Dou opens the First round with a 4-under-par 68 at the W. Duncan MacMillan Classic at Rush Creek
Lippetz leads by one stroke at Rush Creek Golf Club

MAPLE GROVE, Minn. Zecheng Dou of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., fired a first round 4-under-par 68 at the W. Duncan MacMillan Classic at Rush Creek in his first AJGA event. In the Girls Division, Jordan Lippetz of Bradenton, Fla., carded an opening round 1-under-par 71 headed into Wednesday's second round at Rush Creek Golf Club.

The W. Duncan MacMillan Classic at Rush Creek is a 54-hole stroke play event conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at Rush Creek Golf Club in Maple Grove, Minn. The tournament field includes 72 boys and 24 girls, ages 12-18 from 17 states, Brazil, Ecuador, and Thailand. The Boys Division is playing the par-72 course at 7,041 yards and the Girls Division is playing at 6,031 yards.

Dou totaled six birdies and two bogeys on the round. Coming to the course a few days early helped Dou's short game.

“I came three days early and got used to the greens,” Dou said. “My putting has improved a lot since the first day I got here”.

In Monday's Taylormade-adidas Golf Qualifier, Dou earned entry into the tournament field through a two-hole playoff win for the final player spot. The Class of 2015 graduate says he was helped by the later tee time.

“When we teed off in the afternoon, it really helped because the fairways were soft, which made the ball move farther,” Dou said.

Austin Wilson of Eden Prairie, Minn., sits in second place with a 3-under-par 69. Max Donohue of Sioux Falls, S.D., Connor Nelson of Roscoe, Ill., and Benjamin Skogen of Onalaska, Wis., are all tied for third place with a 2-under-par 70.

In the Girls Division, Jordan Lippetz recorded three birdies and carded no bogeys on the back nine of her round. Part of Lippetz's low-score was due to her mental gameplan for the round.

“I really focused on my own game and played the course to the best of my ability,” Lippetz said.

Lippetz explained that her focal point for the second round won't change from how she played on Tuesday.

“Consistency is my main objective for tomorrow,” Lippetz said. “I hope to par every hole and if I give myself birdie opportunities then take them when I get them”.

The Florida native is ranked No. 46 in the Polo Golf Rankings. Lippetz already has one top-five finish on the year, as she placed second at the AJGA's Signsational Signs Junior at the Woodlands in June.

Celia Kuenster of Mendota Heights, Minn., and Betty Chen of Castro Valley, Calif., are tied for second with an even-par-72.

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, 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 W. Duncan MacMillan Classic at Rush Creek will run from 7 a.m. — 12:10 p.m. off the No. 1 tee at Rush Creek Golf Club. For more information about the W. Duncan MacMillan Classic at Rush Creek contact Tournament Director Greg Sanfilippo at (678) 936-0163.

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