KIM BOOMS WAY TO FIRST AJGA WIN
Schulte also records first AJGA championship at Colonial

JACKSON, Miss. - Sihwan Kim of La Mirada, Calif., fired a 3-under-par 69 to streak away from the field Thursday to win his first AJGA title at the AJGA Nike Golf Junior All-Star Classic at Colonial presented by the Mississippi Farm Bureau. Kim's three-day total of 7-under-par 209 was four strokes better than the field.

Alexandrea Schulte of Broken Arrow, Okla., began the final round of the Girls Division in a tie for the lead, but her three-day total of 12-over-par 228 was good enough for her first AJGA title.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the Nike Golf Junior All-Star Classic at Colonial presented by the Mississippi Farm Bureau consisted of 82 players from 26 states. The tournament was contested at Colonial Country Club's Jackson Course, which played to 6,578 yards for the boys and 5,790 yards for the girls.

Kim, who finished second in Tuesday's Nike Long Drive Contest, often found himself in prime scoring spots because of his booming drives. His power allowed him to birdie all four par-5s on the course.

"I feel great," Kim said. "Everything was going in. I stuck almost everything. My shot was great"

Kim wasn't bad on the other holes, either. His second birdie of the day, which came on the par-4 third, brought him to 1-under-par on the day. Kim added another birdie on the 405-yard sixth; as a result, he fired a 3-under-par 33 on the front nine.

Kim did bogey the tough 11th hole as well as the 17th but answered each with birdies on the two par-5s on the back. He finished with an even-par 36 on the back nine.

Kim, who seemingly never left the practice putting surface, said the victory would give him a good deal of confidence for future events.

"I cannot express how I feel," Kim said.

Kevin O'Connell of Raleigh, N.C., and Heejoo Son of Carson, Calif., brought their 'A' games to the final round as well. Despite starting the day five and three shots off the pace, respectively, O'Connell and Son vaulted into second place with three-day totals of 213. O'Connell shot a 4-under-par 68, and Son carded a 2-under-par 70.

Raj Nahal of Longwood, Fla., and Paul Haley of Dallas, ended the tournament in a tie for fourth with three-day totals of 214. Nahal turned in a 2-under-par 70 while Haley shot an even-par 72.

Luke Symons of Albuquerque, N.M., started early and turned in the best round of the day. His 6-under-par 66 was the low final round by two strokes.

In the Girls Division, consistency was the name of the game for Schulte as she was able to prevent any major mistakes. Although she recorded a 2-over-par 38 on the front nine, she recorded a four on holes No. 2 through No. 8. Included in that stretch was a birdie at the 470-yard fifth.

"It's a great feeling (to win) because AJGA is the best of the best," Schulte said. "Now I feel I'm able to do it, I'm able to win tournaments in AJGA. There's no doubt in my mind."

Schulte's steady play lasted through the back-nine as she collected five pars en route to a 4-over-par 40. Brittany Nelson, of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., who fired a 5-over-par 77, and Ashley Lance, of Franklin, Tenn., who shot a 7-over-par 79, tied for second place. They finished with a three-day total of 16-over-par 232.

Shannon Fish of Spring, Texas, and Elizabeth Wells of Hampton, Ark., both fired a final-round 4-over-par 76 to claim the low final-round honors.

For more information on the AJGA Nike Golf Junior All-Star Classic at Colonial presented by Mississippi Farm Bureau, or any other AJGA event, please contact AJGA national headquarters at (877) 373-2542.