|
AJGA OSSO JUNIOR AT OAK TREE
Oak Tree Country Club, East Course
Edmond, Okla.
June 24-27, 2002
LOWEST SCORE BELONGS TO
BEST AT OAK TREE
Brown enjoys one-shot lead over Rollins, Shin in Girls
Division
EDMOND, Okla. -Matt
Best of Pauls Valley, Okla., was the best during the first
round of the AJGA OSSO Junior at Oak Tree with a 2-under 68
on Tuesday. The 17-year-old was one of only two players out
of the 114 boys competing to score under par at the 6,942-yard,
par-70 Oak Tree Country Club, East Course. In the Girls Division,
Stacy Brown of The Woodlands, Texas, recorded a 1-over 71
to claim a one-shot lead.
The 54-hole event, conducted by the American Junior Golf Association,
features 144 players hailing from 18 states and includes 49
Oklahoma natives and 46 juniors from Texas. The tournament
is one of the largest of the year on the AJGA circuit. Past
champions of the event include PGA TOUR players Brian Watts,
Bob Estes and LPGA TOUR player Kelle Booth, who claimed the
1991 title.
Best (35-33--68) used an accurate putter to tame the quick,
undulating greens of the East Course. He carded four birdies
during his round, but it was his birdie on the 178-yard, par-3
eighth hole that really got him going. He had just recorded
a double-bogey on No. 7 and proceeded to leave his 8-iron
35 feet from the hole on No. 8. Best then showed some grit
and drilled home the lengthy putt to get back to 1-under.
"After I made that long putt I really couldn't miss,"
Best said. "It started clicking today. This course is
set up pretty tough. It is hard to find a straight putt."
Best notched back-to-back birdies on Nos. 12 and 13 and then
played par golf to finish. He said he benefited from his early
morning tee time, but the story of his round was not the calm
morning conditions, as so much it was his solid putting.
"It was nice this morning and the wind wasn't blowing
hard," Best said. "I knew around par would be a
good score on this course and the key to it was putting. I
am very happy."
Andrew Dresser of Carrollton, Texas, posted a 1-under 69 to
sit alone in second place. Cameron Bishop of Tulsa, Okla.,
and Bryan Vahlberg of Norman, Okla., are tied for third at
70. Soo Kyo Ahn of Tacoma, Wash., Erik Olson of Renton, Wash.,
and Martin Ureta of Wesley Chapel, Fla., round out the top
five with 71s.
In the Girls Division, 17-year-old Stacy Brown (34-37--71),
played consistent golf and avoided serious trouble to lead
by one. Brown, who finished a career-best fourth two weeks
ago at the AJGA Golfweek Chicago Junior, mixed two birdies
with three bogies to finish 1-over.
"I feel good about my round," Brown said. "I
put myself in position for the second round and gained some
confidence along the way. I picked up some good momentum in
Chicago and brought it here."
She said her success came from keeping the ball in play and
strong putting.
"I drove it really well and did not get myself in too
much trouble," she said. "And when I found trouble
I was able to put some long putts close for tap-in pars."
Trailing Brown by one is Ashley Rollins, of Austin, Texas,
and Cindy Shin, of Coppell, Texas.
Second-round action begins with the first wave of tee times
beginning at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 26 off the No. 1 and
10 tees at the Oak Tree Country Club, East Course. The second
wave gets underway at 12 p.m.
For more information on the AJGA OSSO Junior at Oak Tree,
contact our tournament headquarters at (405) 330-9545.
|
