Incoming Tide Player Playing In Japan

Bud Cauley, a Jacksonville, Fla., native who will be a freshman on the University of Alabama’s golf team this fall, is in Toyota City, Japan where he will compete for the USA at the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup. The tournament is being held at Chukyo Golf Club’s Ishino Course, a par 72 mountain course.

The USA is among teams from 16 countries competing. Cauley is the second Alabama golfer to compete in the event as Montgomery’s Matthew Swan, who will be a senior in 2008-09, competed and helped the USA win the gold medal at the 2005 world team championships. (Swan finished eighth individually.)

Sweden returns to defend its 2007 world championship. Other countries sending national teams include the USA, Argentina, Australia, Columbia, Denmark, England, Guatemala, India, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, and South Africa.

Cauley, a three-time junior golf All-America, is considered one of the top junior players in the field along with Korea’s Kim Bi-O, defending individual champion Anders Kristiansen of Norway, New Zealand’s Peter Spearman-Burn, South Africa’s Dylan Frittelli and England’s Matthew Haines and Eddie Pepperell.

The USA team is coached by Brian White with J.R. Steinbauer serving as the USA Team Captain. The four-man team consists of Cauley, Wesley Graham, Cody Gribble and Gregor Main. Cauley was a member of the 2006 Junior Ryder Cup. The four-man teams in Japan this week consist of their country’s best four Junior (18 & under) players who compete in a setting that is the magnitude of the Ryder Cup for professional golfers and Palmer Cup for collegiate golfers. It began in 1992.

The USA finished seventh in 2007. The tournament begins on Wednesday and concludes on Saturday. Golf fans can follow the event on the internet at www.wjgtc.org or gcaa.collegiategolf.com.