LEIN SHOOTS CAREER LOW 8-UNDER-PAR 64 TO LEAD AT TIJERAS CREEK GOLF CLUB
Oride cards seven birdies to lead Girls Division at CORE Realty Holdings Junior presented by TomatoBank

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. — Benjamin Lein of Diamond Bar, Calif., shot a career low of 8-under-par 64 to take the lead in the Boys Division by two strokes after the first round at the CORE Realty Holdings Junior presented by TomatoBank Tuesday. Kelli Oride of Lihue, Hawaii, leads the Girls Division by one stroke after carding a 2-under-par 70 at Tijeras Creek Golf Club.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the CORE Realty Holdings Junior presented by TomatoBank is being held at the Tijeras Creek Golf Club. The tournament field consists of 57 boys and 21 girls, ages 12-18, from seven states, China and Thailand. Sixty-four hail from the home state of California. The Boys Division is playing the par-72 layout at 6,834 yards, while the Girls Division is playing at 6,019 yards.

Lein, who carded a total of ten birdies on the day, started off his day with four consecutive birdies on Nos. 10-13. The 16-year-old got his boost of confidence from those four holes and continued his surge on the front nine where he recorded a 5-under-par 31.

“Shooting a 64 feels great,” said Lein. “It's unbelievable. I played so awful yesterday and today I just didn't think about all the bad spots on the course. The plan was to make as many pars as possible and hope for some birdies.”

Two strokes behind Lein is Michael Yiu of Laguna Hills, Calif, who carded a 6-under-par 66 to put him in second. In third with a 3-under-par 69 is Michael Weaver of Fresno, Calif. Tied for fourth are Blake Waller of West Des Moines, Iowa, and Anthony Kim of Cerritos, Calif., with 2-under-par 70s.

In the Girls Division, Oride who was disappointed after her finish in last week's Hanmi Bank Junior Open, came into this week hoping to get something going. The 14-year-old recorded seven birdies on the day including one on the par-3 No. 16.

“I hit a good drive and was able to chip it in for birdie,” Oride said. “It really saved me because I was coming off a bogey on No. 15.”

Oride plans on entering the second round calm and focused and thinking only about her game.

“I don't like to overwork myself,” Oride said. “I actually don't keep track of my score during the round and I didn't know where I was at until the scoring tent. I was relieved to find out I shot a 70 and it was such a confidence booster from last week.”

Also atop the Girls Division leaderboard, tied for second with 1-under-par 71s are Robyn Kim of Cypress, Calif., and Kristina Nhim of Buena Park, Calif.

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, the largest Association of its kind, has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,000 junior golfers from 49 states and 30 foreign countries.

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. More than 160 former AJGA juniors currently play on the PGA and LPGA Tours and have compiled more than 300 wins. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink, Davis Love III, Cristie Kerr, Pat Hurst, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel and Julieta Granada.

Located in Rancho Santa Margarita, just minutes from Orange County's John Wayne Airport, the Ted Robinson-designed Tijeras Creek Golf Club is the tale of two nines. The distinctive course layout at Tijeras Creek opens with a demanding front nine that is highlighted with shimmering water features that come into play on four out of the first nine holes. The back nine holes are legendary for the breathtaking scenery, and awe-inspiring elevation changes that wind through old growth sycamores, oaks and native chaparral. In fact, hole number sixteen was voted one of Orange County's Best 18 Holes. A popular venue for many prestigious outings and events, Tijeras Creek has played host to the Women's Pac-10 Championships, along with the Men's and Women's Big West Championships. In addition, Tijeras Creek Golf Club is one of only four daily fee facilities in the state to have hosted the Southern California Amateur Open.

Tijeras Creek Golf Club is professionally managed by OB Sports Golf Management, a diversified, golf-oriented company with a long history of success. OB Sports currently manages 29 premier golf courses and country clubs throughout the United States and Mexico. Known for its comprehensive and personalized services since 1972, OB Sports has become widely acclaimed as the leader in boutique-style golf course management. For more information on OB Sports, visit www.obsports.com or call (480) 948-1300.

For tee times and more information about Tijeras Creek visit www.tijerascreek.com, or call (949) 589-9793.

Second-round tee times for the CORE Realty Holdings Junior presented by TomatoBank will run from 7 — 8:48 a.m. off the Nos. 1 and 10 tees at the Tijeras Creek Golf Club. For more information please contact Tournament Director Rob Ockenfuss at (678) 425-4976.

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