Proveaux Fires 7-under-par 65 to Lead HP Boys Championship at Carlton Woods
With eight birdies, South Carolinian races to five-shot lead in first round

THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Cody Proveaux of Leesburg, S.C., bolted to a five-stroke lead in Saturday's opening round of the HP Boys Championship at Carlton Woods, firing eight birdies en route to a 7-under-par 65 on the Fazio Championship Course at The Club at Carlton Woods.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the HP Boys Championship at Carlton Woods is a 54-hole stroke play competition played on the par-72, 7,345-yard Fazio Championship Course at The Club at Carlton Woods. The 78-player field features players from 22 states and nine foreign countries, and includes 27 Rolex Junior All-Americans.

Proveaux, ranked No. 10 in the Polo Golf Rankings, won the 2010 Polo Golf Junior Classic in his last AJGA outing and continued his hot play with a birdie on the first hole.

“I still have a little bit of momentum,” Proveaux said. “I started the year well, and then I've played a few other tournaments and haven't played my best. But I came out and had fun with it today and played well.”

After three birdies on a flawless front side, Proveaux stayed hot after the turn, making birdie on five of the first six holes, while mixing in a solitary bogey.

“Coming into this tournament, I wasn't playing the greatest, but my putting was really good,” he said. “I came in with a little bit of confidence with my putter and the irons worked really well today, so it was a lot of fun.”

Proveaux's opening round was reminiscent of the 2010 event, when Bobby Wyatt also fired eight birdies and a 65. Trailing Wyatt after that round was Jordan Spieth of Dallas. This year, Spieth sits in second place once again after shooting a 2-under-par 70, although he got off to a bumpy start with a double-bogey and a bogey on two of his first four holes.

“I told myself that I could get it back, that there are lots of birdie holes out here,” Spieth said. “I made birdies on Nos. 6 and 7 and got back to being calm and smooth. I stayed neutral with my emotions today, even when it was going bad at the beginning, and that's what helped me rebound.”

On the strength of five birdies during the remainder of his round, Spieth improved to 2-under-par, five shots back of Proveaux. Tied for third place at 1-under-par 71 are three players: Wyndham Clark of Greenwood Village, Colo., David Lee of Houston, and Trey Valentine of Melbourne, Fla.

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 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 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 Stewart Cink, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Inbee Park and Morgan Pressel.

Second-round tee times will run from 8-9:48 a.m. Sunday on the Fazio Championship Course at The Club at Carlton Woods. For more information regarding the HP Boys Championship at Carlton Woods, contact AJGA Tournament Headquarters at (678) 644-4258.