Porvasnik eyes Cleveland Junior Open title defense
Jan, DeRoche tied for Boys Division lead

AVON, Ohio — Jessica Porvasnik of Hinckley, Ohio, shot a 1-under-par 71 to take the first-round lead at the Cleveland Junior Open. Nicholas Jan of Northbrook, Ill., and Evan DeRoche of Key West, Fla., are tied for the Boys Division lead at even-par 72.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the Cleveland Junior Open is a 54-hole stroke play competition played on the par-72 course at Red Tail Golf Club. The event features 71 boys and 24 girls, ages 12-18, from 17 states and three countries. The Boys Division is playing the course at 6,937 yards while the Girls Division plays the course at 6,072 yards.

Porvasnik is looking to follow-up on her win at the 2011 Cleveland Junior Open. She attributed her success to a familiarity with the course.

“I play here all year with Nikolette Schroeder,” Porvansik said. “The more you play this course, the easier it gets.”

Kari Bellville of Granger, Ind., and Yvonne Zheng of Bradenton, Fla., are tied for second at 2-over-par 74.

Jan and DeRoche hold a one-shot first-round lead. Jan said he has the formula for success at Red Tail Golf Club.

“After the practice round, I went out and walked the course and saw the key is to work the ball off of the bunkers,” Jan said. “If you aim at the bunker and hit a cut or draw, you can keep it in play and in the fairway.”

Jan birdied three of the course's four par 5's, while DeRoche mixed in two birdies of his own against 15 pars.

Sean Crocker of Westlake Village, Calif., is in third at 1-over-par 73. Joey Krecic of Columbia Station, Ohio, is in 4th at 3-over-par 75.

About the AJGA

The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. The AJGA provides valuable exposure for college golf scholarships, and has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,500 junior golfers from 49 states and more than 40 countries. To ensure scholarship opportunities for all junior golfers who have the skill, the AJGA created the Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant program to provide financial assistance to young players in need.

Titleist, the AJGA's National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association's success since 1989. Rolex, which is in its third decade of AJGA support, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004. In 2007, after 12 years of support, Ralph Lauren became the AJGA's second Premier Partner.

AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 500 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Stewart Cink, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Inbee Park and Morgan Pressel.

Second-round tee times will run from 7:00 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. off the No. 1 tee at Red Tail Golf Club. For more information about the Cleveland Junior Open, please contact Tournament Headquarters at (678) 571-7994.

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