Padova cards a 3-under-par 69 to claim lead at Jones Creek Golf Club
Newton leads the Girls Division at the E-Z-GO Vaughn Taylor Championship presented by Electrolux

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Austin Padova of Hudson, Fla., posted a 3-under-par 69 Tuesday at the E-Z-GO Vaughn Taylor Championship presented by Electrolux. Abby Newton of Katy, Texas, leads by one stroke in the Girls Division having carded an even-par 72 at Jones Creek Golf Club.

The E-Z-GO Vaughn Taylor Championship presented by Electrolux is a 54-hole championship conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at Jones Creek Golf Club. The event features 72 boys and 23 girls, ages 12-18, from 17 states and six countries. The Boys Division is playing the par-72 course at 6,818 yards, while the Girls Division is playing the course at 6,160 yards.

Padova was one under par after the front nine and had only two bogeys.

“I was just really consistent,” Padova said. “I drove the fairway well and I made a lot of putts. This is the best I've played in an AJGA event and hopefully I can keep it going and put three rounds together.”

Richard Hubbard of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., is in second with a 1-under-par 71. Meechai Padungsiriseth of Bradenton, Fla., Daniel Cavanagh of Perham, Minn., and Matthew Rushton of Hilton Head Island, S.C., are tied for third at 1-over-par 73.

Newton has two top-10 finishes already this year after a runner-up performance at the AJGA Junior at Savannah Quarters and a tie for ninth at the Signsational Signs Junior at The Woodlands. She started her round making seven pars and a birdie on the front nine and held on to the lead at Jones Creek Golf Club.

“I just kept hitting a lot of greens and I made a lot of putts today,” Newton said. “I had 27 putts and that was pretty much the key to my day.”

In a tie for second are Jessica Hoang of North Augusta, S.C., and TaylorMade-adidas Golf Qualifier Medalist Rachel Dai of Suwanee, Ga., each with a 1-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 E-Z-GO Vaughn Taylor Championship presented by Electrolux, please contact tournament headquarters at (770) 601-5196 or visit the AJGA website at ajga.org.

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