Pisciotta, Pattamakijsakul lead AJGA Huntsville Junior after first round
Juniors card a 3-under-par 68 at The Ledges

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Michael Pisciotta of Alpharetta, Ga., fired a 3-under-par 68 in the first round of the AJGA Huntsville Junior to take a one-stroke lead. Thanya Pattamakijsakul of Nonthaburi, Thailand, also carded a 3-under-par 68 to lead the Girls Division.

The AJGA Huntsville Junior is a 54-hole tournament conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at The Ledges in Huntsville, Ala. The event features 72 boys and 24 girls, ages 12-18, from 12 states and two countries. The Boys Division is playing the par-71 course at 6,953 yards while the Girls Division is playing the course at 5,990 yards.

Pisciotta finished the first round with eight birdies, including back-to-back birdies on Nos. 8 and 9, and ending his round with a birdie on No. 18.

“I came off No. 17 with a bogey, and wanted to see if I could birdie No. 18,” Pisciotta said. “I focused on one shot at a time. I hit the fairway, then from 150 yards out I put it within 10 feet and then made the putt.”

Tyler McDaniel of Manchester, Ky., is one stroke behind in second place with a 2-under-par 69. In a four-way tie for third place are Eric Edwards of Salisbury, N.C., Taylor Billings of Kenner, La., Ben Wood of Florence, Ala., and Adam Sanders of Oxford, Ala., who all carded a 1-under-par 70.

Pattamakijsakul made back-to-back birdies on Nos. 8 and 9, and again on Nos. 16 and 17, which she credited to both her drives and her putting.

“My putting was really good today, but my approach shots weren't that great,” Pattamakijsakul said. “Every birdie putt I made was pretty far from the hole.”

In second place is Anna Hack of Paducah Ky., with an even-par 71, and Jennifer Kim of Collierville, Tenn., is in third with a 2-over-par 73.

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.

For more information on the AJGA Huntsville Junior, please contact Tournament Headquarters at (678) 617-2424 or visit the AJGA website at ajga.org.

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