Jutanugarn claims first AJGA victory at Rolex Girls Junior Championship
Seventeen under par gives Jutanugarn lowest AJGA 72-hole score record

Byron, Minn. — Ariya Jutanugarn of Bangkok, Thailand broke the AJGA's Girls Division lowest 72-hole score record Friday, en route to her victory at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship by carding a 17-under-par 271 tournament total. Firing a 5-under-par 67 in the final round, Jutanugarn took the lead after beginning the day three strokes behind third-round leader Yu Lui of Beijing, China.

The Rolex Girls Junior Championship was a 72-hole stroke play event conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at Somerby Golf Club in Byron, Minn. The tournament field included 95 girls, ages 12-18, from 17 states, Puerto Rico, and seven foreign countries (Japan, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, the Philippines, Thailand and China). The course was played at 6,181 yards.

Not only is this Jutanugarn's first AJGA victory, but she also broke the record for the lowest 72-hole score for girls in an AJGA event. Jutanugarn started off the final round three strokes behind Liu, but a birdie on No. 10 gave her the lead, and she never looked back. In total, she made 21 birdies throughout the four-round tournament and came out confident today in hopes of winning her first AJGA event.

“I wanted to just keep going,” Jutanugarn said. “I always come out confident, and wanted to concentrate on how to make birdies.”

Liu tied for second place with Alison Lee of Valencia, Calif., both carding tournament totals of 13-under par 275. Jaye Marie Green of Boca Raton, Fla., finished with an 11-under-par 277 to take fourth place. Rounding out the top five was Moriya Jutanugarn of Bangkok, Thailand with a 7-under-par 281.

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 more than 40 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.

Rolex, which is in its third decade of support, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004. Along with sponsoring the Rolex Girls Junior Championship, Rolex is also the title partner of the Rolex Tournament of Champions and the proprietor of the Rolex Junior All-America Teams.

Titleist, the AJGA's National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association's success since 1989. 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 500 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Stewart Cink, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Inbee Park and Morgan Pressel.

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

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