Doyle moves to 7-under at Emerson Junior Golf Classic
Jeong takes control at Maderas Golf Club

POWAY, Calif. — Ben Doyle of La Jolla, Calif., moved to 7-under-par 137 for the tournament after firing 3-under-par 69 in Wednesday's second round. In the Girls Division, Alice Jeong of Gardena, Calif., captured the lead after carding a 3-under-par 69.

The Emerson Junior Golf Classic is a 54-stroke play event conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at Maderas Golf Club in Poway, Calif. The tournament field features 96 boys and 35 girls from seven states and five countries. The Boys Division is playing the par-72 course at 7,030 yards and the Girls Division is playing at 6,102 yards.

Much of Doyle's success has come on Nos. 2 — 4. In his first two rounds, Doyle played the stretch of holes a combined 5-under-par

“That's a nice stretch for me,” Doyle said. “Tomorrow, I just want to hit fairways and greens and make birdies.”

Co-first-round leader Dylan Wu of Medford, Ore., sits in second place, two strokes back of the lead with a 5-under-par 139 tournament total.

Andrew Lister of Coronado, Calif., is in third place at 3-under-par 141. In fourth place is Hager Collins of Lexington, Ky., with a tournament total of 2-under-par 142. Tied for fifth at 1-under-par 143 are Zecheng Dou of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., and Jonathan Sanders of Chatsworth, Calif.

Jeong's five birdies on the day helped give her a two-stroke lead entering the final round, with a tournament total of 3-under-par 141. Jeong said her ability to save par and play smart golf helped her take control of the Girls Division.

“I ended up with good breaks and made pars when I needed to,” Jeong said. “I made smart bogeys, especially when I went into hazards and only had one three putt through 36 holes.”

Kaitlin Park of Tustin Ranch, Calif., is in second place with a tournament total of 1-under-par 143. In third place is Chayanid Prapassarangkul of Bangkok 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, Rickie Fowler, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Inbee Park and Morgan Pressel.

Final round tee times of the Emerson Junior Golf Classic are from 7:15 — 9:05 a.m. off the Nos. 1 and 10 tees. For more information about the Emerson Junior Golf Classic, please contact AJGA Tournament Headquarters at (770) 861-0519, or visit the AJGA website at ajga.org.