Kesterson Uses 6-Under-Par 64 to Emerge from the Field at FootJoy Invitational
Four players, including reigning champion, Thomas, tied for second

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Tanner Kesterson of Plano, Texas, fired a 6-under-par 64 and holds a two-shot lead at7-under-par 133 after the second round of the FootJoy Invitational. Kesterson turned in a scorecard that showed nothing higher than a four as he was able to climb to the top of the leaderboard.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the FootJoy Invitational is a 72-hole stroke play event held at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., The 98-player field features golfers from 26 states, Chile, Japan and Mexico. The field includes 25 players who have already signed National Letters of Intent as well as 23 Rolex Junior All-Americans. Home of the PGA TOUR's Wyndham Championship, the par-70 course is played at 7,116 yards. Past champions of this event include Justin Thomas, Brian Harman, Daniel Woltman, Andrew Yun and Peter Uihlein.

Currently ranked 38th in the Polo Golf Rankings, Kesterson made an impressive jump up in the standings after starting the day tied for 17th. He had six birdies, including four on the back nine, and plans to come out tomorrow using the same game plan he had today.

“I had the putter rolling a little bit,” Kesterson said. “Once you get that putter rolling, it can be good. I was also able to keep the ball below the hole. These greens are really fast so you have to be able to keep the ball below the hole to score well.”

Reigning FootJoy Invitational champion Justin Thomas of Goshen, Ky., finds himself in four-way tie for second place. Denny McCarthy of Burtonsville Md., Chad Cox of Charlotte, N.C., and Shun Yat Hak of Lake Mary, Fla., are all knotted up at 5-under-par 135.

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.

Third-round tee-times will run from 7 a.m. — 12:20 p.m., off the No. 1 tee at Sedgefield Country Club. For more information about the FootJoy Invitational contact Tournament Headquarters at (336) 218-0077.