Dou maintains lead going into final round at W. Duncan MacMillan Classic at Rush Creek
Li and Danielson tied for first at Rush Creek Golf Club
MAPLE GROVE, Minn. — In the Boys Division, Zecheng Dou of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., the leader after round one, maintained his spot atop the leaderboard by shooting a 3-under-par 69. In the Girls Division, Catherina Li of Kent, Wash., and Casey Danielson of Osceola, Wis., each own a share of the lead after firing second-round scores of 1-under-par 71, and 2-under-par 70, respectively.
The W. Duncan MacMillan Classic at Rush Creek is a 54-hole stroke play event conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at Rush Creek Golf Club in Maple Grove, Minn. The tournament field includes 72 boys and 24 girls, ages 12-18 from 17 states and three countries including Brazil, Ecuador and Thailand. The Boys Division is playing the par-72 course at 7,041 yards and the Girls Division is playing at 6,031 yards.
Dou's round of consistent drives and solid putting was highlighted by four birdies and an eagle on No. 10.
“I just keep trying to do the best I can do. I played really good these first two days and I haven't been worrying about my scores or letting that stress me out,” said Dou of how he feels leading going into the final round.
Juan Yumar of Miami, Fla., sits in second place with a 4-under-par 140. In third place with a 3-under-par 141 is Connor Nelson of Roscoe, Ill. In fourth place with a 2-under-par 142 is Quinlan Prchal of Glenview, Ill. Tied for fifth place are Charlie Danielson of Osceola, Wis., and Dominic Kieffer of Byron, Minn., who each shot a 1-under-par 143.
Li and Danielson now find themselves atop the leaderboard in the Girls Division as they sit two-strokes in front of their nearest competitor at even-par 144.
Li came into the second round trailing the leader by two-strokes but never let the idea of potentially leading the event enter into her head as she continued to play her own game while having fun in the process.
“Coming into today's round the idea of being in the lead wasn't really in my mind,” Li said. “I tried not to focus on the end result, but rather just have fun. Golf I suppose to be fun, and at the end of the day, you've got to remember that it's just a game.”
After finishing second place at the W. Duncan MacMillan Classic at Rush Creek last year, Danielson joins Li in first place after firing a second-round low 2-under-par 70.
“I played really consistent today scoring five birdies compared to just three bogeys,” Danielson said. “However, I still feel like I could have played better which I can hopefully do tomorrow. I started today's round with back-to-back birdies so that really helped motivate me in the beginning of my round.”
Tied for third place is Betty Chen of Castro Valley, Calif., and Brenna Nelsen of Monte Sereno, Calif., who each sit at 2-over-par 146.
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.
Final-round tee times for the W. Duncan MacMillan Classic at Rush Creek will run from 7 a.m.-11:39 a.m. off the No. 1 tee at Rush Creek Golf Club. For more information about the W. Duncan MacMillan Classic at Rush Creek, contact Tournament Director Greg Sanfilippo at (678) 936-0163.
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