SPRINT JUNIOR GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP HOSTED BY THE LAS VEGAS FOUNDERS
Boulder Creek Golf Club
Boulder City, Nevada
June 16-19, 2003

FLORES TAKES LEAD WITH COURSE RECORD AT BOULDER CREEK
Choe, Lee continue to top Girls Division

BOULDER CITY, Nev. - Erik Flores of Grass Valley, Calif., carded a 7-under-par 65 Wednesday and now leads the Boys Division of the Sprint Junior Golf Championship hosted by the Las Vegas Founders following the second-round. Flores' round of 65 set a new course record from the AJGA tournament yardage, formerly held by Jim Hadley. Esther Choe of La Quinta, Calif., and Polo Golf Junior All-American Jennie Lee of Huntington Beach, Calif., lead the Girls Division at even-par 144.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the 54-hole event is being held at the par-72 Boulder Creek Golf Club. The field features 84 players, ages 13-18, from eight states, including 12 Las Vegas-area residents.

Wednesday's round of 65 is Flores' career low round.

"I was hitting the ball pretty well today," commented Flores. "I played smart off the tees and converted most of my birdie attempts. Today I just stayed patient and let it happen."

The 16-year-old Flores' resume includes eight AJGA events and one victory at last season's Junior All-Star Classic at Cimarron in Cathedral City, Calif.

Erik Coover of Scottsdale, Ariz., carded four birdies compared to only 2 bogeys en route to a 2-under-par 70. Coover now stands in second place with a two-round total of 137.

"Today was definitely different than yesterday, but I still managed," remarked Coover, who shot a 5-under-par 67 on Tuesday and held the lead after the first-round. "I had a lot of good putts that didn't fall and I didn't take advantage of the par 5s. Thursday I need to play my own game and take it one shot at a time."

Ryan Block of Temecula, Calif., and Polo Golf Junior All-American Chad Wilcox of Peoria, Ariz., are currently tied for third.

Block shot a 2-under-par 70 while Wilcox shot a 1-under-par 71, bringing their two-round totals to 139. Brett Kanda of La Crescenta, Calif., and David McDaniel of Tucson, Ariz., each carded 72s, totaling 140 for the tournament and now stand tied for fifth place.

Choe and Lee carded rounds of 1-over-par 73 Wednesday to stay tied for the lead at even-par 144. Choe came in with four birdies for the round

"Today went okay," remarked the 13-year-old."I barely missed a lot of putts and sometimes my club selection was a little off because of the wind, but I hit my driver well and had an overall good round."

When asked about Thursday's final round, Choe remarked, "I am just going to play against the course, not any of my competitors."

Despite double bogeys on Nos. 9 and 10, Lee still managed to maintain her composure and finish strong.

"I had a lot of trouble with the wind," Lee said. "I started out really well, but then struggled when the wind picked up on my back nine. Luckily, I managed my holes well and saved a couple of pars. Hopefully it won't be as windy on Thursday and I'll play well."

Tiffany Joh of San Diego, Calif., and Jane Chin of Huntington Beach, Calif., are currently tied for third place with two-round totals of 149. Chin carded the low round of the day with an even-par 72.

The final round of the Sprint Junior Golf Championship hosted by the Las Vegas Founders begins Thursday with tee times starting at 7 a.m. off the Nos. 1 and 10 tee.

For more information on the Sprint Junior Golf Championship hosted by the Las Vegas Founders, please contact tournament headquarters at (702) 294-6534 or at ajga.org.

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