Jin, 14, Shoots 68 For Lead At Junior Girls Championship
Madeline Jin of Royce Brook remembers her first effort in the NJSGA Junior Girls Championship when she played in it for the first time.
“Last year, I wasn’t mentally there yet.”
Just 12 months later, Jin was ready. The 14-year-old from Belle Mead, a rising freshman at Montgomery High School, was prepared this time. She was the only golfer to shoot below par, firing a 2-under 68 to take a four-shot lead over Ami Gianchandani of Rock Spring after the first round of the 36-hole Junior Girls Championship at Bella Vista County Club in Marlboro.
Bella Vista, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary and played at 5,285 yards, is hosting its first NJSGA championship.
The field of 30 returns on Tuesday for the final round with tee times beginning at 7:30 a.m.
FINAL ROUND PAIRINGS FIRST-ROUND SCORES
Following Jin (68), whose previous best round was a 73, and Gianchandani (72) are Katie Lee of Neshanic Valley (73), Aine Filler of Harbor Pines (74) and Carley Hopton of Baltusrol and Meher Mankikar of Green Knoll, both at 75.
Jin got off to a hot start when she chipped in for an eagle on the par-4 third hole.
“Actually, my ball striking was not really that good,” she said. “I made a lot of ups and downs. And I only had one three putt, and that was one the first hole, which I bogeyed.”
Jin followed the eagle with a birdie on the par-4 fourth hole, then added a bogey on the par four fifth. She birided the par-3 seventh, but added another bogey on the par-3 eighth to finish the front side at one-under par.
Her back nine was a lot less eventful with the only mark on her card a birdie on the par-4 18th hole.
Jin shot career best of 73 twice, once at Fox Meadow in Ohio and another time in Roanoke, Va.
Jin is friendly with two-time NJSGA Junior Girls champion and Women’s Amateur champion Alice Chen, who now stars on the Furman University team.
“My sister, Katherine, and Alice were on the golf team at Montgomery and good friends off the course as well. My sister, who attends Columbia University, decided to concentrate on academics. My father is a good golfer and now golf has transferred to me,” she said.
Gianchandani, 15, a rising sophomore at Pingry, was runner-up in last month’s New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament of Champions, which is sponsored by the NJSGA.
“I didn’t realize the importance of the Tournament of Champions, but doing so well there has given me a lot of confidence,” said Gianchandani, who did not have a practice round at Bella Vista.
“I liked the fact that you had to be careful out there and really consider what club to use off the tee. You had to be careful about placement. You couldn’t plan ahead. You had to really focus on each shot.”
Gianchandani recently qualified for the 61st U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship in Oklahoma, which begins in two weeks.
