Wiatr Jumps to Early Lead at Killington Junior Golf Championship
Kanouse and Southard tied after first round at Green Mountain National Golf Course

KILLINGTON, Vt. — Chris Wiatr of Woodbury, Conn., shot a 3-under-par 68 to lead the tournament field after the first round. Laura Kanouse of Boca Raton, Fla., and Isabel Southard of Sharon, Mass., both shot scores of 2-over-par 73 to tie for the lead of the Girls Division.

The Killington Junior Golf Championship is a 54-hole stroke play event conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at Green Mountain National Golf Course in Killington, Vt. The tournament field consists of 143 players from 17 states. The Boys Division is playing the par-71 course at 6,590 yards and the Girls Division is playing at 5,913 yards.

After two early bogeys, Wiatr rallied to card five birdies and only missed one fairway on the day.

“Coming off the front, where I had a slow start, it was good to get into red figures on the back,” Wiatr said. “I feel like my game is in a good place right now. There is a lot of golf left to go, and I'm excited for the final two rounds.”

In second place after the first round is Jake Shuman of Needham, Mass., with a score of 1-under-par 70. Tied for third with scores of even-par 71 are David Thompson of Shrewsbury, Mass., James Jaworski of Ijamsville, Md., Nick Celestino of Sarasota, Fla., and Alexander Kane of Danvers, Mass.

In the Girls Division, Kanouse felt confident about her game today, carding three birdies.

“I started strong with a birdie, but I really got into a rhythm on the back nine,” Kanouse said. “My mental game was strong today. My goal was to make the top ten, so it feels great to have a good start.”

After finishing as the runner-up in the 2010 Killington Junior Golf Championship, Southard feels she is off to a good start after her first round of the tournament this year.

“It feels great to be in the lead,” Southard said. “I had a solid round today. My ball-striking off the tee was strong and I had some really close iron shots. I just want to keep this momentum going into the rest of the tournament.”

Finishing the first round tied for third are Katy Kile of Montgomery, Texas, and Christine Lin of Austin, Texas, with scores of 3-over-par 74.

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.

The second round of the Killington Junior Golf Championship will start at 7:00 A.M. off the Nos. 1 and 10 tees for the first wave, and 11:40 A.M. for the second wave for both the Boys and Girls Divisions. For more information about the Killington Junior Golf Championship, please contact the Tournament Director Mark Finger at (678) 294-6051.