Dustin Johnson World Junior Golf Championship
Dustin Johnson World Junior Golf Championship

Eric Berggren Ahra Ko Win Qualifiers for 2018 Dustin Johnson World Junior

Eric Berggren, qualifier for Dustin Johnson World Junior Golf ChampionshipEric Berggren, a Windermere, Fla., resident, and Ahra Ko of Suwanee, Ga., won the boys and girls qualifiers for the third annual Dustin Johnson World Junior Golf Championship Saturday at Wild Wing’s Avocet Course.

By virtue of winning the qualifiers, Berggren and Ko earned spots in the Dustin Johnson World Junior Golf Championship, which will be played February 22-25 at TPC Myrtle Beach.

Ahra Ko, qualifier for Dustin Johnson World Junior Golf ChampionshipBerggren fired a 3-under par 69 to win the boys event, besting a field of 69 players. George Duangmanee of Fairfax, Va., shot a 72, good for a tie for second, and won a three-person playoff to earn the final spot in the DJ World Junior.  Duangmanee, a sophomore who has verbally committed to the University of Virginia, birdied the second hole to win the sudden death playoff.

Ahra Ko, of Suwanee, Ga., shot a 76 to win the girls event. Ko has signed a letter of intent to play at Northern Illinois in the fall.

The 54-hole event has attracted 13 of America’s top 100 junior boys, and seven top 100 junior girls. Nine of the top 10 boys in South Carolina and seven of North Carolina’s top 10 will be playing.

Seven of America’s top 100 girls will tee it up in the event as will four of South Carolina’s top five girls. Skylar Thompson, a Buford, Ga., resident who has signed to play at South Carolina will return to defend her crown.

Players from 21 states and 5 countries will be participating in the tournament.

The highest ranked American player on the boys side is Akshay Bhatia, a sophomore from Wake Forest, N.C., who is ranked eighth in the country (AJGA). Jacob Bridgeman, a Clemson signee from Inman, S.C., is No. 16 (AJGA) and Peter Fountain of Raleigh, ranked #34 (Golfweek).

Ashley Menne, a sophomore from Surprise, Az., is the 14th ranked girl in the nation, and eighth grader Alexa Pano, a resident of Lake Worth, Fla., is ranked 20th.

The field features 30 players who have signed letters of intent to play collegiate golf, including four to Clemson University and five to SEC schools.