Tu Fires 4-under-par 68 to Take Lead at Marshallia Ranch
Chambers Heads the Girls Division with 1-under-par 71

VANDENBERG AFB, Calif.  — Lawrence Tu of Irvine, Calif., fired a 4-under-par 68 Tuesday to take the lead in the Boys Division at the Junior All-Star at Marshallia Ranch. Melanie Chambers of Henderson, Nev., carded a 1-under-par 71 to sit atop the leaderboard in the Girls Division.

The Junior All-Star at Marshallia Ranch 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.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the Junior All-Star at Marshallia Ranch is a 54-hole stroke play event held at Marshallia Ranch Golf Course. The 68-player field features 53 boys and 15 girls from seven states, Argentina, Brazil and Canada. The Boys Division is playing the par-72 course at 6,712 yards and the Girls Division is playing at 5,732 yards.

Tu used a strong start off the No. 10 tee to jump start his round of 4-under par 68. After a bogey on the par-4 11th, Tu reeled off 5 birdies including consecutive birdies on 12, 13, and 14 to turn at 4-under 33. He held solid with nine pars on his last 9 holes for a total of 4-under-par 68.

“The stretch of birdies gave me confidence during my round,” Tu said. “Everything inside of 15 feet I just made today.”

Collin Morikawa of La Canada Flintridge, Calif., is two shots off the lead after shooting a 2-under-par 70. Tied in third place are Californians Lawrence Ree of Redondo Beach and Christopher Chu of Fullerton at 1-under-par 71. In fifth place at 1-over-par 73 are Hayden Shieh of Fremont, Calif., Julian Lerda of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Ben Doyle of La Jolla, Calif.

In the Girls Division, Chambers used a birdie on her first hole to set the tone for her round of 1-under-par 71. With five birdies on the scorecard, Chambers credited consistent putting as the key to her success.

“When I start well I carry that with me for the rest of the round,” Chambers said. “I was relaxed today and it correlated with my score.”

Alexandra White of Honolulu, Hawaii, and Minjia Luo of San Diego, Calif., are knotted in second place at 1-over-par 73.

GARY GILCHRIST GOLF ACADEMY, a full-time signature golf instruction program located in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla., began as an Official Partner 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 8 a.m. to 9:39 p.m. off the Nos. 1 and 10 tees Wednesday, August 25 at Marshallia Ranch Golf Course. For more information about the Junior All-Star at Marshallia Ranch, please contact Tournament Director Annie Giangrosso at (678) 571-7994.