PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – Preston Summerhays of Scottsdale, Arizona, leads The Junior PLAYERS Championship by one stroke at 6-under-par 138.
The 14th annual event showcases the best of the next generation of future college and professional stars. To date, 34 past players have graduated to play in the PGA TOUR's THE PLAYERS Championship. Representatives from eight foreign countries and 21 U.S. states (seven from Florida) are competing in one of the AJGA’s annual top boys fields at TPC Sawgrass, featuring eight of the top 10 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
The 2020 Junior PLAYERS Championship field is highlighted by 22 Rolex Junior All-Americans and 49 AJGA champions, including 18 players with 2020 wins. Of the 78 boys competing, 45 players are signed or verbally committed to play college golf. Twenty-five players have previous Junior PLAYERS Championship experience.
Summerhays made a 80-foot birdie putt to start the round on No. 10 of THE PLAYERS Stadium Course. He added two more during his bogey-free opening nine to leap up the leaderboard and make the turn at 3-under-par 33. On No. 15, the rising high school senior, hit 9-iron to two feet for a tap-in and on No. 16, hit driver, 6-iron and two-putted for birdie.
The 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur champion had an up-and-down final nine holes, posting three birdies to two bogeys for a round of 4-under-par 68. Summerhays competed in the 2019 Junior Presidents Cup, where he secured two points to help lead the United States Team to its second victory in as many competitions.
The Arizona State commit, No. T18 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, finished tied for fourth at the 2020 AJGA Invitational at Sedgefield in June. The two-time Utah Men’s Amateur champion won the 2020 Sunnehanna Amateur by tying the tournament record of 14-under par, and becoming the youngest winner in the 67-year history of the event.
William Love of Atlanta, and Caleb Surratt of Indian Trail, North Carolina, are tied for second at 5-under-par 139. Both players finished under-par after moving day: Love at 4-under-par 68 and Surratt at 3-under-par 69. The pair accumulated 19 birdies through two rounds of play.
Love, No. 40 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings and a rising junior, won the 2020 Sean Foley Performance Junior Championship in February and is playing in his first Invitational at TPC Sawgrass. At No. 27 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, Surratt is a North Carolina State verbal commit and AJGA champion (2019 AJGA Junior All-Star presented by the Spinnaker Foundation).
Karl Vilips of Perth, Australia, Zach Kingsland of Austin, Texas, and Brendan Valdes of Orlando, Florida, are tied for fourth at 3-under-par 141. Vilips and Valdes carded 3-under-par 69 scores in the second round; Kingsland carded a 1-under-par 71.
Vilips has the most Junior PLAYERS Championship appearances of all-time at five and has never finished outside of the top nine in his four previous appearances. The Stanford signee is a four-time Rolex Junior All-American whose career includes seven national junior golf victories, three are AJGA Invitationals. He finished T11 at the 2020 AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods in February.
Kingsland is competing in his fourth year of national junior golf. The Austin native has accumulated six top-10 AJGA finishes, including T3 at the 2020 AJGA Junior at River Crossing in July. Kingsland is making his AJGA Invitational debut this week.
Valdes is verbally committed to Auburn. The 2018 Rolex Junior All-American's resume includes 14 top-10 national junior golf finishes. Valdes finished T8 early in the year at the 2020 AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods.