RINGGOLD, Ga. — Collin Ho of Albany, Ga., shot an opening-round 65 to lead the Boys Division at the Ringgold Telephone Company Junior Classic which started Tuesday at the WindStone Golf Club.

Ranked 36th in the Polo Golf Rankings, Kyndall Ardoin of Gibsland, La., matched Ho with a 65 of her own to lead the Girls Division by three.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the Ringgold Telephone Company Junior Classic field consists of 72 boys and 27 girls, ages 12-18, from 17 states and China. The Boys Division is being played at 6,484 yards and the Girls Division at 5,797 yards.

In the boys division,Ooltewah's Jacob Everts shot 70 and trails by 5 shots.

Seven shots back was Chattanooga's Keith Mitchell at 72 while Hixson's Tyler Hollister shot 77.

Ho, 17, played a bogey-free round that included five birdies. With only 29 putts recorded on his card, he credited a number of successful up-and-downs as well as solid two-putts to his low score.

“I put every part of my game together today,” Ho said. “After the front nine I hoped the back would go well too. I hit good drives and solid putts and it all worked out.”

Tied for second in the Boys Division are Yao-Chun Yang of Troy, Mich., Jackson Beindorf of Vero Beach, Fla., and Brian Carter of Augusta, Ga., sitting one stroke back of Ho with 4-under-par 66s. Rounding out the top five at 2-under-par 68 are Zeyu He of Shen Zhen, China, Drew Aimone of Savannah, Ga., and Charlie Harrison of Atlanta.

On the girls’ side, Ardoin, who has verbally committed to the University of Arizona for 2009, overcame a three-putt bogey on No. 1 to shoot her 5-under-par.

“I don’t know what that was on the first hole,” Ardoin said. “After that, things just went easy and I had a lot of fun.”
Ardoin carded back-to-back birdies twice on the front nine, Nos. 4, 5, 8 and 9. “I liked this course, I was hitting well,” she said.

Chattanooga's Jordan Britt stands at 73, eight shots back, while Hixson's Shelby Gilbert is nine shots back at 74.

Sherlyn Popelka, of Reunion, Fla., is in second carding a 2-under-par 68. Rounding out the top three is Kristina Wong, 17, of Bradenton, Fla., at 1-under-par 69.

Second-round tee times will run from 7:30 a.m.-12:18 p.m. off the No.1 tee Wednesday at WindStone Golf Club.

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 largest Association of its kind, the AJGA has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of more than 5,000 junior golfers from 49 states and more than 25 foreign countries.

Titleist, the AJGA's National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association's success since 1989. Rolex Watch USA, 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. More than 160 former AJGA juniors currently play on the PGA and LPGA Tours and have compiled more than 300 wins. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink, Davis Love III, Cristie Kerr, Pat Hurst, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel and Julieta Granada.

For more information about the Ringgold Telephone Company Junior Classic please contact tournament headquarters at 706-965-2541 or visit the AJGA Web site at ajga.org.
# AJGA #

RINGGOLD, Ga. — First-round results from the Ringgold Telephone Company Junior Classic conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at
WindStone Golf Club. Par: Boys: 35-35—70; Girls: 35-35—70. Yardage: Boys: 6,484; Girls: 5,797. Rating/Slope: Boys: 71.4/128; Girls: 73.2/126.

BOYS DIVISION
Collin Ho, Albany, Ga. 33-32—65
Yao-Chun Yang, Troy, Mich. 32-34—66
Jackson Beindorf, Vero Beach, Fla. 33-33—66
Brian Carter, Augusta, Ga. 33-33—66
Zeyu He, Shen Zhen, China 36-32—68
Drew Aimone, Savannah, Ga. 36-32—68
Charlie Harrison, Atlanta, Ga. 33-35—68
Dean Hester, Dublin, Ga. 34-35—69
Zhong Yang Fu, Bradenton, Fla. 34-35—69
Billy Kennerly, Alpharetta, Ga. 34-35—69
Alex Carpenter, Little Rock, Ark. 32-37—69
Brad Sill, Duncan, S.C. 33-36—69
Chase Parker, Augusta, Ga. 37-32—69
Mario Clemens, Beverly Hills, Calif. 34-35—69
Phillip Choi, Orlando, Fla. 35-35—70
Craig Stevenson, Sarasota, Fla. 35-35—70
Abdul Sihag, Bradenton, Fla. 34-36—70
Franco Castro, Alpharetta, Ga. 35-35—70
Jacob Everts, Ooltewah, Tenn. 36-34—70
Anders Albertson, Woodstock, Ga. 34-36—70
Clark Palmer, Augusta, Ga. 33-38—71
Dykes Harbin, Augusta, Ga. 34-37—71
Matt Kocolowski, Apopka, Fla. 34-37—71
Jack Walsh, Lawrenceville, Ga. 37-34—71
James Olley, Woodstock, Ga. 35-36—71
John Varol, Weddington, N.C. 35-37—72
Keith Mitchell, Chattanooga, Tenn. 37-35—72
Kenny Leech, Boca Raton, Fla. 35-37—72
Justin Cho, Norcross, Ga. 34-38—72
Logan Knebels, Alpharetta, Ga. 37-35—72
Hunter Keener, Dalton, Ga. 38-34—72
Matt Bernstein, Alpharetta, Ga. 34-38—72
Jade Scott, Daingerfield, Texas 36-37—73
Jack Adkins, Martinsville, Va. 37-36—73
Nathan Kerns, Ironton, Ohio 35-38—73
Will Jones, Rome, Ga. 37-36—73
Corbin Mills, Easley, S.C. 37-37—74
Patrick Lundy, Little River, S.C. 36-38—74
Ashton Pellicano, Albany, Ga. 35-39—74
Thomas Bradshaw, Columbia, S.C. 39-35—74
Chung Lee, Suwanee, Ga. 37-37—74
William Meason III, Alpharetta, Ga. 37-38—75
William Bazzel, Jr., Atlanta, Ga. 36-39—75
James Ellis, Greenville, N.C. 37-38—75
Brett Patterson, McMinnville, Tenn. 42-33—75
Stewart Hagestad, Newport Beach, Calif. 37-38—75
Billy Stevens, Venice, Fla. 37-38—75
Austin Barreras, Peachtree City, Ga. 36-39—75
Seth Blann, Bowling Green, Ky. 39-37—76
Parker Page, Louisville, Ky. 39-37—76
Will England, Gainesville, Ga. 40-36—76
Kevin Lee, Dacula, Ga. 39-38—77
Michael Koetting, San Antonio, Texas 41-36—77
Jack Yancey, Rome, Ga. 41-36—77
David Talley, Bluff City, Tenn. 41-36—77
Tyler Hollister, Hixson, Tenn. 38-39—77
Zachary Balit, Bradenton, Fla. 36-42—78
Grant Milner, Knoxville, Tenn. 39-39—78
Tory Henderson, Little River, S.C. 40-38—78
Nicklaus Ward, Fayetteville, Ga. 43-35—78
Adam Carpenter, Little Rock, Ark. 40-39—79
Garrett Vilcheck, Bluffton, S.C. 41-38—79
Taylor Fulbright, Carrollton, Ga. 43-37—80
Thomas Holmes, Macon, Ga. 43-38—81
Walker Sullivan, Atlanta, Ga. 43-38—81
Steven Albright, Woodstock, Md. 42-39—81
John-Christian Templeton, Sarasota, Fla. 42-40—82
Tyler Chandler, Graham, N.C. 41-42—83
Dylan Healey, Franklin, Tenn. 41-42—83
Tyler Herndon, Davie, Fla. 37-48—85
Shay Womack, Jr., Marietta, Ga. 46-42—88
Caulder Moore, Isle of Palms, S.C. JWD
GIRLS DIVISION
Kyndall Ardoin, Gibsland, La. 31-34—65
Sherlyn Popelka, Reunion, Fla. 34-34—68
Kristina Wong, Bradenton, Fla. 34-35—69
Katie Burnett, Brunswick, Ga. 36-34—70
Mariah Stackhouse, Riverdale, Ga. 37-34—71
Kaira Martin, Paradise Valley, Ariz. 36-37—73
Samantha Swinehart, Lancaster, Ohio 38-35—73
Stephanie Wagstaff, Asheville, N.C. 36-37—73
Jordan Britt, Chattanooga, Tenn. 36-37—73
Daniela Lendl, Bradenton, Fla. 37-37—74
Austin Ernst, Seneca, S.C. 36-38—74
Tess Fordham, Metter, Ga. 36-38—74
Karen Chung, Livingston, N.J. 40-34—74
Shelby Gilbert, Hixson, Tenn. 38-36—74
Taylor Manning, Brentwood , Tenn. 38-36—74
Leigh Henderson, Knoxville, Tenn. 40-35—75
Alyssa Randolph, Knoxville, Tenn. 41-35—76
Christina Miller, Bradenton, Fla. 42-35—77
Lauren Stratton, Spring Hill, Tenn. 38-39—77
Yugene Lee, Athens, Ga. 39-38—77
Molly Winnett, Gardendale, Ala. 37-40—77
Amelia Hill, Saint Simons Island, Ga. 39-39—78
Darlea Carr, Pinehurst, N.C. 40-39—79
Carolyn Barbee, Cartersville, Ga. 42-38—80
Abby Johnson, Braselton, Ga. 42-42—84
Caroline Prebul, Signal Mountain, Tenn. 41-43—84
Mary Alice Murphy, Lookout Mtn, Tenn. 43-41—84

(E-mail Stan Crawley at wscrawley@earthlink.net)