STANLEY DOMINATES AT THE HP BOYS JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
Roach, Fowler tie for second place after first-round play
ORLANDO, Fla. - After capturing the championship in 2005, Kyle Stanley, 18, of Gig Harbor, Wash., continued where he left off after firing a 6-under-par 66 finishing with a three-stroke lead after the first round of the HP Boys Junior Championship at Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge.
Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the HP Boys Junior Championship is a 72-hole event held at Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge, home of the PGA TOUR's Arnold Palmer Invitational. Past champions of the event include Tiger Woods (1992), David Duval (1989), and Jim Furyk (1987). The tournament features 84 boys, ages 14-18, from 23 states and Colombia. The field includes 24 Rolex Junior All-Americans.
Stanley, a 2005 first-team Rolex Junior All-American, carded two eagles, three birdies and 12 pars to finish with a score of 32-34—66, one shot better than his 2005 first-round score of 67. Stanley credits his first-round success to his short game.
“I made a lot of short shots to help out my up-and-down game,” Stanley said. “I felt comfortable with my putter and the greens.”
Having knowledge of the course, Stanley felt confident coming into the round having a strategy at hand.
“My goal was to just play smart golf,” Stanley said. “I hit my fairways and greens well today, but I changed one thing from last year. I didn't use driver off of Nos. 10 and 11.”
Looking toward the second round, Stanley explained that he is ready for the competitive field and looking to repeat.
“I just want to keep doing what I have been doing so far,” Stanley said. “The pressure to repeat is on my mind, but I feel comfortable at this course.”
Wes Roach of Knoxville, Tenn., and Rickie Fowler of Murrieta, Calif., tied for second place after carding 69s in Tuesday's first-round play.
In fourth place are Ji Moon of Lake Mary, Fla., David Dannelly of Easley, S.C., Ravi Patel of Naperville, Ill., Drew Ernst of Seneca, S.C. and Josh Jones of The Colony, Texas, all turning in scores of 70. After Tuesday's first-round play, tied for ninth with scores of 71 are Bennett Klaus of Edmond, Okla., John Peterson of Fort Worth, Texas, Peter Uihlein of Bradenton, Fla., William Miller of Venetia, Pa., Morgan Hoffmann of Wyckoff, N.J., Andrew Yun of Tacoma, Wash., and Tadd Fujikawa of Honolulu.
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 an annual 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, which is in its third decade of support, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004.
AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. More than 160 former AJGA juniors currently play on the PGA and LPGA Tours and have compiled more than 300 wins. AJGA alumni include Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Davis Love III, Mike Weir, Charles Howell III, Jim Furyk, Grace Park, Cristie Kerr, Candie Kung and Paula Creamer.
Second-round tee times begin at 7 a.m. Wednesday off the Nos. 1 and 10 tees at Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge. For more information on the HP Boys Junior Championship, please contact tournament headquarters at (407) 876-8048.
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