BENCH SEEKS FIRST AJGA VICTORY
Song takes lead in Girls Division with even-par round
EDMOND, Okla.— The final round of the OSSO Junior at Oak Tree will be a shootout for a few Oklahoma natives, with three of the top-five in the Boys Division hailing from the greater Oklahoma City area. Following a second-round 1-over-par 71, Ben Bench, 17, of Oklahoma City, Okla., moved into first place with a tournament total 140 after starting the day in the second slot. Christine Song,14, of Fullerton, Calif., fired a Girls Division-low 70 to take over first with a two-day total of 146.
The OSSO Junior at Oak Tree is a 54-hole event conducted by the American Junior Golf Association on the East Course at Oak Tree Country Club in Edmond, Okla. This is the 22nd year for the event in Edmond, and the 10th at Oak Tree. A field of 102 boys and 42 girls, including 55 players from Oklahoma, are competing in the event this week.
Bench, playing in his third AJGA event, has never won or led going into the final round of any AJGA tournament.
“I putted really well today and hopefully I can keep that going,” Bench said. “It would be real cool to win an event, but I still have 18 holes to play.”
Despite carding 14 pars and two birdies, Bench felt he struggled with his approach.
“Other than putting, I was up and down on the day,” Bench said. “I hit one shot out-of-bounds and missed a lot of greens.”
Edmond native and Oak Tree Country Club member William Kropp carded a 1-over-par 71, which included three birdies, to move him into a second-place tie with Will Griffin of San Antonio, Texas, at 141. Jordan Woolf of Arlington, Texas, and Robert Streb of Edmond are tied for fourth at 3-over- par 143.
In the Girls Division, Song carded two birdies and 14 pars to improve her first round score by six strokes, recording an even-par 70 in the second round to give her a 146 tournament total. Song credited improved score to more consistent play.
“There really wasn’t a turning point in the day for me, I didn’t putt very well, but I got down the fairway and onto the green,” Song said. “I think I was just a little lucky today.”
Song played alongside Jennie Arseneault of Grinnell, Iowa, and Lucy Nunn of Lawton, Okla., who are tied for second with 9-over par 149. Stephanie Hwang of Heath, Texas, is in third with 152.
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, the largest Association of its kind, has a junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,000 junior golfers from 50 states and 30 foreign countries.
Titleist, the AJGA's National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association's success since 1989. Rolex Watch USA, a supporter of the AJGA since 1983, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004.
AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. More than 160 former AJGA juniors currently play on the PGA and LPGA Tours and have compiled more than 300 wins. AJGA alumni include Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Davis Love III, Mike Weir, Charles Howell III, Jim Furyk, Dottie Pepper, Grace Park, Cristie Kerr and Beth Bauer.
The final round of the OSSO Junior at Oak Tree will begin Thursday at 7:30 a.m. For more information about the OSSO Junior at Oak Tree call AJGA Tournament Headquarters at (405) 340-1010 ext. 569.
