Doyle and Wu share the lead
at the Emerson Junior Golf Classic
Mao leads by two-strokes at the Maderas Golf Club

POWAY, Calif. — Ben Doyle of La Jolla, Calif., and Dylan Wu of Medford, Ore., are tied for first in the Boys Division after each carded 4-under-par 68. Briana Mao of Folsom, Calif., took the lead in the Girls Division after shooting 3-under-par 69.

The Emerson Junior Golf Classic is a 54-stroke play event conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at Maderas Golf Club in Poway, Calif. The Tournament field features 96 boys and 35 girls from seven states and five foreign countries (Argentina, Philippines, Thailand, China and British Columbia). The Boys Division is playing the par-72 course at 7,030 yards and the Girls Division is playing at 6,102 yards.

Doyle accomplished the goal every golfer wishes to achieve in their life. Doyle made a hole-in-one on No. 15 and also carded five birdies throughout his round.

“I made my first real hole-in-one on No. 15, and it felt amazing,” Doyle said. “To go from 2-under to 4-under felt awesome. I knew it would help move me up on the leader board.”

Wu also carded five birdies, and said it gave him the confidence he was looking for.

“This is the first time that I am the leader in a tournament, and it feels great,” Wu said. “I am able to see how much I have improved since last summer, and I am one step closer to reaching my goal, which is to win an AJGA tournament.”

Andrew Lister of Coronado, Calif., and Tyler Kertson of Paradise Valley, Ariz., sit in second at 3-under-par 69. Zecheng Dou of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., Hager Collins of Lexington, Ky., Ahmed El Tamami of Irvine, Calif., David Kim of Glendale, Calif., and Brian K. Song of Beverly Hills, Calif., all share fifth, carding even-par 72.

Mao said her ball striking was working best for her in Tuesday's first round. She hit 16 out of 18 greens.

“I was hitting the ball really well, and I got a few lucky breaks,” Mao said. “It means a lot to me to be the current leader. My AJGA career will be ending soon, and I would love to get a win before I go to college in the fall.”

Kaitlin Park of Tustin Ranch, Calif., and Chayanid Prapassarangkul of Bangkok, Thailand are tied for second, each carding 1-under-par 71.

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, Rickie Fowler, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Inbee Park and Morgan Pressel.

Second round tee times of the Emerson Junior Golf Classic are from 7:15 - 9:05 a.m. and noon - 1:30 p.m. on Nos.1 and 10. For more information about the Emerson Junior Golf Classic, please contact AJGA Tournament Headquarters at (770) 861-0519, or visit the AJGA website at ajga.org.

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