PING JUNIOR AT MIRASOL
The Country Club at Mirasol – Sunrise Course
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
June 1-4, 2004
ELLIOTT TAKES 1-STROKE LEAD AT MIRASOL WITH 5-UNDER-PAR 67
Bollinger opens strong with a 1-under-par 71, leads by one stroke
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Jason Elliott of Palm Harbor, Fla., got off to a hot start and didn’t cool off Wednesday, firing a 5-under-par 67 in the first round of the PING Junior at Mirasol to take a 1-stroke lead in the Boys Division. In the Girls Division, Jade Bollinger of Wellington, Fla., took a 1-stroke lead with a 1-under-par 71.
Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the 54-hole event is being held at The Country Club at Mirasol – Sunrise Course, home of the PGA TOUR’s Honda Classic, and features 84 boys and girls, ages 12-18, from 16 states. Highlighting the field are six Rolex Junior All-Americans, including Gin Kim of Wesley Chapel, Fla., Jon McLean of Weston, Fla., Toby Ragland of Jacksonville, Fla., Nicholas Smith of Ocala, Fla., Whitney Myers of East Berlin, Pa., and Christie Reed of Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Elliott, who began his round on the 10th hole, opened with three straight birdies, then holed a bunker shot on the par-5 No. 17 for eagle. After a double-bogey at the first hole of his second nine, Elliott bounced back with a birdie and an eagle on Nos. 5 and 6, both par-5s.
“On the first three holes I had every putt inside three feet,” Elliott said. “After the double (at No. 1) I focused up a little more, started firing at pins and tried not to play as conservative.”
Elliott will join Gregory O’Mahoney, who earned medalist honors in Monday’s qualifier for the PING Junior at Mirasol, at the University of South Florida next year.
Andrew Freeman of Jensen Beach, Fla., is one stroke behind with a 68, and Matthew Galloway of Valrico, Fla., is in third place at 69. Marco Morales of Coral Gables, Fla., and Robert Riesen of Pinehurst, N.C., trail by three strokes after matching rounds of 70.
In the Girls Division, Bollinger, who made this week’s tournament field by finishing among the top-3 female competitors in Monday’s qualifying round, shot 36-35. Bollinger is the only female competitor under par following Wednesday’s round.
“I tried to go out there and have a round without any double-bogeys or three-putts with at least three birdies, and that’s what I did,” Bollinger said. “I still could have done better. I only hit 11 greens, but I scored okay.”
Following the first round, Brittany Nelson of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., is in second place in the Girls Division after carding a 72. Seven girls are tied for third place at 74, including All-American Whitney Myers, Jessica Yadloczky of Cassleberry, Fla., Tyrette Metzendorf of Winter Haven, Fla., Jennifer Hong of Windermere, Fla., Hannah Brabb of Maitland, Fla., Tiffany Chudy of Miramar, Fla., and So-Hyun Park of Bradenton, Fla.
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 has a membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,000 junior golfers from 50 states and 30 foreign countries.
Titleist, the AJGA’s National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association’s success since 1989. Rolex Watch USA, a supporter of the AJGA since 1983, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004.
For more information about the PING Junior at Mirasol, please contact tournament headquarters at (561) 776-4949, ext. 116.
# AJGA #
