|
AJGA ASHWORTH POSTSEASON JUNIOR AT HAGERSTOWN
Black Rock Golf Course
Hagerstown, Maryland
September 20-22, 2002
DAVIS, ROTZ FIRE 68, TAKE LEAD GOING INTO
FINAL ROUND AT HAGERSTOWN
The two AJGA first-timers excited to set pace for the field
HAGERSTOWN, Md. - Brent Davis of Silver Spring, Md.,
and Clayton Rotz of Chambersburg, Pa., found the secret to
scoring on the back nine Saturday at Black Rock Golf Course
that helped them take the lead in the first round of the AJGA
Ashworth Postseason Junior at Hagerstown. The two shot 3-under-par
68 to take three-shot leads going into Sunday's final round.
The 36-hole event, conducted by the American Junior Golf Association,
is being held at the par-71 Black Rock Golf Course in Hagerstown,
Md. The boys-only tournament is one of eight tournaments in
the AJGA Ashworth Preseason/Postseason Junior Series, designed
to provide playing opportunities to juniors who have not yet
played in an AJGA event.
What set the tandem apart from the field was their back-nine
performance. Where most of the field struggled on their way
in, Davis and Rotz poured it on.
Davis hit 16 greens in regulation and made par on his first
13 holes on his way to a 35-33-68. His conservative play,
he said, helped him go on to birdie four holes on the back
side.
"I hit a lot of 2-irons off the tee today," Davis,
16, said. "I just played smart and tried to keep the
ball in play."
Rotz, just a freshman in high school, had an eagle on No.
3, a 479-yard par-5, and three consecutive birdies on the
back on 13, 14 and 15.
"I was just trying to hit the greens and two-putt,"
Rotz, 14, said. "I was making putts that normally don't
fall." His 60-foot birdie putt on No. 13 convinced him
of this.
He went low differently than Davis, however. Rotz credits
his aggressive play in his 33-35-68 performance.
"I'm not a long player, so I was hitting driver on every
hole," he said of his career-low competitive round. "The
only difference is that I was pretty straight. I'm going to
come out tomorrow and do the same thing."
Both players are in the unique position of not only playing
in their first AJGA event, but also leading going into the
final round, not always an easy burden to bare.
"I was a little nervous on the first tee," Davis
said. "But I'm more hyped for the exemptions into other
tournaments, and that is what I'm focused on."
The medalist of the event will receive three automatic entries
into AJGA events in 2003. The top-five finishers will receive
two automatic entries, while those who place in the top 15
will be automatically accepted into one AJGA tournament.
Rounding out the top-five are David Holzworth of Chapel Hill,
N.C., and Patrick Higgins of Phoenix, Md., at 71, and Matthew
Mattare of Bethlehem, Pa., and William Culp III of Charlotte,
N.C., at 72.
Final-round tee times will run from 7:30-9:36 a.m., off the
No. 1 and 10 tees Sunday.
For more information on the AJGA Ashworth Postseason Junior
at Hagerstown, please contact our tournament headquarters
at (240) 313-2816.
##AJGA##
|
