Grubnich fires 7-under-par 65 at the Columbus Junior presented by the Memorial Tournament
Weaver jumps to an early lead at The Country Club at Muirfield Village

DUBLIN, Ohio – Nicholas Grubnich of Crown Point, Ind., carded a 7-under-par 65 in the first round of The Columbus Junior presented by the Memorial Tournament. In the Girls Division, Lindsey Weaver of Scottsdale, Ariz., last year’s winner, posted a 6-under-par 66 to lead first-round play.
            The Columbus Junior presented by the Memorial Tournament is a 54-hole stroke play tournament conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at The Country Club at Muirfield Village. The tournament field features 75 boys and 24 girls, ages 12-18, from 17 states, Thailand, Mexico and Canada. The Boys Division is playing the par-72 course at 6,835 yards while the Girls Division is playing at 6,090 yards.
            Grubnich fired seven birdies on the back nine to card a 7-under-par 29. He credited his successful round to putting.
            “My putting was accurate today,” Grubnich said. “I made a nice 12-foot birdie putt on No. 10 and it really boosted my confidence and kept me motivated. I am going to try and stay consistent and keep making my putts and fairways for the rest of the tournament.”
            In the Boys Division, Andrew Fogg from Greenwood, Ind., and Alex Carpenter of Westerville, Ohio, are tied for second place at 5-under-par 67. Zach Yinger of Sidney, Ohio, and John Callahan of Hinsdale, Ill., are tied for fourth place at 4-under-par 68.
            Weaver was consistent hitting every fairway on the front nine and rallied on the back nine after a five hour rain delay birdying the last three holes to claim the lead in the Girls Division.
            “I had to think process instead of outcome today,” Weaver said. “I was successful at keeping my mental game positive after the rain delay which really helped my round.”
            In the Girls Division, Samantha Swinehart of Lancaster, Ohio, sits in second place at an even-par 72 and Lauren Grogan of Columbus, Ohio, carded 2-over-par 74 for third.
            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.
            Second-round tee times for the Columbus Junior presented by the Memorial Tournament will run from 7 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. off the No. 1 tee at The Country Club at Muirfield Village. For more information about the Columbus Junior presented by the Memorial Tournament please contact Tournament Director Jonah Beck at (678) 617-2425.