Junior PGA Championships: Katy Jordan's Carolyn Liu Leads After Day One

Nine birdies in a single round is a statement at any level. For 15-year-old Carolyn Liu of Katy Jordan, it was the kind of day one performance that turns heads at the Junior PGA Championships at Fields Ranch at PGA Frisco. Liu reached eight under after the opening round to lead the entire girls field, capping a stretch of golf that included a state title last spring. She finished the event tied for fifth at even par — a result that underscores just how much runway she has ahead of her.

On the girls side, The Woodlands junior Joanne Bee posted a solid day one at one over, highlighted by a sharp approach on 14 that left her with a ten-foot birdie look. A difficult second round, however, ended her tournament before the weekend.

Among the boys, Houston Memorial's Grant de Lorenzo made the cut and finished tied for 27th after a round that included a clutch par save — a long chip that settled inches from the cup on a hole that had trouble written all over it. The TCU commit was joined in a tie for 27th by Mason An of Houston, who is committed to Texas and narrowly missed a birdie conversion on 11.

Klein Cain's Joshua McCown, headed to Colgate next fall, shot a 69 in the second round but finished just outside the cut line. Perhaps the most intriguing name for the future was Mason McCord of The Woodlands — a member of the class of 2031 who isn't yet in high school. McCord finished three over through two days and also missed the cut, but the fact that he was competing at this level at all says plenty about what's ahead.