JOHNSON, LOPEZ SHARE FIRST-ROUND LEAD AT JUNIOR ALL-STAR AT CHÂTÉAU ELAN
Keel holds one-shot lead in Girls Division

BRASELTON, Ga. — Drew Johnson of Oak Ridge, N.C., and Santiago Lopez of Boca del Rio, Mexico, each fired 1-under-par 70 Friday to share the boys' lead after the first round of the Junior All-Star at Château Élan. In the Girls Division, Jisoo Keel of Coquitlam, British Columbia, shot an even-par 71 to lead by one.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the Junior All-Star at Château Élan features 96 boys and 36 girls, ages 12-15, from 29 states and five foreign countries. The 54-hole stroke play event is being staged on the par-71 Château Course at Château Élan. The Boys Division is playing the course at 6,654 yards while the Girls Division is playing at 5,902 yards.

The Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Series is a collection of 10 events specifically designed for boys and girls ages 12-15 and presents opportunities for younger members to develop their skills and earn entry into Open tournaments. The series concludes with the Montverde Academy Junior All-Star Invitational over Columbus Day weekend for winners and top finishers in the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Series events.

Playing in beautiful golf weather, Johnson and Lopez both credited chipping for their 1-under-par scores. Johnson opened with nine straight pars on the front nine, before making his first birdie on the 10th hole. His lone bogey came at 17, but he rebounded with a birdie on his closing hole to finish the day at 1-under-par.

“I was chipping really well,” Johnson said. “I wasn't striking the ball well, but I got up and down at least eight times.”

Lopez, playing in his first AJGA tournament, started with a par then fired three consecutive birdies before switching to a more conservative approach.

“At first, I tried to make the most birdies I could,” Lopez said. “After those birdies, I was just trying to make pars and play it safe.”

Lopez made the turn at 3-under-par before giving two shots back with a pair of bogeys on the back nine. Even so, he was one of only two players to finish under par.

In third place is Emilio Maurer of Puebla, Mexico, at even-par 71. Six players are tied for fourth place at 1-over-par 72.

Keel found herself 3-over par after seven holes, but reeled off three straight birdies on holes 8-10 to work her way back to even par. Keel's success started with accuracy off the tee, as every tee shot found the fairway.

“My driver was awesome,” Keel said. “It doesn't go far, but it goes straight.”

Trailing by one is Natalia Forero of Cali, Colombia, at 1-over-par 72. Hannah Kim of San Ysidro, Calif., is in third place at 2-over-par 73.

Tee times for the second round of the Junior All-Star at Chateau Elan will run from 8 — 9:39 a.m. and 12:30 — 1:51 p.m. Saturday on tee Nos. 1 and 10 at the Château Course at Château Élan. The field will be cut to the top 48 boys and ties and top 18 girls and ties following the second round, and the tournament will conclude Sunday. For more information contact Tournament Headquarters at (678) 425-1802.

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.

GARY GILCHRIST GOLF ACADEMY, a full-time junior golf training and development program, enters its second year as an Official Partner of the AJGA. The partnership features an endowment of an AJGA Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant and title sponsorship of the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Series, which provides juniors access to national competitive golf opportunities.

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