Martino remains atop leaderboard at the Signsational Signs Junior at The Woodlands
Lin jumps ahead in Girls Division by one stroke at the Player Course
THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Vincent Martino of Southlake, Texas, shot a 1-under-par 71 in Wednesday's second round of the Signsational Signs Junior at The Woodlands, to solidify the lead in the Boys Division with a two-round tournament total of 5-under-par 139. Christine Lin of Austin, Texas, shot a 3-under-par 69 to take the lead in the Girls Division.
Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the Signsational Signs Junior at The Woodlands is a 54-hole stroke play competition held at The Woodlands Country Club — Player Course. The par-72 course plays to 6,931 yards for the Boys Division and 6,014 yards for the Girls Division. The 95-player field features players from six states, Mexico, Brazil and the Philippines.
Martino, who three-putted twice, said he thought the speed of the greens made the second round at The Woodlands very challenging. Other aspects of his short game, however, were working in his favor.
“My chipping was much better today which was one of the things that saved me,” Martino said. “I was also hitting my irons well and kept everything in play.”
Brad Dalke of McKinney, Texas, sits in second place with a second-round score of 1-under-par 71 for a tournament total of 142.Tied for third place with even-par 144s are Andrew Ertel of The Woodlands, Texas, and Stratton Nolen of Austin, Texas. Sam Fidone of Lufkin, Texas, sits at 2-over-par 146 after a second round 2-under-par 70.
Lin finishes her second round with a tournament total of 2-under-par 142. Lin said her consistency and smart play on the course Wednesday resulted in 16 of 18 greens hit in regulation. The turning point in Lin's game was a 45-yard shot on the par-5 No. 7 that she hit within one foot of the hole, leading to a tap in birdie. That hole gave Lin momentum heading to the back nine.
When asked about her strategy for the final round, “Tomorrow I think the game plan is to just take one shot at a time and play trouble-free golf,” Lin said. “This is a good field and there is a lot of strong Texas players and other players I have played with from other states and countries who are really pushing me to perform my best.”
First-round leader Maddie Szeryk of Allen, Texas, sits in second place in the Girls Division, with a tournament total of 1-under-par 143. Jordan Lippetz of Bradenton, Fla., is in third place with a tournament total of even-par 144.
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, 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.
The final round of the Signsational Signs Junior at The Woodlands will tee off Thursday at the No. 1 tee from 7:15 a.m. to 12:25 p.m. For more information, please contact the Tournament Director Rachel Graves at (770) 861-0519.
#AJGA#
