TODD JUMPS TO TOP OF LEADERBOARD, HARMAN IN FAMILIAR POSITION
Dotson and Park share 36-hole lead in Girls Division

BRASELTON, Ga. - On the heels of a 2-under-par 70 on the Legends Course at Chateau Elan Resort on Wednesday, Brendon Todd of Cary, N.C., was able to claim a one-shot lead after two rounds of the AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions.

In the Girls Division, first-round leader Elizabeth Dotson of White Bluff, Tenn., struggled along with the rest of the girls field, but managed to hold on to a share of the 36-hole lead after carding a 4-over-par 76. In-Bee Park of Eustis, Fla., who entered the second round one shot behind Dotson, carded a 3-over-par 75 in the difficult conditions on The Legends to claim her piece of the first-place pie.

The 72-hole stroke play event, conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, featured 169 juniors during the first two rounds, including 51 Polo Golf Junior All-Americans, ages 13-18, from 33 states and four foreign countries. The event is being held at Chateau Elan Resort on The Legends and Chateau Courses. Play took place on The Legends and Chateau Courses Tuesday and Wednesday before the field was cut to 61 boys and 21 girls. The final two rounds will be contested at The Legends on Thursday and Friday.

The AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions is the longest-running event on the AJGA schedule, now going into its 26th year. Past champions of the event include David Duval, Charles Howell III, Phil Mickelson, Beth Bauer and Grace Park.

In the Boys Division, Todd fired his second consecutive 2-under-par round after carding a 70 on The Legends Wednesday. Todd collected five birdies during his run to the top of the leaderboard. Todd's two-day total of 4-under-par 139 was good enough for a one-shot lead.

"I think if I go out there and play my game (Thursday) and hit some more fairways, I'll get some momentum going early in the round," Todd said. "Tomorrow is moving day, the third round. I love that round. I'm going to go out there, play aggressive, and try to take it deep."

Lurking just behind Todd is Brian Harman of Savannah, Ga., who is looking to claim his third AJGA major title of the year. Harman's even-par 71 on the Chateau Course earned him sole possession of second place.

Three players are in a tie for third just two shots behind Todd, including Daniel Im of La Habra, Calif., and first-round co-leaders Kevin Shultz of Richardson, Texas, and Martin Ureta of Santiago, Chile.

Low scores were hard to come by in the Girls Division Wednesday as difficult hole locations proved to make for a tough day on The Legends, which played to a stroke average of 80.09, more than eight shots over par.

Dotson, who began her round on the back nine, was only able to make one birdie as opposed to five bogeys en route to her second-round 76. Dotson shares the 36-hole lead at 2-over-par 145.

"My driver wasn't doing well," Dotson said after the round.

However, Dotson noted that her short game kept her afloat on Wednesday.

Park was solid on her first nine holes of the day, carding an even-par 36. However, three bogeys in the final five holes on the back nine prevented her from claiming sole possession of the lead. Park's 75 also earned her a two-day total of 145.

"(In-Bee) thought she had to make up for her mistakes (from earlier), but it turns out she didn't have to today," said Charlie Yoo, Park's coach.

Three players are deadlocked in a tie for third place, three shots behind the leaders, including Blair Lamb of Flat Rock, N.C., Taylor Leon of Dallas, and Lacey Jones of Idabel, Okla., all of who are tied at 5-over-par 148.

Pertaining to the rest of the tournament, Dotson summed it up the best.

"I don't know. It's going to be close."

Third-round tee times will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday off the first and 10th tees of The Legends and conclude at 9:27 a.m. For more information on the Rolex Tournament of Champions, call tournament headquarters at (678) 714-2560.