Stroke Play - Round 2
Match Play Brackets Set at Polo Golf Junior Classic
Grillo, Thompson earn top boys' seeds; Zhang claims No. 1 seed in Girls Division

TOP SEEDS: Nicole Zhang, Curtis Thompson (top right) and Emiliano Grillo (bottom) were the stroke play medalists.

Emiliano Grillo of Resistencia, Argentina, and Curtis Thompson of Coral Springs, Fla., carried their first-round lead through round two, earning co-medalist honors following stroke play in the Boys Division. Thompson begins match play as the No. 1 seed and will face Anton Arboleda of La Canada, Calif., in Wednesday's first round. Grillo is the No. 2 seed and will square off with Patrick Rodgers of Avon, Ind., in the first round.

In all, 32 boys and 32 girls advanced to match play. As the field is whittled down on Wdnesday and Thursday, the championship matches are slated for Friday morning on the Champion Course at PGA National Resort & Spa.

Niclas Carlsson of Enebyberg, Sweden, a semifinalist from 2008, finished one stroke back of the leaders and earned the third seed. He will face Denny McCarthy of Burtonsville, Md. The fourth seed is held by Theodore Lederhausen of Hinsdale, Ill., and the fifth seed went to Jay Hwang of San Diego, Calif., who blistered the Champion Course with a 5-under-par 66 Tuesday.

The Girls Division played the Haig Course in the second round and Nicole Zhang was up to the task, taking the No. 1 seed after firing a 6-under-par 66. Zhang spread out six birdies against no bogeys and will have the opportunity to play the Haig Course again in the first round of match play. She will meet Tiffany Lim of San jose, Calif., Wednesday morning.

Jessica Korda of Bradenton, Fla., shot a 4-under-par in the second round to claim the No. 2 seed, while Alexis Thompson of Coral Springs, Fla., carded a 5-under-par 67 to stake her cliam to the third seed. Korda will meet Kristen Park of Buena Park, Calif., while Thompson will meet Cindy Feng of Orlando, Fla., in a battle of first-team Rolex Junior All-Americans.

While the girls play the Haig Course, the boys will play the Champion Course in the first round. All remaining rounds will be contested on the Champion Course - the home of the PGA TOUR's Honda Classic.

View PDF versions of the match play brackets: Boys Division and Girls Division.

Stroke Play - Round 1
Chen Leads Girls; Four Boys Tied at Polo Golf Junior Classic
Players vying to qualify for match play

Curtis Thompson (above, wearing purple) and Oliver Schniederjans (in blue) played together Monday and carded 5-under-par scores to share the boys' lead after the first round with Emiliano Grillo and Tanner Kesterson. Doris Chen (right) took the lead among the girls, shooting 4-under-par.

Monday and Tuesday at the Polo Golf Junior Classic are all about one thing: Finishing among the top 32 players and making match play.

While a high seed is nice, match play is the goal. Case in point: Esther Choe made birdie in a stroke play playoff just to qualify for match play in 2006 at Sea Island Golf Club. She then plowed her way through the bracket to win the championship.

On the other hand, Vicky Hurst won the 2007 Polo Golf Junior Classic from the pole position, earning the No. 1 seed, then running the match play gauntlet.

In Monday's first round of stroke play, some players set themselves up especially well to make match play. Doris Chen of Bradenton, Fla., shot a 4-under-par 68 on the Champion course to take the first-round lead in the Girls Division. Trailing by a shot is Casey Grice of College Station, Texas, at 3-under-par 69.

Four boys tied for the lead on the Haig Course at 5-under-par 67, including Emiliano Grillo of Resistencia, Argentina, Oliver Schniederjans of Powder Springs, Ga., Curtis Thompson of Coral Springs, Fla., and Tanner Kesterson of Plano, Texas.

 

This year’s field represents 11 foreign countries and 24 states at PGA National Resort & Spa’s Champion and Haig Courses. Read more about today's round....

 

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