Stimble Claims Two-Stroke Victory at Scissortail Junior Championship
Park Holds Three-Day Lead to Take Win at the Golf Club of Oklahoma

BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Donald Stimble of Shell Knob, Mo., made his final-round breakthrough and won the Boys Division with a 7-under-par 209 total at the Golf Club of Oklahoma. Kaitlin Park of Tustin Ranch, Calif., maintained her three-day lead to win the Girls Division at the Scissortail Junior Championship, finishing at 221.

The Scissortail Junior Championship was a 54-hole stroke play tournament conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at the Golf Club of Oklahoma in Broken Arrow, Okla. The tournament field featured 99 boys and girls ages 12-18 from 15 states and Canada. The Boys Division played the par-72 course at 6,928 yards while the Girls Division played at 6,037 yards.

After falling just short of the lead in the first two rounds, Stimble's strategy for the final round was to have a solid start and take all opportunities for pars and birdies. Three birdies on the front nine gave Stimble leeway into the final nine holes, but a double on No. 16 and a bogey on No. 17 put him at even-par for the back nine.

“I had a few fluke mistakes and a bad break on No. 16,” Stimble said. “But I finished even-par so I just thought, ‘I'll take it.'”

Stimble is familiar to AJGA leaderboards with four top-five finishes, but wanted to take the win at this week's event.

“I've come close in the last three (events), so it feels good to finally pull it off.” Stimble said. “It puts me in a good position for next year being able to say I've done it before.”

Branson Davis of Mckinney, Texas placed second after posting a 2-under-par 70 in the final round to mark a 211 tournament total. Dylan McClure of Argyle, Texas finished in third at 217, while Taylor White of Dakota Dunes, S.D., and Michael Werenski of South Hadley, Mass., shared the fourth place spot, each posting 218 for a tournament total.

In the Girls Division, Park said nerves took a hold of her front nine, hurting her overall score with five bogies and putting her at 4-over-par 40 on the front side.

However, Park calmed the anxiety and felt her putting come back into play, posting a 1-under-par 35 on the back nine. Opening her back nine with a par, Park moved her focus to individual strokes, especially her putting.

“On No. 10 I hit my 9-iron a little too far but tapped my putt in for par,” Park said. “I knew I was finally getting my speed right and my feel for long putts, so I knew I would not let putting hurt my game.”

Jordan Lippetz of Bradenton, Fla., took the low final-round for the Girls Division at 2-under-par 70 and finished in second at 224. Christine Lin of Austin, Texas and Grace Choi of Dallas tied for third at 228.

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 30 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 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. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 400 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Stewart Cink, Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel.

For more information about the Scissortail Junior Championship contact AJGA National Headquarters at (770) 868-4200.