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[Ricky Lee]
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Links Challenge
Lee, 12, plays in the seventh annual competition presented by Mutual of Omaha on Saturday in Orlando, Fla. Kenny Lee, Ricky's father, said his son has been playing golf since he could stand, but he's been playing competitively for four years. Ricky Lee won this year's Ricki Rarick Tournament of Champions in his age bracket. "He's very determined," Kenny Lee said. "He likes to have fun, but anyone who plays with him knows he's pretty serious." Ricky, a seventh-grader at the Academy of Math and Science, has given up pursuits in baseball and football to concentrate on golf. He practices four or five times a week. Ricky said he's been working on chipping and driving for the competition this weekend. "I'm pretty good at driving," Ricky said. "I average around 230 to 235 (yards). I have gotten my drives narrower and straighter." In the challenge, each player hits two drives for distance and accuracy. For chipping, three balls are hit into concentric circles around the hole.
In the last part of play, each competitor will putt two balls, one 5 feet from the hole, the other 15 feet. The tournament, at Eagle Creek Golf Club, has four age groups for players from 7-14. Ricky qualified in the 11-12 age bracket and will compete against more than 20 opponents. He qualified in a regional competition at Grayhawk Golf Course in Scottsdale in February. A highlight show of the challenge will be broadcast Nov. 24 (Thanksgiving Day) at 10 a.m. (local time) on The Golf Channel.
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Tucson golfer, 12, wins TV drive
event
Ricky Lee finishes second overall in his
age group at a national competition.
SHELLY LEWELLEN
Lee competed in the 11-12 age group at the event.
Lee, 12, took first in the drive competition, with a 256-yard shot.
He took second in putting, thanks to sinking a 7-footer that just three of his 22 competitors made. The winner was the only player to make a 15-footer.
Chipping was the event that held Lee back. He placed seventh in the event.
The University of Arizona may have to keep an eye on Lee. He said he's looking to use golf to get a college scholarship.
"Right now, I'm looking at UA and Stanford," he said.
Lee is a seventh-grader at the Academy of Math and Sciences.
Kenny Lee, Ricky's father, said the Golf Channel did a great job for the kids.
"The course (at Eagle Creek Golf Club) was beautiful. The tournament was so well run. It was all first class," he said.
Lee qualified for the event at the regional competition at Grayhawk Golf Course in Scottsdale in February.
The challenge will be broadcast Nov. 24, Thanksgiving Day, at 10 a.m on the Golf Channel.