Johnson makes history and keeps on going

By: LANCE REED

Sports Editor

At only eight years old, Julia Johnson was the youngest golfer to ever qualify for the LHSAA State Golf Tournament. She competed in Division II, which contained golfers from Classes C, B, A, AA and AAA. The youngster finished with a very respectable 11th in the event that took place in Zachary.

The youngster played tough and battled back from a rough day on the first day of the event. She rebounded with an awesome day two. Her day was so remarkable she began to attract crowds that were amazed by her performance. Her ability to drive the ball for 200 yards and hit pitching wedges for 85 feet, simply mesmerized the groups of people.

After the event, Johnson actively engaged in more tournaments. She went to the Boca Raton Tournament in Florida last weekend. The youngster played in the nine-year-old division. She shot an even par 36 and won the event by 15 strokes. The closest person to her was the runner-up who shot a 51.

Johnson has the second lowest tournament of the entire event. This includes the boys division as well. She will play in Texas later in May, before beginning a rigorous schedule in June, which includes six events. She will travel to Chicago, Illinois in mid-June. She also has plans to attend the Callaway World Championship in San Diego, California in mid-July. However, her largest test will be the U.S. Kids World Championship in Pinehurst, North Carolina. That event takes place August 4-7, and will feature over 1,250 kids from over 35 countries. Last year, she placed 11th at the event. It is the largest kids tournament in the world.