ORAEE'S 6-UNDER-PAR 66 LEADS BOYS DIVISION AT JUNIOR ALL-STAR AT ASPEN
Lubar finishes round on top in Girls Division at Aspen Golf Club with 1-over-par 73

ASPEN, Colo. — David Oraee of Greeley, Colo., leads the Boys Division after the first round of the Junior All-Star at Aspen held at Aspen Golf Club by four strokes with a 6-under-par 66. The Girls Division proved to be a tighter race as Shannon Lubar of Littleton, Colo., claimed the top of the leaderboard with a one-stroke advantage, carding a 1-over-par 73.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the Junior All-Star at Aspen is a 54-hole stroke play event at Aspen Golf Club. The field is made up of 81 juniors from 17 states, Mexico and Canada. The Boys Division is playing the course at 6,706 yards, while the Girls Division is playing at 5,826 yards

The Junior All-Star at Aspen is one of 11 events in the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Series, which is specifically designed for boys and girls ages 12-15 and presents opportunities for younger members to develop their skills and earn entry into Open tournaments. Juniors are limited to a maximum combination of five AJGA Open and Junior All-Star Series events during a calendar year. The series concludes with the Junior All-Star Invitational over Columbus Day weekend for winners and top finishers in the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Series events.

Oraee, who is playing in his third Junior All-Star at Aspen, started his round with a birdie on No. 10, his first hole of the day due to a two-tee start. He followed his first birdie with six more, all on par-4 holes. The only blemish on Oraee's scorecard came after a bogey on the par-3 No. 3.

“I know this course pretty well, so I came out here and tried to play well,” Oraee said. “Hopefully tomorrow I can go out and do the same thing.”

Cameron Harrell of Colorado Springs, Colo., finished the first round in second with a 2-under-par 70. Trailing Oraee by four strokes, Clayton Crawford of Aspen, Colo., carded an even-par 72 to take the third spot on the leaderboard. Thomas Lim of Moorpark, Calif., and Blake Pugh of Southlake, Texas are tied for fourth heading into the second round, each with a 1-over-par 73.

Playing in her first AJGA tournament, Lubar sat at 3-over-par after her first eight holes, but kicked her game in gear with four birdies during the remainder of her round. She was able to finish the back nine 1-under-par, despite a double bogey on No. 12.

“I didn't expect much coming into today,” Lubar said. “I played really consistently and had some luck to make a few birdies and some great putts.”

Xin Wang of Howie-in-the-Hills, Fla., shot a 2-over-par 74 to end the first round in second, while her playing partner Allie Johnston of Castle Rock, Colo., ended the round one spot behind Wang with a 4-over-par 76.

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 AJGA, the largest Association of its kind, has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,000 junior golfers from 50 states and 25 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, which is in its third decade of AJGA support, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004. In 2007, after 12 years of support, Polo Ralph Lauren became the AJGA's second Premier Partner.

AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. More than 200 former AJGA juniors currently play on the PGA and LPGA Tours and have compiled more than 350 wins. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink, Davis Love III, Cristie Kerr, Pat Hurst, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel and Julieta Granada.

Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy, a full-time junior golf training and development program, enters its first year as an Official Partner of the AJGA. The partnership features an endowment of an Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant and the naming rights to the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Series, which will provide juniors access to national competitive golf opportunities.

Second-round tee times begin Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. off the Nos. 1 and 10 tees. For more information on the Junior All-Star at Aspen, contact Tournament Headquarters at (678) 617-2428.