VARGAS FIRES 6-UNDER 66 TO TAKE THE LEAD IN THE BOYS DIVISION
Kim and Lincicome in control of the Girls Division with a 4-under-par 68

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - James Vargas of Miami lit up the Magnolia Course for a 6-under-par 66 in the first round to take the lead of the Boys Division at the AJGA Polo Golf Junior Classic Tuesday. In the Girls Division, Christina Kim of San Jose, Calif., and Brittany Lincicome of Pinellas Park, Fla., were the leaders in the clubhouse after firing 4-under-par 68's on the Palm Course.
The invitation-only event, which kicks off the 2002 AJGA season, features 169 juniors from 22 states and five foreign countries. Seventy-two juniors from the 2001 Polo Golf Junior All-America teams are competing in the event, which consists of 36-holes of stroke play with a cut to 32 boys and 32 girls for match play.
Stroke play and the first round of matches will be held on Walt Disney World Resort's Palm and Magnolia Courses. The Magnolia Course, which hosts the final two rounds of the PGA TOUR'S National Car Rental Golf Classic, takes over as the tournament's sole layout once the second round of matches begin.
After beginning the day two hours late due to a fog delay, 47 juniors were able to shoot par or better.
Vargas, a first-team Polo Golf Junior All-American, carded birdies on four of his first five holes to jump-start his round. He finished the day with two more birdies on his back nine and hit 11 greens in regulation, while getting up-and-down seven times.
"My round was kind of weird," the 17-year-old said. "I got off to a good start and just hung on the rest of the round. I struggled with my driver but I was able to get up-and-down. The key today was my short game. I am pleased with my score. I had a solid round.
"Tomorrow I am going to come out with the same game plan. This is not a stroke-play tournament and I have learned that I just need to come out and make the cut," the University of Florida signee said.
One-shot off the pace are Ryan Posey of Dallas and Lenny Park of Rowland Heights, Calif., at 5-under-par 67. Daniel Kush of Tustin, Calif., fired a 4-under-par 68, while Jeff Bell of Plano, Texas, and Jessie Mudd of Louisville, Ky., carded 3-under-par 69's.
In the Girls Division, Kim finished the day with five birdies and a bogey, only missing two greens all day.
"My iron play was getting better," Kim, 17, said. "I have struggled lately but the (fog) delay this morning helped me prepare. I didn't have to rush.
"I don't know what to expect tomorrow. I hope I can maintain my feel with the putter and that my iron play will carry over."
Lincicome, a second-team Polo Golf Junior All-American, carded six birdies and two bogeys to share the lead.
"I feel good about my round today," the 16-year-old said. "I was hitting good iron shots and my putting was on. I hit the fairway everytime, and the only thing I struggled with was my chipping. Overall, it was a consistent round and we (my playing partners and I) had fun. My two bogeys really did not hurt me.
"Tomorrow I just need to keep the same game plan. My goal coming in was to make the cut and I am trying not to get ahead of myself. Last year I was top eight and this year I would like to make the top four. I just hope it is easier than last year."
Naree Song Wongluekiet of Bradenton, Fla., the 1999 AJGA Polo Golf Junior Classic champion, is in sole possession of second place after a 3-under-par 69. Two shots back at 2-under-par 70 are Elena Kurokawa of Redondo Beach, Calif.; Mallory Hetzel of Summerville, S.C.; Brittany Lang of McKinney, Texas; Cindy Shin of Coppell, Texas; Violeta Retamoza of Aguascalientes, Mexico; and Sunny Oh of Torrance, Calif.
Second round action will take place Tuesday with tee times running from 7:30 to 9:36 off the No. 1 and 10 tees of both the Palm and Magnolia Courses.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- First-round results from the AJGA POLO GOLF JUNIOR CLASSIC conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at Walt Disney World Resort, Palm and Magnolia Courses. Par: 36-36--72. Yardage: Boys Magnolia: 7,009 Boys Palm: 6,884 Girls: 6,021

BOYS DIVISION-Magnolia Course

James Vargas (2002) Miami, Fla.* 34-32--66
Ryan Posey (2002) Dallas, Texas* 34-33--67
#Lenny Park (2002) Rowland Heights, Calif.* 37-30-67
Daniel Kush (2002) Tustin, Calif.* 34-34--68
Jeff Bell (2002) Plano, Texas* 37-32--69
Jessie Mudd (2003) Louisville, Ky.* 35-34--69
#Miguel Ordonez (2002) Bradenton, Fla.* 36-34-70
Ryan Sypniewski (2003) Radford, Va.* 37-33--70
Matt Every (2002) Daytona Beach, Fla.* 35-35--70
Shaun Goodwin (2001) Spring, Texas* 37-33--70
Pansing Singhaseni (2002) Beverly Hills, Calif.* 34-36--70
Tyler Leon (2003) Dallas, Texas* 34-36--70
Colby Beckstrom (2002) North Muskegon, Mich.* 35-35--70
Taylor Hall (2004) Lagrange, Ga.* 35-35--70
#Brodie Flanders (2001) Vancouver, British Columbia* 36-35-71
Niklas Lemke (2003) Linkoping, Sweden* 34-37--71
Matthew Rosenfeld (2002) Plano, Texas* 36-35--71
Chanin Puntawong (2006) Bradenton, Fla.* 36-35--71
#Anthony Kim (2003) La Quinta, Calif.* 33-39-72
Will Armstrong (2002) Austin, Texas* 35-37--72
Ryan Blaum (2002) Coral Gables, Fla.* 35-37--72
#Jeremy Alcorn (2003) Brownwood, Texas* 37-35-72
#Andrew Dresser (2002) Carrollton, Texas* 37-35--72
Spencer Levin (2002) Elk Grove, Calif.* 37-35--72
#Zack Miller (2003) San Rafael, Calif.* 37-35--72
Kyle Metzler (2002) Rancho Murieta, Calif.* 37-35--72
Derek Smith (2003) Elk City, Okla.* 38-34--72
Daniel Im (2004) La Mirada, Calif.* 37-35--72
Nathan Smith (2002) Soquel, Calif.* 36-36--72
Robert Stone (2002) Dallas, Texas* 37-35--72
#Pete Pennington (2002) Granbury, Texas* 37-36--73
Kevin Larsen (2003) Santa Barbara, Calif.* 37-36--73
Jonathan Moore (2004) Portland, Ore.* 38-35--73
Henry Liaw (2003) Rowland Heights, Calif.* 37-36--73
#Kevin Kisner (2002) Aiken, S.C.* 34-39--73
Sean Szerencsits (2002) Coplay, Pa.* 35-38--73
Benjamin Spitz (2002) Norwell, Mass.* 36-37--73
Luke List (2003) Ringgold, Ga.* 37-36--73
Brian Fitzpatrick (2001) Harrison, N.Y.* 39-34--73
Grigory Bondarenko (2001) Moscow, Russia* 34-39--73
Trey Todd (2003) Abilene, Texas* 38-35--73
Hector Diaz-Ceballos (2003) Bradenton, Fla.* 39-35--74
#Brian Edick (2002) Valencia, Calif.* 37-37--74
Ryan Keeney (2002) Redmond, Wash.* 35-39--74
Joe Shirley (2003) Marietta, Ga.* 39-35--74
#Matthew Richardson () Middlesex, England* 37-37--74
#Blake Moore (2002) Monrovia, Calif.* 35-39--74
Tyler Ley (2002) Santa Barbara, Calif.* 34-40--74
Anthony Keenan, Lancashire, England* 38-36--74
Shane Sigsbee (2003) McKinney, Texas* 37-37--74
Jason Louth (2002) Victoria, Texas* 36-38--74
Will Dodson (2002) Tulsa, Okla.* 38-36--74
Kevin Silva (2002) New Bedford, Mass.* 37-37--74
Mike Calkin (2002) St. Charles, Ill.* 36-38--74
Michael Unger (2002) Edmond, Okla.* 36-38--74
Patrick Ericson (2002) Langley, British Columbia* 37-37--74
Evan O'Donnell (2002) Palestine, Texas* 37-37--74
Joseph Kim (2003) Laguna Niguel, Calif.* 34-40--74
Jonathan Taruc (2003) Las Vegas, Nev.* 38-37--75
Blaine Peffley (2002) Lebanon, Pa.* 38-37--75
Marco Poccia (2002) Saratoga Springs, N.Y.* 39-36--75
Mike Rim (2002) Lakewood, Calif.* 36-39--75
Chris Kirk (2003) Woodstock, Ga.* 37-38--75
Brad Tilley (2002) Chappaqua, N.Y.* 37-38--75
Brandon Destefano (2003) Bryan, Texas* 38-37--75
Chris Myers (2002) Gulf Breeze, Fla.* 37-38--75
Erik Olson (2002) Renton, Wash.* 36-39--75
Webb Simpson (2004) Raleigh, N.C.* 38-37--75
#Cody Chance (2002) Lumberton, Texas* 35-41--76
#Tarik Can (2004) New York, N.Y.* 37-39--76
#Joseph Sykora (2003) Daphne, Ala.* 38-38--76
Brendon Todd (2003) Cary, N.C.* 40-36--76
#Andrew Parr (2002) London, Ontario* 37-39--76
Dan Gabel (2002) Poughkeepsie, N.Y.* 35-41--76
Butler Melnyk (2001) Jacksonville, Fla.* 37-39--76
Scott MacDonald (2002) Playa Del Rey, Calif.* 36-40--76
Alex Wilson (2002) Coral Gables, Fla.* 34-42--76
Jace Strandberg (2003) Greensboro, N.C.* 40-36--76
Kellen Altman (2002) Myrtle Beach, S.C.* 40-37--77
Craig Trahan (2001) Marrero, La.* 39-38--77
Ben Goforth (2003) Shelby, N.C.* 38-39--77
Phillip Telliard (2003) Riverside, Calif.* 36-41--77
Roberto Castro (2003) Alpharetta, Ga.* 39-38--77
Joshua Wooding (2003) Riverside, Calif.* 38-39--77
Joel Kraner (2002) Dublin, Ohio* 39-39--78
Zack Amole (2002) Denver, Pa.* 37-41--78
Ted Smith (2002) Westlake, Ohio* 40-38--78
Randy Lowry (2005) Spring, Texas* 41-37--78
Joe Green (2002) Jacksonville, Fla.* 40-38--78
Chris Elliott (2002) Plano, Texas* 36-42--78
Ryan Anderson (2002) Greeley, Colo.* 39-39--78
#Jim Renner (2002) Plainville, Mass.* 39-40--79
James Dickey (2003) Pembroke Pines, Fla.* 41-38--79
#Mitch Carlson (2002) Las Vegas, Nev.* 39-40--79
Jason Woyak (2003) Pace, Fla.* 40-39--79
Neno Boonyaplanun (2003) Irvine, Calif.* 40-39--79
Zack Reeves (2003) Arlington, Texas* 41-38--79
Cale Barr (2003) Versailles, Ky.* 37-43--80
Marty Melcher (2003) Redlands, Calif.* 39-41--80
Max Harres (2003) Belleville, Ill.* 42-38--80
Andy Pope (2002) Glen Ellyn, Ill.* 40-41--81
Robert Svensson (2002) Mjolby, Sweden* 42-40--82
Casey Wittenberg (2003) Memphis, Tenn.* WD-Injury

#Palm Course

GIRLS DIVISION-Palm Course

Brittany Lincicome (2004) Pinellas Park, Fla.* 34-34--68
Christina Kim (2002) San Jose, Calif.* 33-35--68
Naree Song Wongluekiet (2003) Bradenton, Fla.* 35-34--69
Elena Kurokawa (2002) Redondo Beach, Calif.* 35-35--70
Mallory Hetzel (2005) Summerville, S.C.* 33-37--70
Brittany Lang (2003) McKinney, Texas* 34-36--70
Cindy Shin (2003) Coppell, Texas* 35-35--70
Violeta Retamoza (2002) Aguascalientes, Mexico* 36-34--70
Sunny Oh (2002) Torrance, Calif.* 36-34--70
Mallory Code (2003) Tampa, Fla.* 34-37--71
Aree Song Wongluekiet (2003) Bradenton, Fla.* 38-33--71
Christine Fernandez (2002) Henderson, Nev.* 35-36--71
Irene Cho (2002) La Habra, Calif.* 35-36--71
Anna Grzebien (2003) Narragansett, R.I.* 37-35--72
Whitney Welch (2002) Las Vegas, Nev.* 37-35--72
Kelly Froelich (2003) Wesley Chapel, Fla.* 38-34--72
Allison Martin (2003) Bakersfield, Calif.* 35-37--72
Elizabeth Janangelo (2002) West Hartford, Conn.* 38-35--73
Paula Creamer (2005) Pleasanton, Calif.* 36-37--73
Aimee Cho (2002) Orlando, Fla.* 36-37--73
Erica Battle (2002) Columbia, S.C.* 36-37--73
Dana Je (2003) Orlando, Fla.* 37-37--74
Alejandra Diaz (2003) Mexico City, Mexico* 37-37--74
Courtney Mahon (2002) Topeka, Kan.* 38-36--74
Kelly Husted (2002) Sarasota, Fla.* 38-36--74
Morgan Pressel (2006) Boca Raton, Fla.* 36-39--75
Kristen Svicarovich (2003) Hillsboro, Ore.* 38-37--75
Hannah Jun (2003) San Diego, Calif.* 38-37--75
Lauren Todd (2003) Phoenix, Ariz.* 37-38--75
Ashley Knoll (2003) The Woodlands, Texas* 37-38--75
Connor Atkinson (2002) Charleston, S.C.* 36-39--75
Stephanie Lue (2002) Houston, Texas* 38-37--75
Whitney Wade (2003) Glasgow, Ky.* 36-39--75
Kristina Rothengatter, Ruesselsheim, Germany* 37-38--75
Lorraine Ballerano (2002) Myrtle Beach, S.C.* 37-38--75
Beth Marushak (2002) Northampton, Pa.* 37-39--76
Alexis Rather (2003) Tupelo, Miss.* 40-36--76
Seema Sadekar (2003) Bradenton, Fla.* 39-37--76
Nicole Hage (2003) Coral Springs, Fla.* 37-39--76
Amanda Mathis (2003) Picayune, Miss.* 38-38--76
Alissa Kuczka (2002) Phoenix, Ariz.* 36-40--76
Jane Lee (2004) Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.* 38-38--76
Alice Kim (2003) Los Angeles, Calif.* 40-37--77
Courtney Jones (2002) Lake Quivira, Kan.* 38-39--77
Louise Stahle (2004) Lund, Sweden* 39-38--77
Jackie Beers (2002) Midlothian, Va.* 38-39--77
Jennifer Pandolfi (2004) Navarre, Fla.* 37-40--77
Amber Prange (2003) Noblesville, Ind.* 39-38--77
Chris Brady (2003) Apex, N.C.* 39-38--77
Erin Andrews (2002) Las Vegas, Nev.* 40-38--78
Amy Schmucker (2002) Cold Spring, Minn.* 40-38--78
Devan Andersen (2002) Guadalajara, Mexico* 39-39--78
Alyssa Otero (2003) Santa Fe, N.M.* 40-38--78
Taylor Leon (2005) Dallas, Texas* 40-38--78
Therese Nilsson (2005) Vellinge, Sweden* 40-39--79
Jessica Castle (2003) Plantation, Fla.* 39-40--79
Emma Stachowicz (2002) Pacific Palisades, Calif.* 41-38--79
Seiko Onoue (2002) La Habra, Calif.* 39-41--80
Ouliana Rotmistrova (2001) Moscow, Russia* 39-41--80
Jenny Suh (2003) Fairfax, Va.* 39-41--80
Jennie Lee (2005) Huntington Beach, Calif.* 37-44--81
Whitney Myers (2004) East Berlin, Pa.* 41-40--81
Sukjin Lee (2005) Toms River, N.J.* 43-40--83
Sarah O'Neill (2002) Potomac, Md.* 41-42--83
Laura Caniff (2004) Russell, Ky.* 44-40--84
Ali Kicklighter (2002) Deland, Fla.* 44-41--85
Lisa Tyler (2002) Lighthouse Point, Fla.* WD-Injury