Walker, Rogan Lead After First Round at Columbia Country Club
Tobey leads the way in the Girls Division at the AJGA Palmetto Junior Classic
BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. — Noah Walker of Norwell, Mass., and Shane Rogan of Columbia, S.C., are sharing the lead at the AJGA Palmetto Junior Classic at 2-under-par 70. In the Girls Division, Mattie Tobey of Denver, N.C., sits atop the leaderboard with a score of 1-under-par 71.
The AJGA Palmetto Junior Classic is a 54-hole tournament conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at Columbia Country Club in Blythewood, S.C. The tournament field features 75 boys and 24 girls, ages 12-18, from 16 states, Columbia, Argentina and Taiwan. The Boys Division is playing the par-72 course at 7,111 yards while the Girls Division is playing at 6,185 yards.
Walker made the turn on the front side at 1-over-par but fired five birdies on the back to finish the day tied for the lead.
“No. 10 fairway really changed things for me,” Walker said. “I started off a little bit rough and couldn't really get a groove going on the front nine. When the back nine came everything started to click and I started hitting all my fairways and everything started to go in. It was nice for everything to finally go right and come together.”
Rogans' front nine was a steady even-par 36 but closed the back side with a pair of birdies on holes 10 and 12.
“I was hitting my driver really straight into the fairway and it set me up for great opportunities into the green,” Rogan said. “Tomorrow, my goal is to have a good mental game and take it one shot at a time.”
Following the leaders by one are Jonathan Lilly of Evans, Ga., Phillip North of Hilton Head, S.C., and Josh Lorenzetti of Blythewood, S.C. They are tied for second at 1-under-par 71.
Mattie Tobey of Denver, N.C. stayed focused throughout her round to notch a low-round score of 1-under-par 71. In preparation for Wednesday's round, Tobey plans to stay consistent and focused.
“It was an exciting day for me because my putting was there and my irons were dead on,” Tobey said.
McKenzie Talbert of Edgefield, S.C., Manuela Carbajo Re of Necochea, Argentina, and Elizabeth Thompson of Charleston, S.C., are tied for second at even-par 72.
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.
Second-round tee times for the AJGA Palmetto Junior Classic will run from 7:30-12:50 a.m. off the No.1 tee at Columbia Country Club. For more information about the AJGA Palmetto Junior Classic please contact Tournament Director A.J. Donaldson at (678) 386-1487, or visit the AJGA website at ajga.org.
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