Thorseth drains putts at the Trader Joe's Junior Championship hosted by Pat Hurst
Suh takes lead in first round at Castlewood Country Club - Hill Course

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Peter Thorseth of Richmond, Texas, carded a 4-under-par 66 to take the first-round lead at the Trader Joe's Junior Championship hosted by Pat Hurst. In the Girls Division, Hannah Suh of San Jose, Calif., recorded a 2-under-par 68 to take the lead in the first round.

The Trader Joe's Junior Championship hosted by Pat Hurst is a 54-hole stroke play event conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at Castlewood Country Club — Hill Course in Pleasanton, Calif. The tournament field features 72 boys and 24 girls from 10 states and four countries. The Boys Division is playing the par-70 course at 6,220 yards and the Girls Division is playing at 5,565 yards.

Firing eight birdies on the day, Thorseth played well on the front nine, but even better on the back.

“I drained a lot of putts on the back nine which made me feel really good,” Thorseth said. “If I can just putt like this tomorrow, it'll be another good day.”

John Oda of Honolulu and Travis Rowney of Pleasanton, Calif., carded 2-under-par 68 in a tie for second. Sharing fourth place is Collin Morikawa of La Canada Flintride, Calif., and MJ Morin of Bakersfield, Calif., with 1-under-par 69.

In the Girls Division, Suh carded three birdies and one bogey, playing her best at the beginning of her round.

“The first four holes were my best,” Suh said. “Birdying No. 4 helped me gain momentum for the day.”

In second was Stephanie Lau of Fullerton, Calif., who finished even par. Hannah O'Sullivan of Cupertino, Calif., Cha Cha Willhoite of Palm Desert, Calif., and Ziyi Wang of Beijing, China carded 2-over-par 72 in a three-way tie for third.

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, Rickie Fowler, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Inbee Park and Morgan Pressel.

Second-round tee times for the Trader Joe's Junior Championship hosted by Pat Hurst are from 7:00 a.m. — 12:10 p.m. off the No. 1 tee, Wednesday at Castlewood Country Club — Hill Course. For more information about the Trader Joe's Junior Championship hosted by Pat Hurst, contact tournament headquarters at (678) 617-2425.