Hickman closes gap, leads at Genesis Junior at White Beeches
Henderson captures second-round lead in Girls Division at White Beeches Golf & Country Club

HAWORTH, N.J. — Christopher Hickman of Centreville, Md., carded a 2-under-par 69 Wednesday, overcoming a four-stroke deficit after the first round, to capture the second round lead by one in the Boys Division. In the Girls Division, Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ontario, fired a second-round 4-under-par 67 to claim a three-stroke lead heading into the final round.

The Genesis Junior at White Beeches is a 54-hole stroke play event conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at White Beeches Golf & Country Club in Haworth, N.J. The tournament field boasts 78 boys and 24 girls, ages 12-18, from 13 states, Canada, South Korea, China and the United Kingdom. The Boys Division is playing the par-71 course at 6,510 yards and the Girls Division is playing at 5,995 yards.

Hickman's round began slowly, and he was one over par as he finished No. 15. Three consecutive birdies on Nos. 16-18, however, gave him a two-day total of 4-under-par 138 and sole possession of the lead heading into the final round.

“Tomorrow, I'm never going to take my foot off the pedal,” Hickman said. “Sometimes, people in the lead like to play it safe, but playing it safe isn't my game. I'm going to go for the pins.”

Tied for second, each with a two-day total of 3-under-par 139, are John Voetsch of New Vernon, N.J., Kristian Caparros of Miami Lakes, Fla., and Peter Kim of Metuchen, N.J. In a two-way tie for fifth are Jimmy Dengler of Rumson, N.J. and Stephen Pastore of Greenwich, Conn., having carded a two-day total of 2-under-par 140.

In the Girls Division, Henderson began her round with a birdie, which she says gave her strong momentum starting the day. The high school freshman's round was blemish-free, with Henderson carding four birdies and no bogeys throughout the second round, giving her a two-day total of 4-under-par 138.

“I hit a lot of fairways and the majority of greens today,” Henderson said. “Tomorrow, I'm going to just go out and try to improve on a few things and see how it goes.”

Finishing in second with a score of 1-under-par 141 is first-round leader Nicole Morales of South Salem, N.Y. Rounding out the top three in the Girls Division is Anne Cheng of Torrance, Calif., with a two-day total of 2-over-par 144.

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.

The final round of the Genesis Junior at White Beeches will be a 9 a.m. shotgun at White Beeches Golf & Country Club Thursday. For more information about the Genesis Junior at White Beeches, please contact Tournament Director Kelli Holloway at (678) 315-3446.