Crouch, Wood take Polo Golf Junior Classic first-round lead at 5-under-par 67
Three-way tie among girls includes M. Jutanugarn, Boutier, Morales

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — A.J. Crouch of Jacksonville, Fla., and Adam Wood of Zionsville, Ind., share the Polo Golf Junior Classic lead at 5-under-par 67 after Monday's first round of stroke play at the Polo Golf Junior Classic. In the Girls Division, Moriya Jutanugarn of Bangkok, Thailand, Celine Boutier of Montrouge, France, and Nicole Morales of South Salem, N.Y., are tied for the lead at 2-under-par 70 at PGA National Resort & Spa.

The Polo Golf Junior Classic, which has been conducted annually since 1978, marks the first tournament of the American Junior Golf Association's 2012 season. The 156-player invitation-only field is made up of 78 boys and 78 girls, ages 12-18, from 24 states, Puerto Rico and 14 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 Monday's first round, the Boys Division played the Haig Course (6,776 yards, par 72), while the Girls Division played the Champion Course (6,398 yards, par 72). The tournament fields will be cut to the low 32 players and ties following the second round.

One day after being honored as Rolex Junior All-America honorable mentions, Crouch and Wood led the way in the Boys Division. Crouch birdied the first three holes of the day and turned at 3-under-par before reeling off another three consecutive birdies immediately after making the turn.

“I birdied the first three holes on each nine, so that got me off to a hot start,” Crouch said. “I wasn't putting any pressure on myself and I think that's what enabled me to play pretty well today.”

Wood scattered six birdies against a single bogey to match Crouch's score.

“At the beginning of this year I wasn't even sure if I would be at a tournament like this,” Wood said. “It's a lot of fun and I love the competition. Being able to shoot the low score felt really good.”

In the Girls Division, a pair of first-team Rolex Junior All-Americans, Moriya Jutanugarn and Boutier, share the lead with Morales. Jutanugarn is in a familiar position at the Polo Golf Junior Classic, claiming the first-round stroke play lead for the second straight year. In 2010, Jutanugarn earned stroke play medalist honors after rounds of 72-69. With a pair of birdies and no bogeys in the opening round, she joined the three-way tie at 2-under-par 70.

Boutier, a quarterfinalist at last year's Polo Golf Junior Classic, is well-positioned to return to match play after making three birdies, including a 60-footer at the 169-yard, par-3 seventh hole.

“All my drives were in the fairway,” Boutier said. “And my irons were good; I hit 15 greens.”

Morales carded four birdies against two bogeys to join the three-way tie atop the Girls Division. After beginning the day on the 10th tee, Morales closed out strong with birdies on her final two holes.

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.

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.

Second-round tee times for the Polo Golf Junior Classic will run Tuesday from 7:30 — 9:30 a.m. off the Champion (Boys Division) and Haig (Girls Division) Courses at PGA National Resort & Spa. For more information, please contact Tournament Headquarters at (561) 627-2000, ext. 6455.