Brianna Navarrosa of San Diego, California, leads the Buick Shanshan Feng AJGA Girls Invitational by three shots after shooting 3-under par 69, the only under-par round in the field.
Hosted by LPGA Tour player Shanshan Feng, the Buick Shanshan Feng AJGA Girls Invitational features players from all over the world, including 11 from mainland China. Feng has been a longtime proponent of growing Women's golf in her home country and partnering with Buick and the AJGA to host a tournament allows some of China's finest players the chance to play on an international stage.
Battling intense winds and wet conditions, Navarrosa carded five birdies for the day to take her to the top of the leaderboard.
"I was really happy with my round today and I am looking forward to my next two days," Navarrosa said. "I felt like I executed my shots really well, especially in the windy and wet conditions that we had out there."
Currently ranked No. 50 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, the University of Southern California verbal commit is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American and Junior All-Star Team member. Navarrosa won the 2017 Tathata Golf Junior All-Star Championship and is looking for her first invitational win.
Jiarui (Joyce) Jin of (China) Encinitas, California, trails by three strokes after posting an even-par 72. Jin has one AJGA victory which came at the 2017 AJGA Junior at RiverWatch.
Camille Boyd of Shanghai, China, carded 1-over-par 73 and sits in third. The University of Washington verbal commit earned her first AJGA victory in 2018 at the AJGA Kansas Junior at Buffalo Dunes.
One of only six all-girls invitationals on the AJGA schedule, the Buick Shanshan Feng AJGA Girls Invitational is one of the few tournaments that features the opportunity for the Champion to earn an exeption into a professional event. The 2019 champion will earn an exemption into the Symetra Tour's 2019 IOA Championship being held in Beaumont, California.
About the AJGA
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 12-19) of more than 6,900 members from 50 states and 60 foreign countries. Through initiatives like the Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant, a financial assistance program, and Leadership Links, a service-oriented platform that teaches juniors charitable-giving skills, the AJGA fosters the growth of golf’s next generation.
TaylorMade and adidas are the AJGA’s National Sponsors, supporting the AJGA for more than 25 years. TaylorMade has served as the Official Ball of the AJGA since 2016. adidas has been the Official Apparel and Footwear of the AJGA since 2017. Rolex, in its fourth decade of AJGA sponsorship, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004.
AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 900 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Tiger Woods, Paula Creamer, Ariya Jutanugarn, Cristie Kerr, Stacy Lewis, Brittany Lincicome, Anna Nordqvist, Inbee Park and Lexi Thompson.