BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 Bakersfield Country Club hosted some of the nation’s top junior golfers over three days, and when the final putts dropped Friday, two champions emerged: Oscar Liang and Kandice Chuang.<\/p>\n
Liang, a 15-year-old from Irvine, captured the boys title with a low round of 65. He finished 11-under-par for the tournament with a three-round total of 205 \u2014 five strokes ahead of the runners-up.<\/p>\n
“It feels great. I had a few good weeks leading up to this. I’ve been playing well and it just feels good to get it done,” Liang said.<\/p>\n
Familiarity with the course played a role in his performance.<\/p>\n
“I’ve played here a few times so I know where to hit and just seeing the conditions kinda helped – overall, I felt like I was pretty ready for this course,” Liang said.<\/p>\n
Kandice Chuang, a 17-year-old from Los Angeles, claimed the girls championship, describing the win as bittersweet.<\/p>\n
“This year, it’s my last open of the year and last year was my second to last one so this year I just wanted to play my best,” Chuang said.<\/p>\n
Chuang set a low-round record with a 68 last year. This year, she followed it up with a low round of 69, finishing 13-under-par for the tournament with a total of 203 strokes.<\/p>\n
“It feels really good but I wasn’t trying to win. I was just trying to play my best like I did last year,” Chuang said.<\/p>\n
For Chuang, the mental side of the game is just as important as the physical.<\/p>\n
“Golf is a lot of mentality but after you cross that barrier of ‘Oh I’m not good enough’ then I feel like you can really reach your peak,” Chuang said.<\/p>\n
For Liang and Chuang, the trophies are just the latest milestone as they continue building resumes that could lead to college golf \u2014 and beyond.<\/p>\n
The next AJGA event will be held in California at Mission Viejo.<\/p>\n
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