COLUMBIA, S.C. - The South Carolina Junior Golf Association and the Heritage Classic Foundation announced on Tuesday that Max Green is the Jay Haas Player of the Year, and Adrian Anderson is the Beth Daniel Player of the Year.
The December issue of the Heritage Classic Foundation Rankings is the final issue of the year and the source of awarding the 2020 South Carolina Junior Golf Association Players of the Year. The Heritage Classic Foundation Rankings are based on overall finishes in tournaments across South Carolina and nationwide. Points are compiled and awarded based on tournament finishes from over 200 events conducted over the past twelve months.
Max Green (Photo Courtesy of SCJGA)
Named for Champions Tour Player Jay Haas, the boys’ Player of the Year award honoring him dates to 1996, when Gamecock standout and former PGA TOUR member Kyle Thompson captured back-to-back honors.
Consistent excellence was the theme of 2020 for West Virginia University commit Max Green. The Hilton Head Island native finished inside the top five eight different times and enjoyed fifteen different top 10s in 2020. High points of Green’s season included runner-up finishes at the Grant Bennett Florence Junior, the Jimmy Creed Boys’ Invitational, and the Elite Junior Invitational.
Green also came in third place at the Sea Pines Junior Heritage, the Carolinian Amateur, the Carolinas Boys Junior Championship, and the Harvey Brock Orange Jacket Classic. An astonishing scoring average of 71.4 in 2020 was another testament to Green’s consistency, which also contributes to his current ranking of 56th in the national Golfweek Junior Boys’ Rankings.
"I am very excited and honored to be the recipient of the 2020 Jay Haas Player of the Year award. The SCJGA provides a platform to compete in great events and I look forward to the 2021 season" Green said. Green capitalized in 2020 capturing victories at the Low Country Invitational and the SCJGA Back to School One Day. He also made noise in national invitational events such as the Bobby Chapman Junior Invitational and the Mimosa Hills Junior Invitational, with top-25 finishes in both events to make his season even more impressive.
Adrian Anderson (Photo Courtesy of SCJGA)
The award named for LPGA Hall of Fame Member Beth Daniel recognizes the top female player from the SCJGA Heritage Classic Foundation Rankings.
The 2020 campaign was a year of dominance for Adrian Anderson. In 28 events, the Murrells Inlet native finished inside the top-15 27 times against both South Carolina’s and the nation’s best players. Victories at the WSCGA Junior Girls State Championship and the PKBGT National Invitational helped Anderson catapult to the top of the Heritage Classic Foundation Rankings and retain the No. 1 spot for the remainder of the year. In addition to her two victories in 2020, Anderson finished inside the top five 21 times.
When asked what this recognition means to her, Anderson said, "I am so grateful to be named Player of the Year for 2020 and just want to thank everyone who helped me to get here including my parents and coaches. Throughout the year, I didn't really think about working towards any awards, such as player of the year, but instead, I continued to focus on my own game and practiced everyday to improve it. I believe this award is really proof of all the hard work, time, and commitment I've put into this game over the year."
Anderson earned more than 6,300 ranking points in 2020, almost 1,000 ahead of her nearest competitor. Combining an astonishing number of points with a scoring average of 73.31, she proved to be a formidable opponent for South Carolina’s top junior golfers all year.
Awards presentation will take place at separate locations to help keep groups small and all members and staff safe. Green will be presented his award by Jay Haas on Sunday, January 3rd at Thornblade Club in Greer, and Anderson will receive her award, with Beth Daniel presenting the award virtually, on Saturday, Jan. 9th at TPC Myrtle Beach.