Columbia, S.C. – The December issue of the Heritage Classic Foundation Rankings is the final issue of the year and the source of awarding the 2020 South Carolina Junior Golf Association Players of the Year. The Heritage Classic Foundation Rankings are based on overall finishes in tournaments across South Carolina and nationwide. Points are compiled and awarded based on tournament finishes from over 200 events conducted over the past twelve months.
The South Carolina Junior Golf Association and the Heritage Classic Foundation are proud to announce Max Green as the Jay Haas Player of the Year and Adrian Anderson as the Beth Daniel Player of the Year.
Champions Tour Player Jay Haas has an award in his honor dating back to 1996 when Gamecock standout and former PGA TOUR member Kyle Thompson captured back-to-back honors.
Consistent excellence was the theme of 2020 for West Virginia University commit Max Green. The Hilton Head Island native finished inside the top-five eight different times and enjoyed fifteen different top-10s in 2020. High points of Green’s season included runner-up finishes at the Grant Bennett Florence Junior, the Jimmy Creed Boys’ Invitational, and the Elite Junior Invitational. Green also came in third place at the Sea Pines Junior Heritage, the Carolinian Amateur, the Carolinas Boys Junior Championship, and the Harvey Brock Orange Jacket Classic. An astonishing scoring average of 71.4 in 2020 was another testament to Green’s consistency, which also contributes to him currently being ranked #56 in the national Golfweek Junior Boys’ Rankings.
“I am very excited and honored to be the recipient of the 2020 Jay Haas Player of the Year award. The SCJGA provides a platform to compete in great events and I look forward to the 2021 season,” expressed Green. Stepping into the winner’s circle, Green capitalized in 2020 capturing victories at the Low Country Invitational and the SCJGA Back to School One Day. He also made noise in national invitational events such as the Bobby Chapman Junior Invitational and the Mimosa Hills Junior Invitational, with top-25 finishes in both events to make his season even more impressive.
Heritage Classic Foundation Rankings – Boys
LPGA Hall of Fame Member Beth Daniel also has an award in her honor that recognizes the top female player from the SCJGA Heritage Classic Foundation Rankings.
2020 was a year of dominance for Adrian Anderson. In 28 events this year, the Murrells Inlet native finished inside the top-15 27 times against both South Carolina and the entire nation’s best competition. Victories at the WSCGA Junior Girls State Championship and the PKBGT National Invitational helped Anderson catapult to the top of the Heritage Classic Foundation Rankings and keep a hold of the number-one spot for the remainder of the year. In addition to her two victories in 2020, Anderson finished inside the top-five 21 times.
\When asked what this recognition means to her Anderson expressed, “I am so grateful to be named Player of the Year for 2020 and just want to thank everyone who helped me to get here including my parents and coaches. Throughout the year, I didn’t really think about working towards any awards, such as player of the year, but instead, I continued to focus on my own game and practiced everyday to improve it. I believe this award is really proof of all the hard work, time, and commitment I’ve put into this game over the year.” Anderson acquired over 6,300 ranking points in 2020, which was almost 1,000 ahead of her nearest competitor. Combining an astonishing amount of points with a scoring average of 73.31, the Murrells Inlet native proved to be a formidable opponent for South Carolina’s top junior golfers all year.
Awards presentation will take place at separate locations to help keep groups small and all members and staff safe. Green will be presented his award by Jay Haas on Sunday, January 3rd at Thornblade Club in Greer and Anderson will receive her award, with Beth Daniel presenting the award virtually on Saturday, January 9th at TPC Myrtle Beach.
Heritage Classic Foundation Rankings – Girls
