JOHNSON -- Noah Goodwin, 15, of Corinth, Texas, hit 15 greens in regulation and shot a bogey-free, 4-under-par 68 on Tuesday to take the lead at the American Junior Golf Association Stacy Lewis All-Star Invitational at the Blessings Golf Club.
"I was hitting my irons pretty well," Goodwin said.
AJGA KPMG Stacy Lewis All-Star Invitational
Blessings Golf Club, Johnson
Par 72
Boys
Team Total^10-under*
Noah Goodwin^68
Mason Nome^70
Varun Chopra^70
Canon Claycomb^70
Yuxin Lin^71
Ahmed Ali^72
Sam Tidd^72
Devondeep Bling^73
Ryan Gerard^73
Girls
Par 72
Team Total^14-0ver*
Hailee Cooper^71
Sadie Englemann^71
Gina Kim^72
Calista Reyes^74
Erica Shepherd^74
Simar Singh^76
Michaela Morard^76
Youngin Chun^76
Caroline Curtis^76
*Top eight scores figure in the team total
In the girls division, Sadie Englemann of Austin, Texas, and Hailee Cooper of Montgomery, Texas, share the lead after carding 1-under 71s in the first round.
The second round of the 54-hole tournament is set for 7:15 a.m. today with the leaders scheduled to tee off around 10:30 a.m. There is also a boys vs. girls competition where the top eight scores count for the team championship. After the first round, the boys are 10 under while the girls are 14 over.
Goodwin, 15, made birdie at three of the five par 5s, including going to 1-under on the par 5 No. 2 hole. He also carded a birdie on the par 4 No. 13.
"I was hitting the ball well, but I wasn't hitting it great by any means," Goodwin said. "I was getting the ball on the green and giving myself opportunities. I really took care of the par 5s ... I was able to get some momentum in my round early."
Goodwin lipped out for birdie on No. 17 and he just missed another birdie chance on the par 4 No. 18.
"I felt that I had six birdie putts that had a chance to go in," Goodwin said. "I had no three putts, and that is pretty big out here."
Mason Nome, Varun Chopra and Canon Claycomb are two shots back of Goodwin after going 2-under 70.
Cooper started with a bogey but rebounded with back-to-back birdies on the next two holes and made the turn at even par. The 15-year-old then had two birdies and a bogey on the back side for her 1-under 71.
"My putting was pretty good, and I just loved the way the greens rolled," Cooper said. "My ball striking wasn't as good as it could have been, and that cost me a few bogeys. I'm just going to try and play the golf course safe again and make some putts."
Englemann, who will graduate from high school in 2020, was 4 over after six holes but made birdie at the par 5 No. 9 hole to turn at 3 over. She then made four birdies on the backside to finish at 1-under.
Sports on 06/24/2015