Martin Starts Strong, Leads at Bellefonte Country Club
Talley Leads Girls Division by Two Strokes at the Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior

ASHLAND, Ky. — Joshua Martin of Pinehurst, N.C., tops the leaderboard after the first round of the Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior with a 5-under-par 65. Emma Talley of Princeton, Ky., brought in a 1-under-par 69 to lead the Girls Division.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior is a 54-hole stroke play event held at Bellefonte Country Club in Ashland, Ky. The field features 108 boys and 36 girls, ages 12-18, from 19 states, Canada, Colombia and Thailand. The par-70 course is playing at 6,022 yards in the Boys Division and 5,617 yards in the Girls Division.

Opening his round with three consecutive birdies, Martin kept his rhythm throughout the front nine firing a 4-under-par 31. Although Martin is the second youngest player in the field at 13 years old, that did not stop him from leading the Boys Division by two strokes. Martin played the greens with ease making six birdies, along with sinking his longest putt of the day at 25 feet.

“My putting was on today,” Martin said. “But there are a couple more days, so I'm going to keep my concentration and take it one shot at a time.”

Just short of the leader sits Paul Sansom of Russellville, Ky., posting a 3-under-par 67. Rounding out the top three in the first round are Connor Tendall of North Potomac, Md., James Yoon of Bradenton, Fla., Todd McDaniel of Manchester, Ky., and Fred Allen Meyer of Nicholasville, Ky., tying for third at 2-under-par 68.

In the Girls Division, Talley is back for a third year and looking for her first win at the National Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior, leading by two strokes. She said her putts also saved her in the first round, using only 11 putts on the back nine. Talley hopes to improve her approach shots, keep the driver out of her hands and hit more fairways to stay in contention for the win.

“Every AJGA event has a tough field,” the two-time Rolex Junior All-American said. “I love this tournament and gave it away in the past, so this would be a good win to have in my hands.”

Two strokes back in second place is Emily Wright of Mason, Ohio, carding a 1-over-par 71, while Allison Harper of Columbus, Ohio shot 72 in the first round to place third.

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 provides valuable exposure for college golf scholarships, and has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,000 junior golfers from 49 states and 30 countries. To ensure scholarship opportunities for all junior golfers who have the skill, the AJGA created the Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant program to provide financial assistance to young players in need.

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. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 400 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Stewart Cink, Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel.

Second round tee-times for the Natural Resources Partners Bluegrass Junior will be in two waves Thursday, June 24 with the first wave running 7:30 — 9:09 a.m., and second wave running 11:45 a.m. — 1:24 p.m. For more information please contact Tournament Headquarters at 606-326-1744.