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EmailIt’s that time of year again: Junior Fantasy season. Golfweek staffers are making their first picks of the year for the Verizon Junior Heritage:
Eric Soderstrom (last year’s winner): Justin Thomas. While part of me wanted to pick James Back because of all the possible puns considering his surname and my 2009 Junior Fantasy victory, I like Thomas for reasons other than entertainment: Thomas, last year’s Footjoy Boys champion who also made the cut at the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship, recently committed to Alabama, which always takes a load off; he finished T-4 here last year and was one of only four players to break 70; and he doesn’t seem to have many junior events left in his career. So I’ll take him while I can.
Alexis Thompson. It would be daft to start the year out any other way, so look for her to go... back-to-back. There, I said it.
Dan Mirocha: I’m busting out the big guns for the first event of 2010 with Austin Cody, who finished T-7 at the Junior Players Championship, and Alexis Thompson, who hasn’t finished lower than third in her last five tournaments and won twice (the Junior Orange Bowl and the Ione D. Jones/Doherty Championship).
Julie Williams: Ian McConnell. After taking third at last year’s Junior Heritage, McConnell went on to finish in the top 25 at four AJGA invitationals (including a T-9 at the FootJoy Invitational).
Jessica Korda. She won the Sally three weeks ago in a loaded field (and shot a third-round 62, I might add).
