10-13.

Participants are placed in the age group consistent with their age as of the first day of the tournament. Previous winners are exempt from qualifying if they are competing in the age group they previously won. However, if the participant chooses to compete for the medalist spot, then the exemption is forfeited.

This year’s tournament will feature an exciting development: recognition from the American Junior Golf Association’s Performance Based Entry Recognition System. The AJGA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. The PBE Recognition System enables AJGA members to earn their way into AJGA tournaments based on performances at the national, regional, and state levels. The ability for finishers in the Bowers to earn Performance Stars will enable the tournament to attract a stronger field of junior golfers; the AJGA is the top junior golf tour in the world.

If you don’t have previous experience with The Bowers, I encourage you to get involved in this wonderful SGCC tradition. Even if you’re unable to volunteer as a marshal or help with running the tournament, showing up to support the dedicated junior golfers as they challenge themselves on our course will lend itself to our mission—growing the great game of golf by encouraging the next generation of players. 