Meade goes wire to wire at hometown tournament
Haylee Harford wins the Girls Division by one stroke at Bellefonte Country Club

ASHLAND, Ky. — Jeffrey Meade of Ashland, Ky., won his local tournament, the Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior, by one stroke Friday, holding off a surging Chandler Morgan of Lexington, Ky., in the process. In the Girls Division, Haylee Harford of Leavittsburg, Ohio, took the lead on the front nine and held on to claim a one-stroke victory.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior was a 54-hole stroke play competition played on the par-70, Bellefonte Country Club course. The event featured 108 boys and 36 girls, ages 12-18, from 24 states and two countries. The Boys Division played the course at 6,014 yards while the Girls Division played the course at 5,618 yards.

Meade traded birdies and bogeys all throughout the front nine, turning at an even-par 35. He birdied both the par-5 No. 10 and the par-4 No. 17. A bogey on the final hole of the tournament didn't set him back, however, and he clinched the Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior title, held on his home course.

“[Winning at Bellefonte] means everything,” Meade said. "I've dreamt about it since I started playing out here...being able to win it my last time around is really special to me, I'm going to remember it for the rest of my life.”

Morgan finished one stroke behind Meade, with a 2-under-par 208 for the tournament, while Fred Allen Meyer of Nicholasville, Ky., took third after finishing at 1-over-par 211.  Cole Berman of Rosemont, Pa., who qualified for the Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior via the TaylorMade-adidas Qualifier on June 11, finished fourth with a 2-over-par 212, while Billy Tom Sargent of Georgetown, Ky., rounded out the top five with a 4-over-par 214.

In the Girls Division, Harford eliminated a two-stroke deficit on the front nine, making the turn at even-par 35. She finished with a 14-over-par 224 for the tournament.

"It's my second year playing here and it feels good to come back and do much better than I did last year, Hartford said. "I've been practicing hard for this, so to win it is a great opportunity and experience."

Rounding out the Girls Division, Sarah Hasselman of Honolulu, Hawaii, took second place, carding an overall score of 15-over-par 225. Haley Mills of Tyler, Texas, and Katie Page of Louisville, Ky., tied for third with a 16-over-par 226.

About the AJGA

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 5,500 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, 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 Natural Resource Partner Bluegrass Junior, please contact AJGA Headquarters at (770) 868-4200.

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