WINTERS AND DEHUFF TIED FOR LEAD HEADING INTO FINAL ROUND
Three-way tie for Girls Division lead
Mission Hills, Kan. — With two-day tournament totals of 1-over-par 141, Joel Winters of Hampton, Iowa, and Bo DeHuff of Coto de Caza, Calif., share the Boys Division lead after the second round of the Lockton Kansas City Junior on Wednesday. In the Girls Division, Patty Chawalitmetha of Bellflower, Calif., Becca Huffer of Denver, and Emily Mason of Highland, Calif., are tied for first place after recording two-day totals of 145.
Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the Lockton Kansas City Junior is a 54-hole stroke play event being held at the Kansas City Country Club. The tournament features 75 boys and 24 girls, ages 12-18, from 19 states.
Winters, 17, carded a par on every hole on the front nine and also birdied hole No. 10 for a 2-over-par 72.
“I was playing pretty solid today and putting was definitely the best part of my game,” Winters said. “I didn't make as many putts as I did yesterday, so I think that is what made my score a few strokes higher.”
DeHuff, 17, started off his round with birdies on hole Nos. 1, 5 and 8 and also birdied hole No. 17. DeHuff credits his low score to his reliable iron play, which helped him hit more greens than he did yesterday.
“My iron shots went really well today,” DeHuff said. “I didn't make as many putts as I wanted to, but it was okay because I hit the greens and the two balanced each other out.”
After shooting a 1-under-par 69, Brent Potts of Broken Arrow, Okla., stands alone in third place with a two-day total of 143. Tied for fourth place with two-day totals of 144 are Justin Yoder of Versailles, Mo., Ryan Williams of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Ross Menke of Sioux Falls, S.D.
Chawalitmetha fired a 2-over-par 72 to secure a spot for herself in first place along with Huffer and Mason, who both shot 1-over-par 71s for the day.
Chawalitmetha, 16, felt her course management was off, but nonetheless carded birdies on hole Nos. 8 and 17.
“I had so many birdie chances today, but the ball just wouldn't drop,” Chawalitmetha said. “Tomorrow I plan on just taking it one shot at a time and hopefully it will improve my score.”
Mason, 16, played steadily all day and advanced her round even more on the par-5 hole No. 8, where she reached the green in two and made a 25-foot downhill putt for eagle.
“Yesterday nothing went in, but today I was hitting well, sticking everything and also making putts,” Mason said. “My eagle putt on No. 8 felt like the first putt I made the entire tournament.”
Huffer, 15, only needed 28 putts for the day and began both the front and back nine off with birdies. For the final round, Huffer hopes to keep her drives in the fairway for better approach shots and continue putting as well as she did today.
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, the largest Association of its kind, has a junior 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.
AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. More than 200 former AJGA juniors currently play on the PGA and LPGA Tours and have compiled more than 280 wins. AJGA alumni include Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Davis Love III, Mike Weir, Charles Howell III, Jim Furyk, Dottie Pepper, Grace Park, Cristie Kerr and Beth Bauer.
Final round pairings will begin at 7 a.m. off the No. 1 tee on Thursday. For more information about the Lockton Kansas City Junior, contact tournament headquarters at (913) 236-2183 and ask for the AJGA. |
