42nd Trusted Choice Big "I" National Championship Old York Country Club Chesterfield, NJ July 26-30, 2010
Snyder takes early lead at Trusted Choice® Big “I” National Championship New Jersey local Tsukiyama leads Girls Division
Chesterfield, NJ—After the first round of the Trusted Choice® Big “I” National Championship, David Snyder of Somerset, Ky., holds the lead in the Boys Division at 3-under-par 68. In the Girls Division, Kuriko Tsukiyama of Bogota, N.J., sank two birdie putts on the back nine to take the lead at 2-under-par.
The Trusted Choice® Big “I” National Championship is a 72-hole stroke play event hosted at Old York Country Club at Chesterfield. The tournament field boasts 102 boys and 54 girls, ages 12-18, from 35 states, with nine juniors representing the host state of New Jersey.
Snyder started the round strong, marking a birdie on No. 1 and an eagle on No. 7 to finish the front nine two-under-par. The eighteen-year-old came out even on the back nine by matching three birdies to three bogies. Snyder credits his low round to his driver.
“I kept it on the fairway all day and set myself up for good shots,” Snyder explained. “I love the course. It’s in perfect shape and the greens are pretty fast. This is my first time leading an event so it’s a new experience, but it’s a thrill.”
Ryan Cole of Mount Airy, Md., sits one shot back in the Boys Division at 2-under-par 69. Rounding out the top five are Brandon Sturtevant of Pembroke, Mass., at 1-under-par 70, Matthew Yelverton of Matthews, N.C., at even-par 71 and Parker Ramsey of Lafayette, Calif., at one-over-par 72.
For the girls, Tsukiyama totaled three birdies on the day to claim the first-round lead. An eagle on No. 4 motivated the New Jersey native to finish strong.
“I hit a decent drive,” Tsukiyama said, describing her eagle. “My second shot was about 20 feet above the hole and then I just rolled that putt in.”
Alyssa Shimel of Perrysburg, Ohio, sits in second at 1-over-par 73, while Megan Khang of Rockland, Mass., and Alexandra Hershberger of Basking Ridge, N.J., are tied for third at 74.
The Trusted Choice® Big “I” National Championship is one of the nation’s premier junior stroke- play championships. Organized by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, The Big “I” attracts the nation’s top junior golfers. Notable past participants include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Charles Howell III, David Duval, Justin Leonard, Candie Kung, Cristie Kerr and Grace Park.
The Big “I” is able to provide an opportunity for juniors to compete thanks to its title sponsor Trusted Choice, presenting sponsor Harleysville, and its partners Allied Insurance and Nike Golf.
After Wednesday’s second round, the field will be cut to the low 54 boys and 27 girls including ties. For more information about the Trusted Choice® Big “I” National Championship, please contact Media Relations Manager Chelsea McCullough (TrustedChoiceBigI@gmail.com) at (404) 242-7435 or visit the tournament website at bigigolf.com.