TRIO TIED FOR LEAD AT W. DUNCAN MACMILLAN CLASSIC AT RUSH CREEK
Then takes early lead in Girls Division at Rush Creek Golf Club

MAPLE GROVE, Minn.  — Jack Perry, 16, of Santa Barbara, Calif., Marcus Plunkett, 15, of St. Augustine, Fla., and Mortin Yeung, 15, of Orlando, Fla., all lead by one-stroke Tuesday in the Boys Division after the first-round of the W. Duncan MacMillan Classic at Rush Creek. Gabriella Then, 14, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., leads the Girls Division after shooting a 1-under-par 71.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the W. Duncan MacMillan Classic at Rush Creek is a 54-hole stroke play event held at Rush Creek Golf Club. The tournament field consists of 75 Boys and 24 Girls, ages 12-18, from 22 states and Canada. The par-72 course is being played at 7,107 yards for the Boys Division and 6,193 yards for the Girls Division.

Plunkett was able to make birdies on Nos. 4 and 14 to help take a share of the lead at 2-under-par 70. Plunkett caught fire as he made the turn, firing back-to-back eagles on Nos. 9 and 10. The par-5, 567 yard No. 10 was the point where Plunkett knew it was going to be a good day.

“I hit my hybrid wood solid and slam dunked it on to the green,” Plunkett said. “I went up and hit a 60 foot putt to make eagle.”

Yeung, ranked 104 in the Polo Golf Rankings, played solid throughout the day hitting 16 greens and all of his fairways during the round. Yeung used the fast greens today to his advantage on the par 5 holes. Yeung made birdies on the 532 yard second hole and 567 yard tenth to go along with a birdie on No. 15.

“I feel like I can play a lot better than I did today,” Yeung said. “I need to concentrate on making more of my short putts.” “I think I used them all up in the Junior-Am I played in yesterday,” Yeung said with a grin.

Perry wanted to play the par-3 holes even-par for the day, which he did and even threw in a birdie on No. 3. The main goal of the day for Perry was to birdie all of the par-5 holes, which he almost accomplished. Perry was able to card birdies on three of the four par-5, Nos. 2, 8, and 10.

“I really want to focus on my control going in to tomorrow,” Perry said. “Leading after day one doesn't help you if you cant stay in control.”

David Smith of Plymouth, Minn., stands in fourth after shooting 1-under-par 71. Gregory Fehrman of Rothschild, Wis., Steven Burak of North Easton, Mass., Patrick Johnston of Independence, Minn., and Taylor White of Dakota Dunes, S.D., all sit in a tie for fifth place after carding even-par 72s.

Then, ranked 116 in the Polo Golf Rankings, was consistent with her approach shots all day, hitting 12 fairways and 15 greens en-route to a one-stroke lead in the Girls Division. Then spread her birdies out over the course, making them on Nos. 6, 10 and 12. The turning point of the day for Then came on No. 10 after she hit the green in two strokes and was able to make her birdie. Then followed up on No. 12 with a tough 20-foot putt to card her final birdie of the day.

“I really want to work on my putting going in to tomorrow,” Then said. “I had a lot of chances for birdies that I should have made.”

Elizabeth Doty of Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., Casey Danielson of Osceola, Wis., and Anne Cheng of Torrance, Calif., hold a share of second place after shooting even-par 72s.

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 largest Association of its kind, the AJGA has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of more than 5,000 junior golfers from 50 states and more than 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, 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. More than 200 former AJGA juniors currently play on the PGA and LPGA Tours and have compiled more than 350 wins. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink, Davis Love III, Cristie Kerr, Pat Hurst, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel and Julieta Granada.

Second-round tee times for the W. Duncan MacMillan Classic at Rush Creek will run from 7 a.m. — 12:20 p.m., off the No. 1 tee Wednesday, June 17 at Rush Creek Golf Club. For more information about the W. Duncan MacMillan Classic at Rush Creek, please contact Tournament Headquarters at (678) 425-4976.