The youth movement on the PGA Tour and worldwide has been well-documented, best illustrated by 22-year-old Rory McIlroy winning the U.S. Open.
Yani Tseng is another 22-year-old who is taking over the LPGA Tour.
But there's a youth movement underfoot in junior golf tournaments around Central Florida as well.
Athena Yang of Winter Haven and Rocky Hirsch of Lakeland won the girls and boys titles in the Junior Citrus Open at Cleveland Heights on Tuesday, and outplayed the older teenagers in the 16-18 age groups.
Yang, 13, is only in the eighth grade, but she dominated the tournament and won by 13 strokes with rounds of 73-69 while competing in the 16-18 age group.
Hirsch, 15, played in the 13-15 age group but knocked off his elders in the 16-18 age group, shooting 72-71.
You might call it The First Tee effect.
Yang and Hirsch have honed their talents at The First Tee of Lakeland, which opened in 2005 at the YMCA Par 3, and also on the MidFlorida Junior Golf Tour.
Jason Huntington, a junior at Lakeland High School, won the boys 16-18 age group at the Junior Citrus, and he's also a First Tee of Lakeland member who only started playing two years ago.
Amanda Gartrell, the girls 13-15 age group winner, is another First Tee product.
In fact, many of the golfers in the Junior Citrus Open are members of The First Tee. Some of them started golf at The First Tee, and they are now developing into tournament-caliber players.
Yang was 8 when the First Tee opened, Hirsch 10.
The Junior Citrus Open is the culmination of the summer's Junior Citrus Program at Cleveland Heights.
Weekly programs for juniors at Bartow and other area courses during the summer, as well as camps and clinics, have also helped youngsters knock a few strokes off their scores.
Markie McCann of Bartow High School, who won the Youth Villa Junior Tournament at Bartow last month, is a product of The First Tee and Chris Banks' junior program at Bartow Golf Course.
Most of the juniors in this week's tournament eat, sleep and think golf every day during the summer.
It is certainly paying off.
Emily Flanigan of Celebration advanced to the second stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament last week in Daytona Beach.
The 2011 graduate of Florida Southern tied for 44th in Stage I with rounds of 72-73-76-72 at LPGA International. She was competing as an amateur.
The top 50 and ties advanced to Stage II Sept. 27-30 at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice.
At Stage II, the top 70 and ties advance to Stage III Nov. 30-Dec. 4 at LPGA International. Top finishers in the Q-School finals, usually about 20 players, will receive priority membership on the 2012 LPGA Tour. All the other players who make the cut will earn 2012 LPGA Futures Tour status.
Alexis Thompson won Stage I by 10 strokes over Mitsuki Katahira, shooting 66-66-66-67.
Athena Yang of Winter Haven made it to the semifinals of the Florida State Girls Junior Match Play Championship at Lake Jovita in Dade City July 27-30.
Yang, who won the Junior Citrus Open on Tuesday, lost to Kristine Odaiyar of Orlando, the eventual champion. Odaiyar won the match over Yang, 1-up, for her second victory in the event.
Yang finished second in the stroke-play portion the first day with a 74.
Logan Blondell and Case Gard of Lakeland are competing in a qualifying tournament for the U.S. Amateur in Ocala on Monday and Tuesday.
The 36-hole sectional qualifier will be played at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club.
The U.S. Amateur is Aug. 22-28 at Erin Hills, Wis.
Lake Wales Country Club will play host to a qualifying tournament for the U.S. Senior Amateur on Aug. 11, and a U.S. Mid-Amateur qualifier on Aug. 25.
The 35th annual Polk County Amateur Championship is Saturday and Sunday at Lake Region Yacht and Country Club in Winter Haven.
Lee White of Bartow, who plays at Florida Southern, is the defending champion.
Tee times will be available at www.lrycc.info on Friday.
Players will tee off from 8-10 a.m. on Saturday.
[ Del Milligan's golf column appears Wednesdays in The Ledger. He can be reached at del.milligan@theledger.com or 863-802-7555. Milligan's blog, Extra Holes in Polk County, can be found at theledger.com home page. ]
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