The tournament, which is sanctioned by the Louisiana High School Athletic Association as the official All-Star event for prep golfers, will consist of a 32-player field that includes Louisiana's top high school golfers. Participants will be competing for $1,500 in scholarship funds in the boys and girls divisions.
The one-day, 18-hole tournament has a restricted field and is open only to boys who finished in the top five individually in their respective high school state tournament divisions and to girls who finished in the top three in their state events. Of the 30 boys eligible to participate (the top five from the six LHSAA divisions), 27 accepted slots in the tournament and will be participating.
Five of the six girls eligible to take part (the top three in the two LHSAA divisions) will be participating.
Play will begin at 8 a.m. Wednesday over the par-71 Tamahka Trails layout, with the boys' course to be set at 7,000 yards and the girls' course to be set at 5,600 yards - both at college standards, as compared to normal shorter course setup for high school players. A $750 scholarship will be awarded to the champions of both the boys and the girls divisions.
This year's boys field is an experienced group with six players making at least their second appearance in the invitational.
Alexandria Senior High School's Chuck Spears and Daniel Deloach lead the pack, each having played in the event the last three years. Spears, a senior and LSU signee, won the Division II state title two weeks ago after carding a 141 at Oak Wing in Alexandria while Deloach, also a senior, was third with a 151.
Loyola Prep comes in the most entrants after sweeping the top three honors at the Division III tournament in Zachary. Eric Richard successfully defended his individual state title by carding a two-day total of 135 after firing a second-day 68. Richard's two-day total was the lowest round shot by any golfer in state tournament competition this year.
Richard will be joined in the All-Star tournament by teammates Kirk Thomas, who was second at state with a 141, and Ryan Crissman, who was third at 144.
Calvary Baptist's Sam Burns enters the event with the second-lowest state championship round total. The freshman shot a final-round 69 to overtake Dunham's Conner Cavin and capture the Division IV individual state title with a two-round total of 138 at The Atchafalaya at Idlewood Golf Course in Patterson.
Zachary's Drew Patin was crowned the Division I champion after shooting a 67 on the opening day of action at Copper Mill Golf Club in Zachary. The second day was canceled due to inclement weather.
The fifth and final champion participating in the event is Episcopal of Acadiana senior Ben Como. The University of Louisiana-Lafayette signee shot a 150 to claim the Division VI title.
All six runners-up and five third-place finishers in the state meets are in Wednesday's boys' field.
The girls' field is headed up by Division I state champion and LSU signee Elise Bradley of Mandeville and Division II winner Lana Hodge of Ouachita Christian. Hodge, a junior, fired a two-day total of 144 in the state tournament at Copper Mill while Bradley shot a 147 at the Alexandria Golf and Country Club.
Also competing is Southern Mississippi signee Jennifer Nguyen of Salmen, LSU signee Elizabeth Borda of Domiican and McGehee eighth-grader Angelica Harris.
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