Wuesthoff, Two Others Share Early Lead At Girls' Junior

Fort Worth, Texas – The defending champion and two others set the bar early Monday in carding 4-under-par 67s during the first round of stroke play at the 56th U.S. Girls' Junior.

Jennie Arseneault , 16, of Grinnell, Iowa, 17-year-old Julieta Granada of Paraguay and defending champion Sukjin-Lee Wuesthoff, 17, of Toms River, N.J., shared the lead after the morning groups completed their rounds on the 6,256-yard, par-71 Mira Vista Golf Club course.

In the hunt with 1-under 70s were four players: Amanda Blumenherst, 17, of Scottsdale, Ariz.; Paula Creamer, 17, of Pleasanton, Calif.; 17-year-old Tiffany Joh, of San Diego, Calif.; and Jennie Lee, 17, of Huntington Beach, Calif.  The last player into the field, 14-year-old Maria Jose Uribe of Colombia, shot even-par 71.

Starting in the first group on the front nine, both Arseneault and Wuesthoff displayed suave course management skills, with six birdies and two bogeys.

“It means a lot to me,” said Arseneault, cautioning that she realizes a low score doesn't translate to six wins in match play. “My best round in a tournament before this was 68, so it's really exciting.”

In terms of Girls' Junior experience, the two are on opposite spectrums. Arseneault, entering this week having never played in the event, battled nerves from the get-go. It didn't help matters that she arrived late to the championship, getting in just one practice round.

On the flip side, Wuesthoff was making her sixth appearance in the championship and said afterward that her victory last year taught her how to stay composed. That and a couple of LPGA events this year have helped.

Last year while Wuesthoff was winning, Arseneault “watched this one on TV.”

When Arseneault saw that she would be paired with 16-year-old Amanda Wilson of Hilo, Hawaii, who shot 1-over 72 Monday, and Wuesthoff, she got excited because both would “push me.” Wilson played in this year's U.S. Women's Open, failing to make the cut.

Arsenault, who tried to qualify for the event for the first time this year, settled down with birdies on the first two holes. On No. 1, a 391-yard par 4, she converted a 30-foot putt that wound from the bottom tier of the green to the top.

After a bogey on No. 3, she proceeded to birdie holes eight, 10 and 11. The round redefined her goals for the week.

“I was just hoping to make it through Wednesday and make it to the third round,” said Arseneault, “but now that I'm striking the ball well I think I can do better than that.”

Wuesthoff finished strong with birdies on the 14th , 15th and 16th holes. The 14th , a 363-yard par 4, may have been the most impressive -- with 77 yards to the flagstick, she sent the approach shot to 2 feet of the hole.

Being the champion is fine, but it also gleans attention, which she is trying to block out this week.

“Last year I played in front of people, and I was really nervous, but now I don't have that problem,” said Wuesthoff. “I played in a couple of LPGA events so I was still a little nervous there, but in junior events it's OK now.”

Granada, who lost to Creamer in the quarterfinals last year, carded five birdies against one bogey. With the scorching Texas heat on an upward climb, Granada's putter went cold. She didn't miss anything inside 5 feet, she said, but there were too many birdie opportunities that were missed.

“I just want to play good [Tuesday] to get a good draw for match play,” said Granada.

Creamer's round was bolstered with a hole-in-one on No. 7, a 130-yard par 3. She used an 8-iron while being indecisive about which club to swing. Turns out she chose the right one.

But the ace may have done her more harm than good, she said. Until a bogey on No. 9, she had been 3 under. On the back nine, Creamer posted a 1-over 37.

“I think if I had just made a birdie I think it would have helped my round a lot more than making a hole in one,” said Creamer, who won the Kathy Whitworth Invitational at Mira Vista G.C. on March 16. “With so many more holes to play it was almost a mistake.

“The feeling of writing ‘one' down on your scorecard is a feeling that you normally don't have.”

After that, Creamer admittedly had several mental lapses that led to bogeys on four of her final 10 holes.

Creamer wasn't the only ace of the day. Taylor Barrett, 16, of York, S.C., had a hole-in-one on the 210-yard, par-3 15th hole, using a 4-wood.

On Sunday during a practice round, Barrett had been stung by a bee near the same teeing ground, so she said she just wanted to hit quick.

The U.S. Girls' Junior is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

Story written by Ken Klavon, USGA Web Editor. E-mail him with questions or comments at kklavon@usga.org.

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