Johnson and Jonas Tied After First Round at AJGA Junior at Savannah Quarters
Yin leads Girls Division in AJGA debut at Savannah Quarters Country Club
POOLER, Ga. — Stanhope Johnson, Jr. of Greensboro, N.C., and John Jonas of Jacksonville, Fla., each fired a 2-under-par 70 to lead the Boys Division after the first round of play. Angel Yin, of Arcadia, Calif., leads the Girls Division by one stroke with her score of 2-over-par 74 the AJGA Junior at Savannah Quarters.
Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the AJGA Junior at Savannah Quarters is a 36-hole stroke play competition held on the par-72 Savannah Quarters Country Club course. The course plays to 6,872 yards for the boys and 6,065 for the girls. The 78-player field features players from 23 states and 11 foreign countries.
A veteran to AJGA events, Johnson was aware of the level of competition surrounding him but was able to focus and meet his personal goal of five birdies.
“I knew I had to keep my putting and driving consistent, and I was definitely pleased with the results,” Johnson said. “My plan for tomorrow is to make even more birdies than I did today.”
Playing strong early in his round, Jonas was able to follow pars on Nos. 1 and 2 with a 40-foot birdie putt on No. 3.
“My birdie putt on No. 3 really kicked off my putting and started my game,” Jonas said. “My putting throughout the entire round was incredible after that.”
In a three-way tie for third in the Boys Division is Joshua Martin of Pinehurst, N.C., Cristobal Del Solar of Viña Del Mar, Chile, and Sean Bozuk of Burlington, Ontario, who all finished even-par 72.
In her first AJGA event, Yin fought through the nerves, wind and fast greens to come out on top in the Girls Division.
“I was really nervous at the level of competition I was going to face,” Yin said. “But I utilized all the clubs in my bag and had some great drives.”
In second place in the Girls Division is Rinko Mitsunaga of Roswell, Ga., who finished the first round with a 3-over-par 75. Rounding out the top three girls is Momo Sakuragi of Irvine, Calif., with a 4-over-par 76.
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 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 500 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Stewart Cink, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Inbee Park and Morgan Pressel.
Final-round tee times for the AJGA Junior at Savannah Quarters will run from 8:15 — 10:15 a.m. off the Nos. 1 and 10 tees of Savannah Quarters Country Club. For more information about the AJGA Junior at Savannah Quarters, contact tournament headquarters at (770) 617-3050.
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