South Bend’s Sumrall leads AJGA event

Published 9:16 am Thursday, July 30, 2009

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Adam Sumrall of South Bend, Ind., stayed consistent in the second round with a 1-under-par 70 Wednesday, to take the lead by two strokes with a two-day total of 2-under-par 140.

Banchalee Theinthong of Bangkok, Thailand, held on to her first round lead by six strokes with a two-round score of 1-over-par 143.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the AJGA Notre Dame Junior Open is a 54-hole stroke play event being held at Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame.

The tournament field consists of 75 Boys and 24 Girls, ages 12-18, from 15 states and four foreign countries. The par-71 course is being played at 6,908 yards for the Boys Division and 5,888 yards for the Girls Division.

Sumrall, who plans to play at Duke this upcoming fall, started out with an early birdie on No. 3 to contribute to a 2-under-par 33 on the front nine.

“I made a birdie on No. 3 which was a nice start,” Sumrall said. “I had a great shot into the fairway, then a good iron to the green and sunk a 10 foot putt.”

Sumrall’s toughest hole of the day came on the par-4 464 yard No. 6 hole after he drove into the fescue. Fortunately he was able to hit a great shot with his 4-iron then got up and down to save par.

The South Bend native who won the 2009 Indiana individual high school state championship, said his driving kept him out of trouble today and plans to hit all the same clubs off the tee in the final round.

Sitting in a tie for second by two strokes at even-par 142 are Kyle Kmiecik of Avon, Ohio, Theodore Lederhausen of Hinsdale, Ill., Corey Ziedonis of Indianapolis, and Morgan Dobbins of Jackson, Ohio.

Niles’ Chris Noble shot 79 on Tuesday and 78 on Wednesday for a two-day total of 157.

In the Girls Division, after the first round concluded Wednesday morning, Theinthong was in first going in to her second-round after carding an impressive 3-under-par 68.