McDaniel leads by four at the Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior
Sharpe sits atop Girls Division with two-stroke lead at Bellefonte Country Club

ASHLAND, Ky. — Tyler McDaniel of Manchester, Ky., shot a 4-under-par 66 in Wednesday's first round of the Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior at the Bellefonte Country Club, taking the lead in the Boys Division. Becky Sharpe of Williamsburg, Ky., carded a 2-under-par 68 to jump ahead in the Girls Division in the tournament's 28th year at Bellefonte Country Club.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior is a 54-hole stroke play event held at Bellefonte Country Club. The field features 144 competitors, 108 boys and 36 girls, ages 12-18, from 22 states and seven foreign countries. The par-70 course is being played at 6,002 yards for the Boys Division and 5,603 yards for the Girls Division.

McDaniel, who just recently earned medalist honors at the Evitt Foundation RTC Junior All-Star in Ringgold, Ga., drove the green on No. 11 in Ashland, Ky., carding a birdie and propelling momentum throughout the rest of his round.

“Everything was working really well for me out there, I didn't hit very many drivers today, but when I did they were in the fairway and well struck,” McDaniel said.

McDaniel's calm and relaxed attitude was credited for his success during his first round.

“I didn't really struggle that much out there today, I didn't have to scramble.”

Hager Collins of Lexington, Ky., sits in second place after shooting a 2-under-par 68. Tied for third is Haoyuan Lu of Bradenton, Fla., Fred Allen Meyer of Nicholasville, Ky., and Ben Fister of Lexington, Ky., all carding 1-under-par 69's before showers delayed afternoon play.

Sharpe contributes her strong putting and four birdies on the front nine to her 2-under-par first round score.

“I haven't been putting well all week and for some reason it just came together today, which is good timing because this is my first AJGA tournament so it is really exciting,” Sharpe said.

Returning champion Emma Talley of Princeton, Ky., sits in second after carding a 1-under-par 69. Hannah Sublett of South Shore, Ky., finished her first round with a 2-over-par 72, placing her in third.

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.

Titleist, the AJGA's National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association's success since 1989. Rolex, 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 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.

The second round of the Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior will tee off Nos. 1 and 10 tees 7:30 - 9:09 a.m for the 1st wave and 11:45 a.m. — 1:24 p.m. for the 2nd wave. For more information, please contact Tournament Director Greg Sanfilippo at (678)936-0163