Dalke Surges Ahead of the Pack at Traditions Club at Texas A&M
Navarro holds one-stroke lead at Laredo Energy Junior at Traditions

BRYAN, Texas — After posting a 3-under-par 69, Brad Dalke of McKinney, Texas, separated himself from the rest of the field by three strokes headed into the second round of the Laredo Energy Junior at Traditions. In the Girls Division, Marijosse Navarro of San Antonio shot a 3-over-par 75, giving her a one-shot lead.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the Laredo Energy Junior at Traditions is a 54-hole stroke play competition held at Traditions Club at Texas A&M. The par-72 course plays to 6,997 yards for the Boys Division and 6,101 yards for the Girls Division. The 132-player field features players from 24 states, Mexico, France, Colombia, Canada, South Korea, Japan, Venezuela and the Philippines.

Coming off of a T7 finish last week at the Under Armour® / Hunter Mahan Championship, his first AJGA event of 2011, Dalke hoped the momentum he gained in the final two rounds would translate over to this week's event.

“I finished with rounds of 68-73 at the Under Armour® / Hunter Mahan Championship,” Dalke said. “All I was thinking was that if I could do the same things I did in those two rounds, things would turn out okay today.”

Battling against the winds all day, Dalke utilized strong putting to race out to a three-stroke lead. Tallying five birdies on the day, including a downhill 20-foot putt on the par-3 No. 7, Dalke was able to offset his two bogeys to stay under par.

“It was important because I got some momentum after my first two birdies,” Dalke said. “After I made bogeys, my birdies helped me to keep that momentum going through the rest of the round.

Sitting in second place is Andrew Lister of Coronado, Calif., with an even-par 72. Nathan Weant of Hallsville, Texas, shot a 1-over-par 73, putting him in third place. Rounding out the Boys Division tied in fourth are Scott Scheffler of Dallas and Connor Black of Katy, Texas, with scores of 2-over-par 74.

Like Dalke, Navarro had a tough time playing with the 30 mph gusts of wind. Familiar green surfaces helped Navarro carry out her round with a lead headed into day two.

“At first the conditions were very confusing for me,” Navarro said. “By No. 10, though, it was better quality and I was able to stay even. The greens here at the Traditions Club are similar to the greens at my home course in San Antonio, The Club at Sonterra, which helped me a lot.”

Currently ranked No. 12 in the Polo Golf Rankings and having recorded 10 top-10 finishes in her short AJGA career, Navarro is no stranger to playing with a lead. However, her focus headed into the second round of play is solely on her own game and not what the rest of the field is doing.

“It is a very long tournament and a lot of things can happen on a difficult course like this,” Navarro said. “For me, I just need to think about my game and hit the ball the way I have always hit the ball. There isn't anything I want to change.”

Rounding out the Girls Division in a tie for second place after posting scores of 4-over-par 76 are Taylor Coleman of San Antonio and Ashlan Ramsey of Milledgeville, Ga.

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 more than 40 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 500 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Stewart Cink, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Inbee Park and Morgan Pressel.

Second-round tee times for the Laredo Energy Junior at Traditions will run from 8:15 a.m. — 2:25 p.m. off the Nos. 1 and 10 tees at the Traditions Club at Texas A&M. For more information about the Laredo Energy Junior at Traditions, contact Tournament Headquarters at (770) 617-3050.