Talley takes the lead at AJGA Girls Championship
Three-time Rolex Junior All-American leads after first round

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Emma Talley of Princeton, Ky., fired a 5-under-par 67 to lead the AJGA Girls Championship after the first round. Talley has three AJGA victories in 2011 and leads by two strokes at The Furman Golf Club.

The AJGA Girls Championship is a 54-hole stroke-play event conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at The Furman Golf Club in Greenville, S.C. The 78-player field features golfers from 16 states and 10 countries, who are playing the par-72 course at 6,124 yards.

2010 Rolex Junior All-American, Talley is currently ranked No. 31 in the Polo Golf Rankings. She credited her consistency and seven birdies to post a 5-under-par after 18 holes.

“I was hitting my irons really close today and then making the putts,” Talley said. “I was consistent overall out here which is a good thing on this course.”

Annie Park of Levittown, N.Y., is in second place with a 3-under-par 69 and Karen Chung of Livingston, N.J., is in third carding a 2-under-par 70. Tied for fourth are Rachel Dai of Suwanee, Ga., August Kim of Searingtown, N.Y., and Rinko Mitsunaga of Roswell, Ga., all with a 1-under-par 71.

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.

For more information on the AJGA Girls Championship, please contact Tournament Headquarters at (678) 571-7994 or visit the AJGA website at ajga.org.

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