Page 16 - 2019 Golf Guide

Rylie Heflin
A sophomore at Tower Hill School, Heflin won the 2018 AJGA Philadelphia Junior at Huntington Valley, making a 12-foot putt to seal the deal. She also finished fourth in the state championship finals last year with teammate Jennifer Cleary, helping Tower Hill to its third straight team state title. Heflin placed seventh at the 2018 Philadelphia Girls Junior PGA Championship as a freshman.
Olivia Schwandt
Another Tower Hill School sophomore, Schwandt played in the HJGT (Hurricane Junior Golf Tour) National Championship and finished third in a Philadelphia Junior Tour event in 2017. Since tearing her
ACL playing volleyball, she’s been slowly rebuilding her game after missing two seasons. “When I came back, it wasn’t easy, because I’d lost my swing,” says Schwandt. “I’ve worked hard to rehabilitate my knee and get my game back. This past month, I’ve had some of the best tournament rounds of my career.”
Laura Heien, operations manager for the Delaware State Golf Association, says the tremendous growth in junior golf
in this region and elsewhere is due to a number of factors converging. Primary among them: an increase in both the cool factor of the game and the number of great opportunities for younger players. “The parents of today’s juniors are most likely in an age group that saw the Tiger Woods effect, changing their perceptions of golf relative to other youth sports.
GG16 Golf Guide 2019 | todaymediainc.com
Olivia Schwandt
ALL PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF DELAWARE STATE GOLF ASSOCIATION