AJGA ROBERT TRENT JONES GOLF TRAIL JUNIOR CLASSIC
Magnolia Grove Golf Club, Falls and Crossings Courses
Mobile, Alabama
August 29-September 2, 2002

ANDERSON BUILDS MOMENTUM WITH 5-UNDER-PAR 67
Creamer leads Girls Division by one after opening round

MOBILE, Ala. - Chris Anderson of Lake Mary, Fla., finally put together the round he was looking for all summer and he could not have picked a better time to do so. He notched seven birdies on the day as he opened up a two-stroke lead after the opening round at the AJGA Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Junior Classic. In the Girls Division, Paula Creamer of Pleasanton, Calif., began her final push for a spot on the Polo Golf Junior All-America Team with a 1-over-par 73 to lead the field by one.

The 54-hole tournament, conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, features 165 players representing 24 states, Singapore and Mexico. Fifteen participants call Alabama home. The event is being held at the par-72 Magnolia Grove Golf Club, Falls and Crossings Courses. Past champions include PGA TOUR players Ty Tryon (2000) and David Gossett (1994) and LPGA tour player Beth Bauer (1995 and 1996).

Anderson (34-33-67), frustrated this summer with inconsistent play, put together a solid round in front of a stellar field to claim the first-round lead.

"I had a couple of good rounds this summer, but overall did not play as well as I would have liked to," Anderson said. "It feels really good to finish a round. I got in trouble with a bogey on No. 16 but birdied No. 17 to save myself."

His seven birdies enabled him to score, but it was Anderson's ability to save par that helped him walk away with the opening-round lead.

"The saves I made were huge," Anderson said, who tied the tournament course record. "I have to keep playing my game over the weekend and hopefully on Monday I will be holding the trophy."

After bogeying the first hole, Anderson rallied with six birdies on his next 13 holes as he moved a step closer to claiming his first career AJGA title. He credited a steady putter as a main reason for his early success. The 16-year-old needed only 27 putts and said once he got the line he was locked in.

"I felt like every putt I hit was going to go right in," Anderson said. "And if it didn't go in it barely missed."

Randy Lowry of Spring, Texas, who played with Anderson, sits alone in second place with a 69. Deadlocked in third at 1-under-par 71 are Will Osborne of Wichita Falls, Texas, Cornelius Carroll of St. Simons, Ga., Robert Gates, Jr., of Gainesville, Fla., Garrett Runion of Windermere, Fla., and Daniel McGurk of The Woodlands, Texas.

In the Girls Division, Creamer is in a familiar spot at the top of the leaderboard as she has claimed six career AJGA titles, including three this year. The 16-year-old recently finished sixth in the British Junior Open where she competed against both boys and girls.

Creamer (38-35-73) takes a one-stroke lead into the second round as 15 players are within five strokes. She knows she will need two more consistent rounds to keep herself in contention for her fourth AJGA crown this year.

"This field is very strong and anything can happen tomorrow," Creamer said. "I just have to play the course and not worry about anything else."

Playing the course could prove to be a stiff test as the tournament progresses as zero of the sixty girls in the field scored par or better. Creamer looks to change all of that tomorrow by taking part of the course out of play.

"These greens are so big that you have to hit it to the correct half to have a good putt," Creamer said. "There is never a straight putt because these greens are always breaking."
One-stroke behind Creamer is Mallory Code of Tampa, Fla., Brittany Lincicome of Pinellas Park, Fla., and Ashley Knoll of The Woodlands, Texas after carding a first-round of 2-over-par 74.

Second-round action in the Boys Division runs from 7 a.m.-12:06 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1 off the No. 1 tee at the Magnolia Grove Golf Club, Falls Course. Girls Division play runs from 7-8:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 1 off the No. 1 and 10 tees at the Magnolia Grove Golf Club, Crossings Course.

For more information on the AJGA Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Junior Classic please contact our tournament headquarters at 251-645-9565.