The AJGA’s 2006 Invitational schedule entered its second half in late July with the staging of the HP Boys Junior Championship and the McDonald’s Betsy Rawls Girls Championship. Like always, both events had their share of exciting moments and tough competition.

Rickie Fowler finished at 10-under-par at the HP Boys Junior Championship

The HP Boys Junior Championship celebrated its 20th anniversary at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge. Home of the PGA TOUR’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, the facility played host to its third HP Boys Junior Championship and once again proved to be a tremendous host.

Early in the tournament, it appeared that Clemson University-bound Kyle Stanley of Gig Harbor, Wash., was going to be nearly impossible to beat. Stanley won the 2005 version of the event by five shots, finishing the tournament at 12-under-par. In addition, he had just come off a victory at the Southern Amateur in Birmingham, Ala., the week before, a win which earned him an exemption into the 2007 Arnold Palmer Invitational.

After one round of play, it looked like a carbon copy of 2005. Stanley came out firing with a 6-under-par 66, earning a three-shot lead going into the second round.

Day two was a bit of a struggle for Stanley, however, as he carded a 74 to drop into a tie for first with FootJoy Boys Invitational champion and high-school teammate Andrew Yun of Tacoma, Wash. Other familiar names were lurking as well, including Rolex Junior Player of the Year Peter Uihlein of Bradenton, Fla., in third and 2005 runner-up Josh Jones of The Colony, Texas, in fourth.

The third round was the stage for an impressive charge made by first-team Rolex Junior All-American Rickie Fowler of Murrieta, Calif. After playing his final five holes in 6-over-par in the second round, it appeared that the senior-to-be had played himself out of the tournament. However, five back-nine birdies led Fowler to a 35-31—66, enough to move into a tie for first with Uihlein heading into the final day. Stanley carded a 1-over-par 73 to fall two shots behind, but still in contention to become the first player to ever win the HP Boys Junior Championship twice.

Fowler picked up right where he left off in the third round, making birdie on four of the final five holes on the front nine. He would go on to card a 67 to finish the tournament at 10-under-par 278, enough for a four-shot victory.

"After the first two days of play, I knew I had to come in and put up some scores," Fowler said. "I was confident, I knew I could play this course."

Marika Lendl won her second AJGA tournament this year, the other came at the Ringgold Telephone Company Junior Classic.

Jones had an impressive final round, mustering a 68 to finish runner-up at Bay Hill for the second consecutive year. Defending champion Stanley finished five back, while Uihlein and Yun tied for fourth, eight shots off the pace.

Meanwhile, at the McDonald’s Betsy Rawls Girls Junior Championship, Marika Lendl of Bradenton, Fla., took home her first AJGA Invitational title after a 4-under-par 209 tournament total.

With the win, Marika became the second Lendl sister to win an AJGA Invitational in 2006. Her younger sister, Isabelle, won the Thunderbird International Junior in May.

U.S. Girls’ Junior runner-up Vicky Hurst of Melbourne, Fla., Lisa McCloskey of Montgomery, Texas, and Kristina Wong of Bradenton, Fla., all finished tied for second at even-par.

Lendl came into the final round locked in a three-way tie with Hurst and McCloskey after all three players recorded matching 70-71s in rounds one and two. Lendl began the final round with her lone bogey of the day, but turned it around with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 3 and 4 giving her a 1-under-par performance on the front nine.

Lendl continued to play consistently and made her way through the back nine looking only for pars. She continued her stellar play, recording birdies on Nos. 15 and 17 taking her to 4-under-par for the tournament. With the birdies, she pulled away from the field and was able to putt out on her last hole in comfort to secure the victory.

“I played really well the whole day today,” said Lendl. “After the birdie on No. 15, I really felt like I was in control. This is the biggest win I have ever had and to have Betsy Rawls' name on it is such an honor.”