Grillo Claims Medalist Honors at Polo Golf Junior Classic for Third Consecutive Year
Jutanugarn earns No. 1 seed in Girls Division at PGA National Resort & Spa

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Emiliano Grillo of Bradenton, Fla., earned medalist honors following stroke play at the Polo Golf Junior Classic for the third year in a row. Grillo's 3-under-par 68 put him two strokes ahead of the field and earned him the No. 1 seed heading into match play. With a 3-under-par 69, Moriya Jutanugarn of Bangkok, Thailand, extended her first-round lead to claim medalist honors in the Girls Division.

The Polo Golf Junior Classic, which has been conducted annually since 1978, marks the first tournament of the American Junior Golf Association's 2011 season. The 156-player invitation-only field is made up of 78 boys and 78 girls, ages 12-18, from 26 states and 10 foreign countries. Former champions include Stewart Cink (1989), Trevor Immelman (1995), Tiger Woods (1991), Paula Creamer (2002), Grace Park (1994, 1996) and Morgan Pressel (2004).

During Tuesday's second round, the Boys Division played the Champion Course (7,147 yards, par 71), while the Girls Division played the Haig Course (6,275 yards, par 72). The cut in the Boys Division fell at 148, and the Girls Division cut was at 152.

Grillo, a two-time first-team Rolex Junior All-American, began the round tied in second place. With birdies on his first two holes of the day, he made his way to the top of the leaderboard and finished stroke play at 6-under-par 137. Grillo said strong play with his irons was crucial to carding five birdies on the day. He will play Trey Valentine of Melbourne, Fla., in the first match Wednesday and is looking to improve on his 2009 match play finish.

“I just want to keep the ball on the fairway and greens and try to make some putts as always,” Grillo said of his match play strategy. “Last year I got to the quarterfinals. I had to putt like I'm always playing with the winner.”

Other first-team Rolex Junior All-Americans qualifying for match play include defending champion Oliver Schniederjans (No. 4 seed), Patrick Rodgers (No. 6), Anthony Paolucci (No. 11), Michael Johnson (No. 15) and Beau Hossler (No. 22).

In the Girls Division, Jutanugarn began the day on No. 10 and posted six birdies on the round, including three in a row on Nos. 11-13 to increase her lead to three shots and complete stroke play at 3-under-par 141.

“I think today I played okay,” said Jutanugarn, who is ranked No. 14 in the Polo Golf Rankings. “On the front nine I had three birdies and on the back nine I had one double and two birdies. I think yesterday I hit irons better than today but I had an eight on No. 11 yesterday.”

Jutanugarn is making her first appearance at the Polo Golf Junior Classic following two top-five finishes at AJGA Invitationals in 2010. She will take on Ashlan Ramsey of Milledgeville, Ga., in the first round of match play.

First-team Rolex Junior All-Americans earning a spot in match play were Kristen Park (No. 6 seed), Shannon Aubert (No. 9), Doris Chen (No. 10), Alison Lee (No. 17) and Yueer Cindy Feng (No. 25).

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. In 2010, BMW of North America, LLC, will serve as the Official Transportation Provider of the Polo Golf Junior Classic and will be conducting a test drive program at the event from Nov. 19-23.

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.

Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE: RL) is a leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in four categories: apparel, home, accessories and fragrances. For more than 40 years, Polo's reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company's brand names, which include “Polo by Ralph Lauren”, “Ralph Lauren Purple Label”, “Ralph Lauren Collection”, “Black Label”, “Blue Label”, “Lauren by Ralph Lauren”, “Polo Jeans Co.”, “RRL”, “RLX”, “Rugby”, “Ralph Lauren Childrenswear”, “American Living”, “Chaps”, and “Club Monaco” among others, constitute one of the world's most widely recognized families of consumer brands. For more information, go to http://investor.ralphlauren.com.

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group's global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car centers, 336 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 143 BMW motorcycle retailers, 100 MINI passenger car dealers, and 31 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group's sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at: www.bmwgroupna.com.

First-round matches will begin Wednesday at 7:30 a.m., while second-round matches will begin around noon. The Girls Division will play its first-round matches on the Haig Course, while all other Girls and Boys Division matches will be held on the Champion Course. For more information, please contact Tournament Headquarters at (561) 627-2000, ext. 6450.