ROLEX TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
Sunriver Resort – Crosswater Course
Sunriver, Oregon
July 5-9, 2004
SALTZ AND LOVEMARK BUILD ONE-SHOT LEAD IN ROLEX TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
Pandolfi opens two-shot lead in the Girls Division
SUNRIVER, Ore. – Dan Saltz of Scottsdale, Ariz., fired a 5-under-par 67 to pull into a first-place tie with Jamie Lovemark of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., after the second round of the 27th Rolex Tournament of Champions.
In the Girls Division, Jennifer Pandolfi of Navarre, Fla., shot a 1-over-par 73 but remains at 1-under-par for the championship. She leads Morgan Pressel of Boca Raton, Fla., by two shots entering the third round.
The Rolex Tournament of Champions is a 72-hole stroke play event conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at Sunriver Resort – Crosswater Course. The field was cut after two days to the low 57 boys and 21 girls, including ties. The tournament features 150 players, ages 12-18, from 32 states and seven foreign countries, including Canada, China, Chile, Japan, Mexico, Paraguay and South Africa.
The 2004 Rolex Tournament of Champions features 49 Rolex Junior All-Americans, and past champions include the likes of Phil Mickelson, Charles Howell III, David Gossett, Grace Park and Beth Bauer.
Fifty-nine players made the cut in the Boys Division, which fell at 5-over-par 149. Leading the field were Saltz and Lovemark, who managed to post sub-par rounds despite a blustery Crosswater Course.
“I finally figured some things out today and played much better,” said Saltz, who birdied two of his first three holes. “I was really working on my tempo, especially in the wind.
“So much can go wrong on this golf course, staying relaxed helps a lot.”
Lovemark finished third last week at the Lennar Junior at Mission Hills, and said that performance gave his confidence a boost heading into the Rolex Tournament of Champions.
“I’ve just been playing well lately,” he said. “I played well during my high school season, and last week was my first tournament this summer. Right now everything just feels good.”
Erik Flores of Grass Valley, Calif., shot a 5-under-par 67 and leads a group of five players one stroke off the lead. Also at 3-under-par 141 are David May of Auburn, N.Y., Webb Simpson of Raleigh, N.C., Nicholas Park of Ithaca, N.Y., and Tom Glissmeyer of Colorado Springs, Colo.
Pandolfi, who was tied for the lead in the Girls Division after the first day, struggled early. But the future Duke Blue Devil rattled off a 1-under-par second nine to extend her lead to two shots entering Thursday’s third round.
“I’ve never won an AJGA major and that’s one goal I have before I’m done,” Pandolfi said.
“I was really relaxed and not too aggressive – just trying to stay safe. That’s what is helping me the most on this golf course.”
Tied for third behind Pandolfi and Pressel are Sydney Burlison of Salinas, Calif., and Taylor Leon of Dallas. Both players are at 2-over-par 146.
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 largest association of its kind, the AJGA has a junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,000 junior golfers from 50 states and 30 foreign countries.
Titleist, the AJGA’s National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association’s success since 1989. Rolex Watch USA, a supporter of the AJGA since 1983, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004.
The third round of the Rolex Tournament of Champions will begin at 7 a.m. off the Nos. 1 and 10 tees at the Sunriver Resort’s Crosswater Course. For more information on the Rolex Tournament of Champions, please call tournament headquarters at (541) 593-3410.
