Wood Fires 6-under-par 66 to Lead at Junior All-Star at The Rail
Sharp Claims One-Shot Lead in Girls Division at The Rail Golf Course

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Adam Wood of Zionsville, Ind., leads the Junior All-Star at The Rail after closing the first round with a 6-under-par 66. Katie Sharp of Kendallville, Ind., holds the Girls-Division lead at The Rail Golf Course with an even-par 72.

The Junior All-Star at The Rail is one of 10 events in the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Series. Specifically designed for boys and girls ages 12-15, the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Series presents opportunities for younger members to develop their skills and earn entry into AJGA Open tournaments. The Series concludes with the Montverde Academy Junior All-Star Invitational over Columbus Day weekend for winners and top finishers in Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Series events.

The Junior All-Star at The Rail is a 54-hole stroke play tournament conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at The Rail Golf Course in Springfield, Ill. The tournament field consists of 123 boys and girls ages 12-15 from 27 states, Canada and Columbia. The Boys Division is playing the par-72 course at 6,531 yards, while the Girls Division is playing at 5,822 yards.

Wood started his round with consecutive birdies on Nos. 1 and 2, and with another birdie on No. 8. He turned in a 2-under-par 34 on the front nine. He continued to drop three birdies on the back nine, as well as an eagle on the par-5 No. 15. Wood recently earned medalist honors at the AJGA National Qualifier — Springfield conducted at The Rail Golf Course, and said he gained the confidence he needed to play well in the first round.

“My ball-striking was really good today,” Wood said. “I didn't hit many bad shots and that's what you need to do out here to play well. Confidence is a big part of the game, so I tried to keep it and play well.”

Trailing behind Wood by just two strokes is Doug Ghim of Arlington Heights, Ill., at 4-under-par 68. Mitchell Klooz of Plainview, Neb., Sam Humphreys of Edmond, Okla., and Nathan Pirtle of Sullivan, Ind., are tied for third at 2-under-par 70.

In the Girls Division, Sharp opened the round without a bogey in her first nine holes, playing those holes in 1-under-par. Despite three bogies in the final stretch, Sharp made two birdies on Nos. 11 and 15 to finish even-par 72. Sharp plans to maintain a steady mindset in her first AJGA event, which she hopes will help her game come together in the next two rounds.

“This tournament is really big and the AJGA tour always has elite players,” Sharp said. “If I keep the same attitude as I did today, hopefully I can go with lower scores.”

Tatiana Pineda of Bogota, Colombia is in second place at 1-over-par 73, while Mallory Etcheberry of Wesley Chapel, Fla., Stephanie Lau of Fullerton, Calif., and Caroline Quamme of McLean, Va., are tied for third at 2-over-par 74.

GARY GILCHRIST GOLF ACADEMY, a full-time signature golf instruction program with campuses located in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla., and in Arroyo Grande, Calif., began as an Official Partner of the AJGA in 2009. The partnership features an endowment of an Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant and the naming rights to the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Series, which provides juniors ages 12-15 access to national competitive golf opportunities.

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 30 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 Watch USA, 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 400 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Stewart Cink, Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel.

Second-round tee times will run from 7 — 8:20 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. — 1:20 p.m. off the Nos. 1 and 10 tees at The Rail Golf Course. For more information about the Junior All-Star at the Rail contact Tournament Headquarters (678) 425-4976.

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