Jake Lawson

Jake Lawson is an 11-year-old fifth grader at Woodward Academy. He won Player of the Year for his age bracket at the US Kids Atlanta Tour, qualifying him for the World Championships. Over the summer, he participated in the European Championship in Scotland. Abroad, he had the opportunity to meet international junior golfers and experience new challenges along the way. "It was a hard tournament because of the winds... When I came back to the States, I needed to work on my driving because I was hitting low [in Scotland]. Cody and I did a bunch of drills to work on it."

Cody Barden, Jake's golf instructor for the last 5 years at White Columns Country Club, has helped Jake channel his strengths and build important skills. Jake's current focus? Developing his short game. "Cody's an awesome coach," Jake says, "I trust him-he's more than a coach. But you can't just get a lesson and then not do anything with it. You have to work hard, too."

Jake's faithfulness to practice is in pursuit of long-term goals: playing for the Woodward Academy Golf Team and the University of Georgia. And after that? "I want to be a professional golfer," Jake says.

Barden and Jake have already set their sights on winter and springtime tournaments, including the Jekyll Island Junior Classic and Winternational Junior Series at Pinehurst. Although Jake's presence was strong at these tournaments in 2008, he hopes that this year's experiences and hard work will lead him to be a top contender for 2009.