Western Australia s Minjee Lee and fellow Junior National Squad member Jake Higginbottom (NSW) have been selected to compete in the Thunderbird International in Arizona. Held from May 27-30 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, the 54-hole tournament is part of the American Junior Golf Association schedule of events and is open to competitors aged between 12-20. Western Australian National Coach Ritchie Smith will be the travelling coach. Lee was runner up at this year s Srixon Australian Amateur Championship and third in the Srixon Australian Women’s Strokeplay. Higginbottom finished fourth at the Lake Macquarie Amateur earlier this year following wins in 2010 at the NSW Amateur, Victorian Junior Championships and China Amateur. The Thunderbird International regularly attracts a strong field of players from a range of countries. Golf Australia High Performance Director Brad James said it would be valuable experience for both players. It’s important that these players have the opportunities to test their skills against some of the best young amateurs in the world, James said. It’s a great chance for players to get a better picture of what s required to succeed and how many other young players are striving to do exactly what they re doing. Several past competitors of the Thunderbird International have gone on to be PGA Tour winners including Americans Ryan Moore, Anthony Kim and Hunter Mahan.