PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Quintana Roo, Mexico -- Jeffrey Kang of Fullerton, Calif., fired a final-round 5-under-par 65 to come from six shots behind and capture the Boys Division title at the inaugural Mayakoba Junior Golf Classic Golf Monday. Pearl Jin of San Gabriel, Calif., carded a 4-under-par 67 to take the Girls Division crown with a 4-under-par 209 tournament total.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the Mayakoba Junior Golf Classic was the AJGA’s first Open event in Mexico. The field consisted of 75 players, 18 of whom were from Mexico, as well as from 16 U.S. states and Canada. The 54-hole stroke play event was held at El Camaleón Golf Club, which played at 6,911 yards, par 70 for the Boys Division and 6,047 yards, par 71 for the Girls Division. El Camaleón Golf Club is home to the PGA TOUR’s Mayakoba Golf Classic, the first-ever TOUR event in Mexico.

Beginning the day six shots off the lead, Kang said he did not start his round with thoughts of winning. But an impressive up-and-down on the third hole got his momentum going. Kang plugged his tee shot in a fairway bunker, and took two shots to reach the green. He drained a 20-foot uphill putt to save par.

“My putting is really what carried me through the day,” Kang said. “I struggled a little with my tee shots on the front nine, so my putting really saved me.”

Kang played in the group in front of the leaders and never knew what else was happening on the course. Gaining confidence after No. 3, Kang went on to record five birdies and no bogeys en route to a 3-under-par 207 tournament total. The victory is Kang’s first AJGA win. His previous best finish was third place at the 2006 Mission Hills Desert Junior.

“It’s really exciting that my first win came in Mexico,” Kang said. “Now I’ve got to win at home too.”

Second-round leader Juan Pablo Hernandez of Mexico City, finished one shot back at 2-under-par 208. Sebastian Szirmak of Toronto, and Colby Smith of Auburn, Calif., tied for third place with matching 2-over-par 212s. Diego Castilla of Monterrey, Mexico, finished in fifth place with a 3-over-par 213.

In the Girls Division, Jin started her day tied for the lead with Alicia Malagon of Tampico, Mexico. Competing in her first AJGA event, Jin said she was nervous heading into the final round with the lead. Her strategy was to take each shot one at a time and not get too overwhelmed.

“I was nervous, but I knew I had to be able to concentrate today,” Jin said. “Once I started playing, I felt like I could really score out there.”

On No. 2, her 11th hole of the day, Jin found herself one shot back of Malagon. A birdie gave her renewed confidence, and Jin went on to card birdies on No. 4 and 8 for a back-side 3-under-par 33. Jin, at 12 years and four months old, becomes the third-youngest AJGA winner this season. She was the youngest player to compete at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, where she reached the second round of match play.

“I’m definitely looking forward to playing in more events,” Jin said. “The level of competition helps me play better.”

Malagon shot a final-round even-par 71 for a tournament total even-par 213. Stephanie Meadow of Hilton Head Island, S.C., and Erynne Lee of Silverdale, Wash., tied for third place with matching 7-over-par 220s.

The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. The largest Association of its kind, the AJGA has a junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of more than 5,000 junior golfers from 49 states and more than 25 countries.

Titleist, the AJGA's National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association's success since 1989. Rolex Watch USA, which is in its third decade of AJGA support, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004. In 2007, after 12 years of support, Polo Ralph Lauren became the AJGA's second Premier Partner.

AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. More than 160 former AJGA juniors currently play on the PGA and LPGA Tours and have compiled more than 300 wins. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink, Davis Love III, Cristie Kerr, Pat Hurst, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel and Julieta Granada.

For more information about the Mayakoba Junior Golf Classic, please call AJGA national headquarters at (770) 868-4200 or visit the AJGA Web site at ajga.org.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Quintana Roo, Mexico — Final results from the Mayakoba Junior Golf Classic conducted by the American Junior Golf
Association at El Camaleón Golf Club. Par: Boys: 35-35—70; Girls: 36-35—71. Yardage: Boys: 6,911; Girls: 6,047. Rating/Slope: Boys:73.3/136; Girls: 74.4/130.
BOYS DIVISION
Jeffrey Kang, Fullerton, Calif. 72-70-65—207

Juan Pablo Hernandez, Mexico City, Mexico 70-66-72—208

Sebastian Szirmak, Toronto, Ontario 73-68-71—212

Colby Smith, Auburn, Calif. 70-70-72—212

Diego Castilla, Monterrey, Mexico 69-70-74—213

Minsuk Kim, Los Angeles, Calif. 77-69-71—217

Diwen Chen, Coto De Caza, Calif. 73-73-72—218

Cameron Wilson, Rowayton, Conn. 72-75-71—218

Jordan Epstein, Carlsbad, Calif. 74-71-74—219

Rodolfo Cazaubon, Tampico, Tampas, , Mexico 76-77-67—220

Andrew Perez, Oxnard, Calif. 72-74-75—221

Brandon Hagy, Westlake Village, Calif. 72-74-75—221

Eric Frazzetta, Long Beach, Calif. 66-73-83—222

Patrick McCormick, Weston, Fla. 74-74-74—222

Eduardo Chavez, Hillsborough, Calif. 72-75-76—223

Carlos Ortiz, Zapopan, Mexico 73-78-74—225

Jeff Quinn, Anthem, Ariz. 77-74-75—226

Fu Xue, Richmond, British Columbia 76-76-74—226

Colton Knedler, Honolulu, Hawaii 79-76-72—227

Eduardo Luque Gutierrez, Metepec, Mexico 76-72-80—228

Henry Plager, Indianapolis, Ind. 79-74-75—228

Alexander Choi, Beverly Hills, Calif. 84-74-70—228

Andrew Tursky, Hillsborough, N.J. 76-75-79—230

Tyler Davis, Santa Barbara, Calif. 75-76-79—230

Jason Peters, Atascadero, Calif. 79-73-78—230

Nicholas Gunthorpe, Ovid, Mich. 70-83-77—230

Carson Weinand, Naples, Fla. 76-79-76—231

Ryan Conner, Fort Worth, Texas 77-81-73—231

Reid Hutchinson, Encinitas, Calif. 77-78-77—232

John Antle, Graham, Texas 78-80-74—232

Fernando Cuevas, Merida, --, Mexico 74-79-80—233

Daniel Chian, Covina, Calif. 77-76-80—233

Taylor Hart, San Clemente, Calif. 74-79-80—233

Alan Sereno Rivas, Metepec, Mexico 76-73-85—234

Luis Ballesca, Mexico City, Mexico 77-78-79—234

Patrick Deichert, Dallas, Texas 78-78-78—234

Scott Dow, Dallas, Texas 80-78-77—235

McCoy Willey, St. George, Utah 80-79-76—235

Rafael Gomez, Lerma, Mexico 77-78-81—236

Jordan Lewis, Marion, Ill. 80-78-78—236

Justin Lavine, Sugar Land, Texas 79-80-77—236

Wayne Yoon, Carson, Calif. 78-77-83—238

Santiago Gavino, San Luis Potosi, Mexico 77-83-79—239

Bryan Barach, Niskayuna, N.Y. 78-82-79—239

Austin Roberts, Carmichael, Calif. 77-78-86—241

David Dewey, Monterrey, Mexico 81-80-80—241

Nicholas Lee, Chino Hills, Calif. 82-81-78—241

Quinn Kauffman, Colleyville, Texas 80-87-76—243

Brandon Liu, St Albans, Mo. 75-86-83—244

Bou-An Fujieki, Honolulu, Hawaii 77-84-87—248

Daniel Garcia, Las Canadas, , Mexico 80-82-87—249

Diego Alarcon, Zapopan, --, Mexico 79-90-80—249

Jay Woodward, Bridgeport, W.Va. 81-88-84—253

Ryann Ree, Redondo Beach, Calif. 86-84-84—254

Skyler Hong, San Diego, Calif. 78 JWD

GIRLS DIVISION
Pearl Jin, San Gabriel, Calif. 71-71-67—209

Alicia Malagon , Tampico, Tamps., Mexico 70-72-71—213

Stephanie Meadow, Hilton Head Island, S.C. 73-75-72—220

Erynne Lee, Silverdale, Wash. 74-74-72—220

Lila Barton, Dallas, Texas 72-76-75—223

Margarita Ramos, Mexico City, Mexico 76-77-74—227

Anna Jang, Aiea, Hawaii 77-77-73—227

Kristen Schelling, Mesa, Ariz. 77-72-79—228

Evan Jensen, Belleair, Fla. 75-79-74—228

Paola Valerio, Atizapan Zaragoza, --, Mexico 82-72-75—229

Ani Gulugian, Irvine, Calif. 76-79-75—230

Esther Lee, Los Alamitos, Calif. 77-78-77—232

Paloma Martinez, Monclova, Mexico 78-79-76—233

Simin Feng, Orlando, Fla. 79-79-75—233

Maria Maymon, Huixquilucan, Estado De Mexico 82-74-78—234

Maria Santisteban, Tampico, , Mexico 84-76-74—234

Maria Castellanos, Stuart, Fla. 74-82-82—238

Alexandra Oviedo, Brownsville, Texas 75-82-82—239

Diana Rabago, Tampico, Tamps., Mexico 76-88-85—249

Mayko Chwen Wang, Taipei, Taiwan 82-83-84—249

Melisa Gonzalez, Saltillo, Coah., Mexico 88-83-86—257

** JWD=Justified WD