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Match Play - Day 1
Second Round Suspended

Second-round matches were suspended at 5 p.m., as the rain began falling and darkness was imminent. Play will resume at 8:30 a.m. Thursday.

Match Play Day 1 Recap and Resutls - Boys Bracket - Girls Bracket - FootJoy Live Scoring through completed matches

Boys Update: Top Seeds Thompson, Grillo Advance, Next Four Fall

Matthew Ceravolo won his opening match to earn a date with top-seeded Curtis Thompson.

After tying for top honors in match play, Curtis Thompson of Coral Springs, Fla., and Emiliano Grillo of Resistencia, Argentina, earned the top two seeds in match play. Continuing their stellar play, they each advanced to the second round of match play. The four players seeded third through sixth, however, were stung by upsets in the first round.

Thompson and Anton Arboleda of La Canada, Calif., made the turn all square before Thompson turned up the heat. With a pair of birdies and a par, he won the next three holes, then coasted home to a 2-and-1 victory. his second-ound match is a tough one with local player Matthew Ceravolo of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., who dismissed Wyndham Clark of Greenwood Village, Colo., 5 and 3 in the opener.

Rolex Junior Player of the Year Jordan Spieth of Dallas defeated Tanner Kesterson of Plano, Texas, 2 and 1, in his quest to become the first Rolex Boys Junior Player of the Year to win the tournament since Brian Harman accomplished the feat in 2003.

Cory Whitsett of Houston, appearing in his first AJGA tournament since the Thunderbird International in May (because of injury), is making a strong comeback. Whitsett won his opening match 2-up over Theodore Lederhausen of Hinsdale, Ill.

Girls Update: Lim Ousts Medalist Zhang

Tiffany Lim slayed the No. 1 seed Nicole Zhang.

Tiffany Lim of San Jose, Calif., kicked off match play with the biggest upset of the day, as she defeated the No. 1 seed Nicole Zhang of Calgary, Alberta, 4 and 3. Lim made two birdies on the front nine of her match to take a 3-up lead at the turn, then parred her way through the back nine until she closed out Zhang on the 15th hole. Lim's day doesn't get any easier, as she meets first-team Rolex Junior All-American Alison Lee of Valencia, Calif., in the second round.

In one of the morning's most anticipated matches, Lee defeated another Rolex first-teamer Ani Gulugian of Irvine, Calif., in 20 holes. After a close battle through 18 holes, Lee birdied the second hole of sudden death to claim the victory.

Another match between Rolex Junior All-America First Team members saw Alexis Thompson of Coral Springs, Calif., cruise past Cindy Feng of Orlando, Fla., by a score of 6 and 4. Thompson shot 3-under through 14 holes to advance.

In other matches: Rolex Junior Player of the Year Victoria Tanco of Bradenton, Fla., advanced with a 6-and-5 victory over Kyle Roig of Pembroke Pines, Calif. Austin Ernst of Seneca, S.C., awaits after winning 5 and 4 over Gabriella Then of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Second-seeded Jessica Korda of Bradenton, Fla., was defeated in 19 holes by Kristen Park of Buena Park, Calif.

Matches Resume After Storm Delay

Following a two hour and 16 minute delay, first-round matches have resumed. Play was stopped at 9:14 a.m. and resumed at 11:30. The forecast looks good for the remainder of the day as the AJGA attempts to complete the first two rounds of matches.

Storms Interrupt Morning Matches
Among top seeds, Thompson and Grillo take early leads, while Zhang, Korda trail

Simin Feng and Stephen Behr Jr., dry their clubs as they wait out the storm in the clubhouse.

A morning rain turned into a downpour early in the first round of match play Wednesday. Players soldiered through the heavy rains, but when lightning moved into the area, play came to a halt at 9:14 a.m. Resumption of play will not come before 11:15 a.m., as the AJGA continues to monitor the radar. Stay tuned for additional details.

The top two boys' seeds - Curtis Thompson and Emiliano Grillo - were leading their matches by one hole when play was interrupted.

The girls were a different story, as the top two seeds - Nicole Zhang and Jessica Korda - were two holes down in the early going.

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

Follow the matches via FootJoy Live Scoring when play resumes.

 

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