Donohue Leads After Round One at the AJGA Junior at Quad Cities
Talley leads Girls Division at Short Hills Country Club
East Moline, Ill. — After firing a 4-under-par 32 on the front nine, Max Donohue of Sioux Falls, S.D., posted an even-par back nine to secure the lead after the first round of play at the AJGA Junior at Quad Cities. In the Girls Division, Emma Talley of Princeton, Ky., finished the day with an even par 72 to sit in first place.
The AJGA Junior at Quad Cities is a 54-hole stroke play event conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at Short Hills Country Club in East Moline, Ill. The tournament field includes 75 boys and 21 girls, ages 12-18 from 18 states and Thailand. The Boys Division is playing the par-72 course at 6,694 yards and the Girls Division is playing at 6,123 yards.
Competing in only his second-career AJGA event and his first of 2011, Donohue's round was driven by his strong iron play and excellent putting.
“On No. 6, I holed out from 125 yards. It was pretty cool seeing the ball drop in the hole like that,” said Donohue of his eagle on the par-4.
Rylee Reinertson of Gibbon, Neb., and Michael Holevas of Elgin, Ill., are currently tied for second after shooting a 2-under par 70. Clark Engle of Springfield, Ohio, Danny Summers of Mission Hills, Kan., and Voramate Aussarassakorn of Bangkok, Thailand are all tied for fourth at 1-under par 71.
Talley, who is ranked No.39 in the Polo Golf Ranking, is competing in her first AJGA event of 2011. Her round was highlighted by an eagle on No. 8, a par-4.
“I think I kept it in the fairways today which is good for the course because it's tight. If you're not in the fairways, it's tough,” Talley said of her round. “Hopefully I can keep it up the rest of the week.”
Maggie Chio of Bradenton, Fla. sits in third place at a 3-over par 75. Courtney Hooton of Del Mar, Calif., and Aliea Clark of Carlsbad, Calif., are tied for second with 4-over par 76s.
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.
Second-round tee times for the AJGA Junior at Quad Cities will run from 7 a.m. — 12:10 p.m. off the No. 1 tee at Short Hills Country Club. For more information about the AJGA Junior at Quad Cities, contact Tournament Headquarters at (678) 995-4322.
