Reinertson pulls away in Boys Division, leads by six strokes at Quarry Oaks
Zhu remains atop leaderboard in Girls Division at 3-over-par 145
ASHLAND, Neb. — Rylee Reinertson of Gibbon, Neb., shot 3-under-par 68 in Wednesday's second round of the AJGA Nebraska Junior at Quarry Oaks and sits at 7-under-par 135 for the tournament. Xiaoyu Zhu of Shanghai shot 2-over-par 73 and leads by two strokes in the Girls Division heading into the final round.
Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the AJGA Nebraska Junior at Quarry Oaks is a 54-hole stroke play event at Quarry Oaks Golf Course. The tournament field consists of 57 boys and 21 girls from 17 states, Canada and China. The Boys Division plays the par-71 course at 6,837 yards while the Girls Division plays at 6,023 yards.
Reinertson, who has never won an AJGA event, said he is excited about his chances to finally pull through with a victory Thursday. It is his final tournament before returning to school next week.
“It's always been my goal, from when I started playing AJGA events. My brother won AJGA one time, so I kind of want to win won myself,” Reinertson said. “I've worked really hard to get to this point and it's finally nice to see that some of the practice is starting to pay off.”
In the Boys Division, Colin Pearson of Fort Dodge, Iowa, sits alone in second at 1-under-par 141. Chase Hanna of Leawood, Kan., is third at even-par 142 for the tournament. Matthew Green of Lenexa, Kan., and Dominic Kieffer of Byron, Minn., are tied for fourth heading into the final round at 2-over-par 144.
Zhu began her round with a birdie on the par-4 No. 10, but followed it up with a double-bogey on No. 11. She said she recently changed her putting technique and is still trying to get the feel of her short game.
“On the front nine, I left many birdie chances short,” Zhu said. “But in this tournament, I'm starting to find my self-confidence again.”
Cha Cha Willhoite of Palm Desert, Calif., is second, two strokes behind the leader, at 5-over-par 147. In third, Patricia Lee of Lone Tree, Colo., is 6-over-par 148 for the tournament.
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.
The final round of the AJGA Nebraska Junior at Quarry Oaks will tee off Nos. 1 and 10 from 7:15 — 9:15 a.m. For more information, please contact Tournament Director Andrew Greenfield at (770) 601-8922, or visit tournament headquarters located in the meeting room at Quarry Oaks.
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