ROBERT TRENT JONES GOLF TRAIL JUNIOR

Magnolia Grove Golf Club – Falls and Crossings Courses

Mobile, Alabama

September 3-6, 2004

MONDAY’S FINAL ROUND CANCELLED DUE TO APPROACH OF HURRICANE FRANCES

Francis and Park sit atop the leaderboard with one round to play

MOBILE, Ala. – The top of the leaderboard at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Junior is crowded as Philip Francis of Scottsdale, Ariz., grabbed a one-shot lead in the Boys Division with a 3-under-par 69. In the Girls Division, an early birdie blitz by Angela Park of Torrance, Calif., allowed the Rolex Junior All-American to fire a 4-under-par 68 and grab a three-shot lead going into Sunday’s round.

Originally scheduled as a 54-hole event concluding on Monday, the tournament will be shortened to a 36-hole event due to the approach of Hurricane Frances, which is expected to begin affecting the Mobile area on Monday.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Junior is being played on the Falls and Crossings Courses at Magnolia Grove Golf Club. Ninety-nine boys are competing at the Falls Course, while the Crossings Course is playing host to 57 girls. Twenty-nine states and two foreign countries are represented at the event, which marks the end of the AJGA summer schedule.

Francis’ round started off slow as he found himself at 2-over par after eight holes. However, a birdie on No. 9 gave Francis momentum going into the back nine.

“I wasn’t playing very well on the first eight holes,” Francis said. “I drained a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 9 and that got me going. I knew there weren’t a lot of low scores in, so I knew I was still in the tournament.”

Francis went on a tear on the back side, recording birdies on Nos. 10, 12, 17 and 18 on the way to shooting a 4-under-par 32. The Arizona native will look to capture his first AJGA victory in Sunday’s final round.

“Being the clubhouse leader is a good spot to be in with just one round left,” Francis said.

Guillermo Chavez of Clovis, N.M., shot matching 35s on each nine to finish the first round alone in second place with a 2-under-par 70. A group of three, including Rory Hie of Lakewood, Calif., and Florida natives Lion Kim of Lake Mary and Thomas Hugghins of Ponte Vedra Beach, are tied for third place just two shots behind Francis after carding matching rounds of 1-under-par 71.

Meanwhile, on the Crossings Course, Park was slightly apprehensive after her morning warm-up.

“Before I went out there, I was hitting my irons pretty badly on the range,” Park admitted. “But I focused on my putting and hit some good shots after I got out there.”

These good shots, along with a number of long putts holed on her first nine, allowed Park to start her day with a 5-under-par 31 on the back side. She finished the round with a 4-under-par 68, a three-shot lead, and improved confidence going into the final round.

“There’s more golf left and anything can happen,” Park said. “Everybody always says to play your own game, and it really is true.”

Three players are three shots back after firing matching 1-under-par 71s. Julieta Granada of Asuncion, Paraguay, Alina Lee of Evans, Ga., and Morgan Pressel of Boca Raton, Fla., are deadlocked in a tie for second place.

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 has a membership of approximately 5,000 junior golfers from 50 states and 30 foreign countries.

           
Titleist, the AJGA’s National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association’s success since 1989. Rolex Watch USA, a supporter of the AJGA since 1983, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004.