.jpg) The Girls divisions of the FCWT Laura Diaz National Championship began on Saturday, May 27, 2006, at 7:30 with the first of this 3 round 54-hole event. The Girls East Region Player of the Year, Ji Young Oh from South Korea (2007) took the early lead on the Squires Course with a round of 2 under par 70. Miss Oh put together a spectacular round with only a bump in the road on #12. Miss Oh is the only undefeated player in the field having won all 5 of her FCWT events this season. She faces her stiffest competition to date on the FCWT as the remaining players post their scores.
Seventeen year old So-Hyun Park of Bradenton, FL.JPG) (2007) quickly enters the picture on the heels of Miss Oh. Miss Park, a veteran of the FCWT, carded a round of 1 under par on Saturday to hold sole possession of 2nd place and only one stroke back of Miss Oh. Miss Park also has a one stroke advantage over junior Tia Gannon of Hilton Head, SC (2007). Miss Gannon who has had two 2nd place finishes so far this season, carded an opening round of even par 72. In a tie for 4th place at +1 are 14 year old Sherlyn Popelka of SWITZERLAND (2009), 13 year old Kyle Roig of Pembroke Pines, FL (2011), thirteen year old Dakoda Dowd of Palm Harbor, FL (2012), Innapha Tantanavavivat of THAILAND (2007) and Aimee Neff of Carmel, IN (2007). Miss Popelka's best finish of the season was 2nd place at Champions Gate. Miss Roig finished T2 at Doral and 3rd at Wedgefield in February. Miss Dowd has two Top 3 finishes with a 3rd at Innisbrook and a T2 at Plantation. Miss Tantanavavivat won the Saddlebrook event in January and has 4 other Top 5 finishes this season. Miss Neff, who was named the Laura Diaz FCWT Central Region Player of the Year on Friday evening, has four wins so far this season, including 3 in a row at Penn State, Yankee Trace and Whistling Straits. In 9th place is Abby Cotter of Noblesville, IN (2008) whose round of 74 is just one stroke back of the group tied for 4th. Miss Cotter finished 3rd at Cog Hill last fall. Five players are tied for 10th place at +3 (75): Ines Chandra of INDONESIA, who finished 5th at Mission Inn in April, Ellen Mueller of Evansville, IN (2007), who was honored with the "For the Good of the Game Award" on Friday evening and who won at both Purdue and Cog Hill this season, Lauren Oh of Pleasanton, CA (2007), who carded her best FCWT round of the season with Saturday's 75, Hunter Ross of Manakin-Sabot, VA (2008), who won at Pine Needles and Sawgrass, Emily Kwak of Silver Springs, MD (2007), who had Top 5s at Grand Cypress and Orange Lake, and Zahra Shah of Bradenton, FL (2007), whose three Top 5s this season earned her a spot on the FCWT 3rd Team All-American.
 In the Girls 13 and under division, 12 year old Allie Kiser of Orlando, FL (2011) carded a one over par 73 to lead all scores. Miss Kiser had 3 birdies and 4 bogeys on the day. She leads Doris Chen of TAIWAN (2011) by 7 strokes going into Sunday's second round. Eleven year old Karen Chung of Livingston, NJ (2013) is only 2 strokes back of Chen and in 3rd place. Ten year old Robbi Howard of Bradenton, FL (2013) is 3 strokes back of Chung and in 4th.
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