On the first day of his second semester last year, J.D. Allison woke up with a television camera in his face.

Even at the special school he attends, that wasn’t something the high school junior from west Houston bargained for.

But if Allison achieves his current dreams, the publicity might be that tight.

Allison, who recently completed his sophomore year at Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy in Hilton Head, S.C., didn’t have a formal golf lesson until entering the school at age 15. But here he sits, home for two months from a golf-intensive environment and trying to improve his game in the Houston Golf Association’s Junior Golf Performance Series.

Allison finished second Tuesday in the first Performance tournament of the summer at Cypresswood Golf Club’s Cypress Course. He shot 1-over 145 in the two-day event; he shot 70 Monday to capture the first-round lead and took second with a one-hole playoff win against Stratford junior-to-be Kyle Johnson.

They finished one shot behind J.T. Taylor of Conroe. 

Allison wasn’t raised anywhere near country clubs. His father’s job has moved the family between such places as Brazoria County, Austin and their current home near I-10 and Barker-Cypress Road.

Doug Allison gave his son his first set of clubs at age 11, then instructed him on and off for three years – “just what he knew off the top of his head,” J.D. said.

“I saw it (the Academy) online and e-mailed it to my husband thinking we could never afford it,” Diana Allison, J.D.'s mother, said Tuesday. “He wrote me back and said ‘We’ve got to talk about this. This would be perfect for him.’ … We may not have a lot of money left for retirement, but there’s nothing better to spend your money on than your kids’ dreams.”

And J.D. offered no arguments. Haney, after all, has been Tiger Woods’ coach since 2004.

“I couldn’t pass that up,” said Allison, who’s been class president each of the past two years. “Golf is something you really have to learn; you really have to dedicate yourself to it.”

School runs from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. daily, then students join groups of five or six for a fitness class, lunch and golf from 1:30 to 6 p.m. or later.

Their experiences soon will be beamed across the nation. The camera that woke Allison up was filming a Golf Channel series on life at the Academy. Tentatively titled “Hilton Head 101,” the series is scheduled to premier this fall.

During a 75-minute rain delay Tuesday, Allison relaxed and kept an intent eye on televised U.S. Open coverage, including a Woods press conference.

“If you want to fade the ball a certain way you have to follow through a certain way,” Allison said. “That’s what he teaches Tiger and that’s what he’s trying to teach us.”

Thirty-four golfers participated Tuesday in the first of 10 Performance Series events. They earned berths by finishing atop the points standings in the HGA’s weekly series tournaments in 2007.

Boys and girls compete in 13-15 and 16-18 brackets.

Events will take place each Monday and Tuesday through Aug. 12; next week’s tournament is at River Ridge Golf Club in Sealy.

“We have such a wide range of talent. Some kids here are shooting par; some others might shoot 120 for a round,” said Bill Walker, HGA’s Junior Golf Coordinator, who added this field was unusually small for several reasons, including schools recently letting out for the summer. “This is some exceptional talent out here.”

Chris Lauinger, an incoming senior at Strake Jesuit, parred 12 holes and birdied one Tuesday to shoot 4-over 76, one shot higher than Monday. He finished at 7-over 151 and eagled his first hole both days.

“This is a lot more competitive than the other HGA tournaments,” Lauinger said. “Last year there were 80 and 90 kids playing and it really slowed things down. There were a lot of five-hour rounds. We played today in just about four hours walking. And with 27 kids, the scores have been really low and really competitive.”

Lauren Quirch of Missouri City won the 16-18 girls championship. She defeated the only other competitor, Joyce Martinez of La Porte, by 13 shots.

Houston’s Kirby Kramer won the 13-15 girls bracket with a 16-over 160, and the only two boys 13-15 golfers tied at 13-over 157.
***
Houston Golf Association Performance Series
at Cypresswood-Cypress Course

Boys 13-15
Medalists: Andrew Rostek (Sugar Land) and Zachary Baldwin (Houston), 157.

Boys 16-18
Medalist: J.T. Taylor (Conroe), 144.
Other scores: J.D. Allison (Houston) and Kyle Johnson (Houston), 145*; Edward Cruz (Missouri City) and Justin McKay (Crosby), 148; Reed Clark (Kingwood), 149; Nicklaus Webb (Nacogdoches), 150; Chris Lauinger (Bellaire), 151; Steffen Grove (Houston), 153; Russell Babirad (Houston), Ben Glover (The Woodlands) and Matt Ferries (Tomball), 158; Tyler Moody (Kingwood), 159; Andrew Ball (Katy), Gregory Latham (Kingwood) and Taylor Crow (Spring), 161; Tyler Lehmann (West University Place), 162; Sam Bennett (League City) and Kyle Hyde (Missouri City), 163; Chris Dorosh (The Woodlands) and Adam Nelson (Missouri City), 165; Rand Anderson (Houston), 167; Sean Maley (Kingwood), 173.
* Allison won a one-hole playoff.

Girls 13-15
Medalist: Kirby Kramer (Houston), 160.
Other scores: Nicole Budnik (The Woodlands), 184.

Girls 16-18
Medalist: Lauren Quirch (Missouri City), 154.
Other score: Joyce Martinez (La Porte), 167.

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