Griffiths Strengthens Lead at AJGA Junior at Wenatchee
Prince captures solo lead in Girls Division at Wenatchee Golf and Country Club

EAST WENATCHEE, Wash. — Zak Griffiths of Red Deer, Alberta, sits atop the leaderboard after the second round of the AJGA Junior at Wenatchee, firing a 3-under-par 69 for a tournament total of 9-under-par 135. In the Girls Division, Kendall Prince of Lake Oswego, Ore., takes a one-shot lead into the final round after carding a 1-over-par 73, bringing her tournament total to even-par 144.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the AJGA Junior at Wenatchee is a 54-hole stroke-play competition held at Wenatchee Golf & Country Club. The 99-player field features 72 boys and 27 girls, representing 12 states and Canada. The Boys Division is playing the par-72 course from 6,364 while the Girls Division is playing from 6,006.

In the Boys Division, Griffiths gained momentum on the back nine, holing out from 100 yards for eagle on No. 10. He went on to birdie Nos. 12 and 15, increasing his lead to four strokes going into tomorrow's final round.

“I just want to play it shot by shot and try not to get caught up in the moment of the final round,” Griffiths said. “I need to stay confident and be aggressive.”

Lorens Chan of Honolulu sits in second place at 5-under-par 139. Andrew Whalen of Ephrata, Wash., and Alika Bell of Kaneohe, Hawaii, are tied in third place at 2-under-par 142. Nickolaus Mandell of Kennewick, Wash., Suk Woan Ko of Coquitlam, British Columbia, and Shotaro Ban of San Jose, Calif., share a tie for fifth place at 1-under-par 143.

In the Girls Division, Prince grabbed the lead through consistent ball striking. Prince, who has signed with Ohio State, finished third at the Columbus Junior presented by the Memorial Tournament last month and is looking for her first AJGA victory.

“I want to control the speeds of my putts and give myself opportunities to go low,” Prince said. “Hitting fairways and greens will give me a lot of confidence during the round.”

Leilanie Kim of Surrey, British Columbia, sits in second place at 1-over-par 145. In third place is Sierra Bezdicek of Colbert, Wash., at 6-over-par 150.

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.

Final Round tee-times will run from 7 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. at Wenatchee Golf and Country Club.

For more information about the AJGA Junior at Wenatchee, please contact National Headquarters at (770) 858-4200 or visit the AJGA website at ajga.org.

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