Lee atop Leaderboard at Under Armour® / Hunter Mahan Championship
Park leads Girls Division at TPC Craig Ranch
MCKINNEY, Texas — David Lee of Houston sits in a familiar place on the leaderboard after 36 holes. Amidst heavy winds, Lee shot a 3-under-par 141 Saturday at TPC Craig Ranch. Kristen Park of Buena Park, Calif., cruised to a 2-under-par 142 to claim a two-stroke lead in the Girls Division at the Under Armour® / Hunter Mahan Championship.
The Under Armour® / Hunter Mahan Championship is a 54-hole stroke play event conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas. The tournament field boasts 51 boys and 21 girls, ages 12-18, from 16 states, Canada, Mexico and the Philippines. The Boys Division is playing the par-72 course at 7,079 yards and the Girls Division is playing at 6,104 yards.
Lee is no stranger to success this year. He captured his first AJGA victory on Easter weekend at the Laredo Energy Junior at Traditions. The grind of walking 36 holes did not deter him, as he made eight birdies on the day. Ball-striking was key for the leader.
“Once I found my rhythm, I just tried to go for every pin,” said Lee, ranked No. 29 in the Polo Golf Rankings. “I have a lot of confidence in my short game, and it's great to see my hard work paying off.”
AJ McInerney of Henderson, Nev., posted a 4-under-par 68 to lead after the first round. He enters the final round in second place, three strokes behind Lee at even-par 144. Stuart Smallwood of Paris, Texas, will join Lee and McInerney in the final pairing Sunday after posting a 1-over-par 145. Will Zalatoris of Plano, Texas, Ryann Ree of Redondo Beach, Calif., Johannes Veerman of Sugar Land, Texas, Brian Campbell of Irvine, Calif., and Marcel Puyat of Makati, Philippines, sit tied in fourth at 2-over-par 146.
In the Girls Division, Park posted a pair of 71s to claim the lead. She started at a torrid pace, making birdie on five of her first 12 holes. Her second round was steady, as she parred 13 of her last 16 holes.
“My shots were very consistent today and I hit a lot of greens,” said Park, a four-time Rolex Junior All-American. “I had to adjust my game to play with the wind today.”
April McCoy of Carrollton, Texas, is in second after an even-par 144 for the day. Michelle Lee of Mississauga, Ontario, finished the day in third at one-over-par 145.
Under Armour® is a leading developer, marketer and distributor of branded performance apparel, footwear and accessories. Under Armour®'s moisture-wicking synthetic fabrications are engineered in many different designs and styles for wear in nearly every climate. The Company's products are sold worldwide and worn by athletes at all levels, from youth to professional, on playing fields around the globe. Under Armour®'s additional offices are in Denver, Hong Kong, Toronto and China. For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.underarmour.com.
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 30 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 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. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 400 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Stewart Cink, Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel.
Final-round tee times will run from 7:30 — 9:09 a.m. Sunday, April 25, off the Nos. 1 and 10 tees at TPC Craig Ranch. For more information about the Under Armour® / Hunter Mahan Championship, please contact tournament headquarters at (678) 617-9406.