Bowling Green, Fla. - After the first round of competition, Luke Colton of Frisco, Texas, and Tyler Watts of Huntsville, Alabama, lead after shooting 5-under-par 67 at the Team TaylorMade Invitational at Streamsong Resort on the Black Course.
With temperatures in the mid 90s, players worked their way around the sand terrain with minimal wind. Players took advantage of the prime scoring conditions as 29 players shot under par during the first round.
This is the fifth playing of the Team TaylorMade Invitational and features some of the most talented junior golfers in the world. The event is supported by AJGA Global Sponsor TaylorMade Golf and moves annually to different venues throughout the country.
In tie for first, Colton navigated the course without a bogey during the first round and carded five birdies enroute to his 5-under-par 67. He narrowly missed a sixth birdie on No. 18 to finish his round.
"I feel like I had a lot of six footers for par today and I'm glad I was able to make them. Just kind of played the right spots on the course."
Colton came into the event at No. 4 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. The Vanderbilt University commit is playing in his first Team TaylorMade Invitational after a top-10 finish at the AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods in February. He is looking for his second AJGA win and first Invitational victory.
Also in first, Watts putt together a flawless round with five birdies and no bogeys on a hot Florida day. His 5-under-par 67 matched Colton's. Watts began the day with a birdie on No. 1 and added to it on No. 7 before making the turn at 2-under-par 34. He then added birdies on Nos. 11 and 15 before finishing on No. 18 with a birdie to briefly hold the clubhouse lead before Colton finished right behind him.
"I hit it pretty much perfect today. I would say, no three putts on these big greens, that was good. I couldn't ask for anything more."
Watts came into the event at No. 8 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. The University of Tennessee commit is playing in his second Team TaylorMade Invitational after a T16 finish at the AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods in February. He is looking for his second AJGA win and first Invitational victory.
In a tie for third are...
Dawson Lew of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, came into the event No. 24 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. He started his round with one birdie through the front nine. After making the turn he added a bogey and four more birdies. With back-to-back birdies on Nos. 15 and 16.
Lew recently won the 2025 AJGA Lake Charles Junior Championship in April. He also placed T4 at the 2025 AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods.
Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach, Florida, is No. 1 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. He carded a bogey-free round with four birdies. He started the round quickly by birding No. 1 and continued the momentum on the back nine by birding No. 10. He finished strong with a birdie on No. 18.
Russell is playing in his second AJGA invitational of the year after winning the 2025 AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods. He has also won five of his last seven junior and amateur starts.
Willie Gordon of Hot Springs, Arkansas, is No. 48 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. He started the round bogey-free through the first nine holes. Gordon then carded five birdies on the back nine having back-to-back birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 and then again on Nos. 17 and 18.
Gordon is verbally committed to the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. He won his last AJGA event, the 2025 Mizuno Junior Championship.
Second-round tee times begin Tuesday at 7:33 a.m. off Nos. 1 and 12.