Teeing it up with the top junior players

Phil Cantoni, right, hits the ball from the 17th fairway as Clint Karnes looks on during their round at the AJGA's Junior-Am on Tuesday at Dalhousie Golf Club. (Elizabeth Dodd) [Order this photo]

Several members of the community got a chance to play alongside some of the best junior golfers in the country Tuesday, competing in the American Junior Golf Association's Junior-Am tournament at Dalhousie Golf Club.

"They are impressive to watch," Dalhousie member Tim Coad said. "They hit the ball a long way and they have incredible touch around the greens and the rough."

The junior golfers are in town to compete in the AJGA's Rolex Tournament of Champions that runs from today through Saturday.

Coad, a former junior golfer himself, was teamed with Tom Lovelady, a junior from Birmingham, Ala., and Austin Ernst, who will be a freshman at Louisiana State.

Cape Girardeau mayor Jay Knudtson makes a putt on hole No. 16 during Tuesday's Junior-Am. (ELIZABETH DODD ~ edodd@semissourian.com) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

This was Coad's third year competing in the Junior-Am.

Phil Cantoni, another Dalhousie member, said he admires the golfers and enjoys watching their game.

"They are great athletes, and they're good kids on top of that," Cantoni said. "It's just a lot of fun and I brought my son out so he can watch and learn."

Coad said that what's even more impressive about the young golfers is the way they conduct themselves on the course.

"They are very considerate of us and very friendly," he said. "They are doing everything they can to make our round as pleasurable as can be."

Rob Erlbacher, right, congratulates Jerry Stone on his putt on the 14th hole during Tuesday's Junior-Am. They were members of the winning team. [Click to enlarge]

The junior-am is an opportunity for the junior golfers to connect with people in the community.

"These kids are good," said Russ Stout, who played on an Earthworks team, one of the corporate sponsors for the tournament. "I think it's pretty cool that they come to Cape Girardeau to play."

He said he's amazed at how well the golfers play at such a young age.

"Just to watch them drive the ball off the tee box and their play around the green is pretty amazing," he said. "They have a good casual approach to everything."

The teams were comprised of three amateurs and two junior golfers.

Jerri Stone, Rob Erlbacher and Jim Rust, who were teamed with junior golfers Veronica Valerio and Jay Vandeventer, won the event with a net score of 55.