PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- Though she is a three-time first-team Rolex Junior All-American, one thing has eluded Alexis Thompson: an AJGA Invitational victory. She erased that note from her resume and claimed a 3-and-2 victory over Victoria Tanco of Bradenton, Fla., in the match play finals at the Polo Golf Junior Classic. Oliver Schniederjans of Powder Springs, Ga., began his 2010 season with an Invitational victory of his own, defeating Cory Whitsett of Houston, 1-up, in the Boys Division finals.

The Polo Golf Junior Classic, which has been conducted annually since 1978, marked the first tournament of the American Junior Golf Association's 2010 season. The 156-player invitation-only field was made up of boys and girls, ages 12-18, from 25 states and 11 foreign countries. Former champions include Stewart Cink (1989), Trevor Immelman (1995), Tiger Woods (1991), Paula Creamer (2002), Grace Park (1994, 1996) and Morgan Pressel (2004).

Because rain delayed the first and second rounds of match play, Friday featured semifinal matches in the morning and the finals in the afternoon. Thompson defeated A.J. Newell of Tampa, Fla., 3 and 1, while Tanco eliminated Kelly Shon of Port Washington, N.Y., 5 and 3, which set-up a championship match between two of junior golf's dominant players.

"I have played Victoria a lot. We play together at pretty much every tournament, so I know her game pretty well," Thompson said. "She's a great competitor and I knew it was going to be a close match."

Back-to-back birdies on Nos. 3 and 4 gave Thompson an early 2-up lead, but Tanco erased the deficit with wins on Nos. 6 and 7. Thompson would not make a bogey the rest of the way, and Tanco's fate was nearly sealed when she hit her tee shot into the water on the par-3 15th hole.

"I'm really excited and happy to have finally won an Invitational," said Thompson, who has three other AJGA wins and eight other top 10s at AJGA Invitationals. "That was my goal. I came to this event knowing I could win."

Schniederjans advanced to the finals by defeating Cameron Wilson of Rowayton, Conn., 3 and 2, while Whitsett outlasted Rolex Junior Player of the Year Jordan Spieth of Dallas, 2 and 1, Friday morning.

The boys championship match was closely contested - Whitsett never led, but Schniederjans' biggest lead was just 1-up. During an eight-hole stretch, zero holes were halved (Nos. 7-14), but Whitsett couldn't pull closer than all square heading into the final five holes.

"I have a lot of top fives in tournaments, but this is the first one that I've won," said Schniederjans, who also finished second at The PING Invitational and fifth at The Junior PLAYERS Championship. "For it to be my last tournament of the season, I can kind of relax now so it's a huge win for me."

The biggest putt of the match came on the par-3 17th. With Whitsett in with a par, Schniederjans faced an eight-foot par putt that would halve the hole and preserve his 1-up lead heading to No. 18. After missing a similar length putt for birdie on the previous hole, Schniederjans said that there was no way he would miss again.

"It's a huge difference being 1-up instead of all square playing No. 18 because Cory can reach it in two and I can't, so it was really important to make that putt," Schniederjans said.

After missing the green with his second shot on No. 18, Whitsett could not convert his 12-foot birdie effort on the final hole, and Schniederjans was able to two-putt from 10 feet for par and the 1-up victory.

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 AJGA, the largest Association of its kind, has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,000 junior golfers from 49 states and 30 foreign 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 200 former AJGA juniors currently play on the PGA and LPGA Tours and have compiled more than 350 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.

Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE: RL) is a leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in four categories: apparel, home, accessories and fragrances. For more than 40 years, Polo's reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company's brand names, which include "Polo by Ralph Lauren", "Ralph Lauren Purple Label", "Ralph Lauren Collection", "Black Label", "Blue Label", "Lauren by Ralph Lauren", "Polo Jeans Co.", "RRL", "RLX", "Rugby", "Ralph Lauren Childrenswear", "American Living", "Chaps", and "Club Monaco" among others, constitute one of the world's most widely recognized families of consumer brands.

For more information about the Polo Golf Junior Classic, contact AJGA National Headquarters at (770) 868-4200, or visit ajga.org.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- First-round results of match play from the Polo Golf Junior Classic conducted by the American Junior Golf Association at PGA National Resort & Spa - Champion Course.
Par: Boys: 35-36—71; Yardage: Boys: 7,147; Rating/Slope: Boys: 75.6/148
Par: Girls: 36-36—72; Yardage: Girls: 6,453; Rating/Slope: Girls: 78.7/158

BOYS DIVISION
Semifinals
Cory Whitsett, Houston, Texas, def. Jordan Spieth, Dallas, Texas, 2 and 1
Oliver Schniederjans, Powder Springs, Ga., def. Cameron Wilson, Rowayton, Conn., 3 and 2

Finals
Oliver Schniederjans def. Cory Whitsett, 1-up

GIRLS DIVISION
Semifinals
Victoria Tanco, Bradenton, Fla., def. Kelly Shon, Port Washington, N.Y., 5 and 3
Alexis Thompson, Coral Springs, Fla., def. A.J. Newell, Tampa, Fla., 3 and 1

Finals
Alexis Thompson def. Victoria Tanco, 3 and 2