McDaniel, Pisciotta sit atop the leaderboard at The Ledges
Pattamakijsakul holds her lead in the Girls Division
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Tyler McDaniel of Manchester, Ky., and Michael Pisciotta of Alpharetta, Ga., carded a 3-under-par 139 to lead the Boys Division after the second round of the AJGA Huntsville Junior. Thanya Pattamakijsakul of Nonthaburi, Thailand, keeps the lead posting a 6-under-par 136 heading into the final round.
The AJGA Huntsville Junior is a 54-hole tournament conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at The Ledges in Huntsville, Ala. The event features 72 boys and 24 girls, ages 12-18, from 12 states and 2 countries. The Boys Division is playing the par-71 course at 6,953 yards while the Girls Division is playing the course at 5,990 yards.
First-round leader, Pisciotta, played consistent with an even-par 71 after the second round. Pisciotta made birdies on both Nos. 1 and 4.
“I was pretty steady,” Pisciotta said. “I had nine straight pars on the front nine and I hit every green besides No. 17, I got lucky and saved my par.”
McDaniel posted a second-round 1-under-par 70. McDaniel claimed victory earlier this summer at the 2011 Evitt Foundation RTC Junior All-Star. His round today included three birdies and an eagle on No. 15.
“I played good, hit some shots and didn't really scramble a whole lot,” McDaniel said. “On No. 15 I made a 6-footer for eagle and I had just birdied the hole before. That really got me going.”
Eric Edwards of Salisbury, N.C., is in third place with a 2-under-par 140. Tied for fourth place are Blake Messer of Hampton Cove, Ala., and Sam Burns of Shreveport, La., carding a 1-under-par 141.
In the Girls Division, Pattamakijsakul fired a second-round score of 3-under-par 68. Pattamakijsakul's round included five birdies to increase her lead to seven shots heading into the final round.
“My putting is really good,” Pattamakijsakul said. “I am just going to play as best as I can this tournament.”
Tied for second place, Anna Hack of Paducah, Ky., and Elizabeth Doty of Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., posted 1-over-par 143.
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 5,000 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, Polo 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.
The final round of the AJGA Huntsville Junior will tee off of Nos. 1 and 10 tees at 7:30 a.m. For more information on the AJGA Huntsville Junior, please contact Tournament Headquarters at (678) 617-2424 or visit the AJGA website at ajga.org.
#AJGA#
