Oraee Claims Second Title at Aspen Golf Club
Lee Wins Girls Division at Aspen Golf Classic presented by Jim McLean

ASPEN, Colo. – David Oraee of Greeley, Colo., was victorious at the Aspen Golf Classic presented by Jim McLean, carding a 1-under-par 212. Patricia Lee of Lone Tree, Colo., won the Girls Division, shooting a 2-over-par 73 in the final round for a three-day total of 8-over-par 221.

The Aspen Golf Classic presented by Jim McLean was a 54-hole stroke play tournament conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at Aspen Golf Club in Aspen, Colo. The tournament field consisted of 99 girls and boys, ages 12-18, from 19 states, Canada, Mexico and China. The Boys Division played the par-71 course at 7,086 yards while the Girls Division played at 6,100 yards.

After finishing 3-over-par 74 in the first round, Oraee came back in the second two rounds wanting another win at the Aspen Golf Club. He shot 2-under-par 69 in each of the last two rounds to win the Boys Division by two strokes. Last year, Oraee won the Junior All-Star at Aspen by 18 strokes, setting the AJGA record for largest winning margin at a tournament, a record once held by Phil Mickelson, who won the 1987 Rolex Tournament of Champions by nine strokes.

“Winning here again means I’m on the right track for the rest of the season,” Oraee said. “This tournament means a lot to me because I was playing for my grandmother who passed away recently.”

Oraee started the round with a bogey on No. 3, but two birdies on Nos. 6 and 7 set him back on track. An eagle on No. 15 was a defining moment for Oraee, putting him three strokes ahead.

“I got some breaks here and there,” Oraee said. “I did what I had to do, but the eagle put my game over the top.”

Following Oraee on the leaderboard was Tyler Engel of Castle Rock, Colo., who placed second with a 1-over-par 214 tournament total. Third place went to Andrew Cornella of Colorado Springs, Colo who finished at 8-over-par 221. Cameron Harrell of Colorado Springs, Colo., took fourth place at 9-over-par 222 and Carson Jacobs of Hendersonville, Tenn., placed fifth at 11-over-par 223.

In the Girls Division, Lee’s final round proved more difficult than the first two where she carded 2-over-par 73 each day. She finished the final round 4-over-par on Thursday and maintained her lead. Lee said the wind was a big factor on Thursday and took caution on the greens.

 “I tried to play just another round of golf,” Lee said. “I knew what clubs to use and was confident with my decisions.”

The Aspen Golf Classic presented by Jim McLean was Lee’s first AJGA Open event win and she hopes that there are more to come in the future.

“Playing with good players put a lot of pressure on me,” Lee said. “But on No. 10, I made par, so I gained more confidence and played for the win.”

Stephanie Liu of Fernandina Beach, Fla., and Shannon Aubert of Orlando, Fla., tied for second at 224, three shots behind Lee. Liu had the lowest final-round score of the Girls Division with an even-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 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.
                For more information about the Aspen Golf Classic presented by Jim McLean contact AJGA National Headquarters at (770) 868-4200.