Circle Christian School golfers help U.S. team capture Junior Presidents Cup

Twelve golfers were given an opportunity to represent the United States in the 2017 Junior Presidents Cup last month — and two of them came from Winter Park.

Circle Christian School students Eugene Hong, 17, and Canon Claycomb, 15, earned their way into the prestigious tournament this year and helped the U.S. beat the International Team to capture the Cup on Sept. 24 to 26 at Plainfield Country Club in New Jersey.

Both players went 2-1, capturing four points as the Americans won the tournament 14-10.

Claycomb managed to capture one of those points by beating the top junior golfer in Australia.

Hong and Claycomb also had the chance to witness the atmosphere of the Presidents Cup tournament, as well as meet golf legends such as Tiger Woods.

“It was really cool — being part of the first Junior Presidents Cup made it that much better,” Claycomb said. “We also got to play for our country, which is something that a lot of us never get the chance to do. … It was probably the best week of junior golf I’ve ever had.”

“It was a really great experience,” Hong said. “It was so much fun. Even after we got to meet the pros from the actual Presidents Cup teams. To see everyone up close was really awesome. Being part of the 12 best junior players in the country … it’s a really big honor to be on the team.”

Even more remarkable was the fact that Hong and Claycomb came from the same school, Claycomb said. Both players managed to earn slots on the roster because of their high placement in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.

“Two people from the same state is pretty phenomenal, let alone two people from the same school,” Claycomb said. “We’re a pretty solid high-school team, not just Eugene and I — but our bottom three, as well.”

“(Canon and I) know each other pretty well and play a lot together,” Hong said. “(Both of us) making the team was pretty cool, and we had a great time.”

Hong represented the U.S. last year in the Junior Ryder Cup and also was named USA Today’s National Player of the Year. Despite just joining the team as a sophomore, Claycomb has comparable numbers to his senior teammate, Circle Christian golf coach Scott Richardson said.

The two golfers have a bright future ahead of them, he said.

“They both think their way around the golf course like 30-year-olds, their swings are very sound, very repeatable swings and they both have a desire to win,” he said. “You add all that up, and they’re on the path to success.”

Both players hope they can carry over their strong play to their school team this season.

“I’m going to draw a lot from it,” Claycomb said. “I have a lot of confidence in our team this year. … We’ll definitely draw some confidence from playing in the Junior Presidents Cup.”