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May 20, 2009

Topeka, KS - Washburn University head golf coach Doug Hamilton has been selected to lead a team from the United States in the 2009 Toyota Junior World Cup which will be held June 16-19 at the Chukyo Country Club in Toyota City, Japan. The international event will be played on the Ishino Course.

The Junior World Cup is the only junior golf championship in which 16 national teams, winners of regional qualifiers held across six continents and participated in by more than 60 national teams compete for the world championship trophy. The USA squad finished fifth in the event last season.

The teams are set up much like college events except only three scores will count of the four-man teams over four rounds of golf.

"I never thought I would get the opportunity to represent my country in any way," Hamilton said. "I am very excited and honored. The United States has not won the cup the past two years, so we really feel like the pressure is there for us to bring it back."

In seven seasons, Hamilton has led the Ichabod golf program to the NCAA Regional Tournament each year. The Ichabods have won five NCAA Regional Championships with a school-best fifth place finish at the 2007 National Championship Tournament. The Ichabods have also won five MIAA Championships.

Under Hamilton's guidance, the Ichabods have won 38 tournaments with 32 individual tournament champions. Nine golfers have earned All-American honors while playing for Hamilton. This weekend, he will be with Matt Ewald at the NCAA Division II National Championships with Ewald looking to become the first Ichabod golfer to win an individual national championship.

"I owe this honor to all my players that have come through our program at Washburn," Hamilton said. "Without their hard work and their success, I wouldn't have gotten this chance. I owe it to them."

Members of the four-man team include three high school seniors: T.J. Vogel, from Cooper City, Fla., who signed with Southern California, Evan Beck, from Virginia Beach, Va., who signed with Wake Forest and Brinson Paolini who is also from Virginia Beach and a Duke signee. The fourth member of the squad is high school senior-to-be Jeffrey Kang is from Fullerton, Calif.

"It will be so neat to coach and be around the kids we have selected for Team USA," said Hamilton. "We have one underclassman and three seniors, who have all signed with prominent Division I golf programs. They are among the very best junior golfers in the country. We have kids from the east coast, west coast and in between."