Two tied for lead at PING Invitational at Karsten Creek

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Published: October 10, 2009

STILLWATER—Emiliano Grillo of Resistencia, Argentina, and Jim Liu of Smithtown, N.Y., shared the first-round lead at The PING Invitational after each shot a 3-under-par 69. Leading by a stroke in the Girls Division is Rachel Morris of Carlsbad, Calif., who sits at 2-over-par 74 after Saturday's first round.

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Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, The PING Invitational is a 54-hole stroke play event being held at Karsten Creek. The 72-player field features players from 19 states, Colombia, Denmark, Northern Ireland and Thailand.

Grillo fired a 4-under-par 32 on the front nine. An eagle on No. 14 had him sitting at 7-under-par with four holes left to play. The final stretch proved tough for Grillo as he dropped four strokes, but a par on No. 18 secured his tie for the lead.

"I played really well on the front nine and hit almost every green," Grillo said. "My final holes weren't that good, but if I can keep the ball in the fairway and on the green tomorrow, I'm going to fight through and make good putts."

Tied for the lead in the Boys Division, Liu played steady with four birdies and a single bogey on the day.

"I kept it consistent and stayed out of trouble," Liu said. "The course is really tough and the greens are fast, but I was able to read the green speed pretty consistently and that helped me out a lot."

Playing one of the toughest golf courses on the AJGA schedule did not disrupt Morris' focus as she made 16 pars. Although she had a birdie-free day, Morris felt she played solid throughout the first round.

"I made two bogeys on the front nine and then turned those over and pared the back nine," Morris said. "I had to stay patient and par the difficult holes. I made my par saves today and hopefully some birdie putts will fall tomorrow."

Tied for second in the Girls Division are Victoria Tanco of Bradenton, Fla., and Erynne Lee of Silverdale, Wash., at 3-over-par 75.

Second-round tee times start at 8 a.m. today off the Nos. 1 and 10 tees at Karsten Creek.