Brueckner Leads Boys Division at the Junior All-Star at River Ridge
Vu takes two-shot margin into final day at River Ridge Golf Club

OXNARD, Calif. — William Brueckner of Walnut Creek, Calif. shot even par after the first-round of the Junior All-Star at River Ridge. In the Girls Division, Lilia Vu of Fountain Valley, Calif. shot a 2-over-par 74 on the Victoria Lakes Golf Course.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the Junior All-Star at River Ridge is a 36-hole stroke play competition played on the par-72 Victoria Lakes Course. The Boys Division plays at 6,609 yards, while the Girls Division plays at 5,776 yards. The 96-player field features players from 11 states and Mexico.

Even with windy conditions, Brueckner made putts from all over the green but his momentum picked up after he holed out on No. 4 when he made a 40-yard sand shot.

“I got up and down a lot today,” Brueckner said. “I'll have to do that tomorrow and also still be aggressive and hitting driver.”

In second place is Brandon Mai of Poway, Calif. after a first-round 1-over-par 73. In third place is Ryan Knop of Pleasanton, Calif. with a 2-over-par 74. There is a four-way tie for fourth place at 3-over-par between David Kim of Glendale, Calif., John Oda of Honolulu, Edwin Yi of Beaumont, Calif., and Franklin Huang of Poway, Calif.

Vu, ranked No. 65 in the Polo Golf Rankings, didn't play as well as she wanted to, but made some long putts to keep her score low.

“I need to work on my short putts,” Vu said. “Smarter shots are something I need to work on for the final round, too.”

In the second is Stephanie Lau of Fullerton, Calif., with a 4-over-par 76. Three strokes behind the leader in third place is Sarah Cho of San Diego after a round of 5-over-par 77.

Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy, a full-time signature golf instruction program located in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla., began as an Official Partner of the AJGA in 2009. The partnership features an endowment of an Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant and naming rights to the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Series for juniors ages 12-15.

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 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 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.

Final-round tee times will run from 7 — 9 a.m. off of Nos. 1 and 9. For more information about the Junior All-Star at River Ridge, please contact tournament headquarters at (678) 386-1487.