WINTHER, LEE WIN IN DOMINATING FASHION AT POLO GOLF JUNIOR CLASSIC
Winther becomes second consecutive international winner in Boys Division

REUNION, Fla. – For the first time in the tournament’s 31-year history, two international players took home junior golf’s top prize at the Polo Golf Junior Classic. Partick Winther of Rungsted Kyst, Denmark, took care of business and handled Brinson Paolini of Virginia Beach, Va., 7 and 6, in the Boys Division, and Jung Min Lee of Seoul, South Korea, defeated Jenny Shin of Torrance, Calif., 4 and 3.

The Polo Golf Junior Classic, which has been conducted annually since 1978, marked the first tournament of the American Junior Golf Association's 2009 season. The 156-player invitation-only field was made up of boys and girls, ages 12-18, from 25 states and 12 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).

Winther birdied the first two holes to take a quick 2-up lead, but the turning point came on the par-4 sixth. After blocking his tee shot right and out of bounds, Winther got up-and-down from 40 yards to make bogey, which was enough to salvage a halve and maintain a 2-up cushion.

“After I hit it out of bounds, I thought I may as well hit driver again and try to kill it so I could get it as close to the green as possible,” said Winther, who won the next four holes following the halve on No. 6.

This win, which he said was the biggest of his junior career, comes after making a transition to the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy in Howey in the Hills, Fla.

Winther becomes the fifth international boy to win the Polo Golf Junior Classic, joining the likes of Trevor Immelman of South Africa (1995), and last year’s winner, Bjorn Akesson of Sweden.

On her first trip to the United States, Lee won four of the first six holes and cruised to the Girls Division championship, her sixth international victory. She is one of six players on the South Korean National Team and said this win is unlike any other in her career.

“I’m happy to have been here and won this great event,” Lee said. “I got to try new shots and it was great to compare my game against my fellow juniors in the U.S.”

The win makes Lee the third international girl to win the Polo Golf Junior Championship, and first since 1998 (Celeste Troche, Paraguay).

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 largest Association of its kind, the AJGA has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of more than 5,000 junior golfers from 49 states and more than 25 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, 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. More than 160 former AJGA juniors currently play on the PGA and LPGA Tours and have compiled more than 300 wins. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink, Davis Love III, Cristie Kerr, Pat Hurst, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel and Julieta Granada.

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.

For more information about the Polo Golf Junior Classic, please contact Tournament Director Andrew Greenfield at (770) 601-8922.

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