David Ford of Peachtree Corners, Georgia, fired a 6-under-par 65 on the Champion Course at PGA National Resort & Spa to take the Boys Division lead after round two of the Rolex Tournament of Champions. Rose Zhang of Irvine, California, posted a 5-under-par 67 on the Fazio Course to push her Girls Division lead to three strokes.
The 43rd edition of the Rolex Tournament of Champions features 144 of the best junior golfers in the world from 26 states and seven countries. The tournament assembles the Rolex Junior All-Americans with the past year’s champions to create The Greatest Week in Junior Golf. There are 81 current or former Rolex Junior All-Americans in the field, with a total of 91 AJGA champions competing.
Past winners of the Rolex Tournament of Champions include Phil Mickelson, David Duval, Charles Howell, David Gossett, Webb Simpson, Sam Burns, Heather Farr, Kellee Booth, Inbee Park, Morgan Pressel and Alison Lee.
Ford got off to a hot start with a birdie on his first hole of the day, the par-5 No. 10. He added two more birdies on Nos. 16 and 18 to make the turn at 3-under-par 33.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill commit vaulted to the top of the leaderboard with birdies on Nos. 2-4 and ultimately finished the day at 6-under-par 65. Ford leads the Boys Division by three strokes at 9-under-par 134.
Ford entered the week a two-time 2020 AJGA Invitational champion with wins at the AJGA Invitational at Sedgefield and The Junior PLAYERS Championship. The two-time Rolex Junior All-American is No. 2 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
William Love of Atlanta, and Bryan Lee of Fairfax, Virginia, are T2 at 6-under-par 137. Love is verbally committed to Duke University and owns a victory at the 2020 Sean Foley Performance Junior Championship. Lee won the 2020 Justin Thomas Junior Championship and is No. 12 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
Kiko Francisco Coelho of (Portugal) Lake Mary, Florida, is in fourth at 5-under-par 138. Coelho is an Arizona State University verbal commit and No. 21 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
There are five players tied for fifth at 4-under-par 139:
- Thomas Morrison of Dallas
- Bruce Murphy of Johns Creek, Georgia
- Jackson Rivera of San Diego
- Mahanth Chirravuri of Chandler, Arizona
- Andrew Goodman of Norman, Oklahoma
Zhang opened her second round with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 10 and 11 and rounded out that nine with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 17 and 18 to make the turn at 4-under-par 32.
The Stanford University signee added another birdie on No. 2 before making her first bogey at PGA National in 367 days on the par-4 No. 3. Zhang went 90 consecutive holes at the Rolex Tournament of Champions between 2019 and 2020 without a bogey.
Zhang finished the second round at 5-under-par 67 and leads the Girls Division by three strokes at 7-under-par 137.
The reigning two-time Rolex Junior Player of the Year is already a two-time AJGA Invitational champion this year with wins at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship and The PING Invitational. She owns nine AJGA victories. Zhang also won the U.S. Women’s Amateur and finished T11 at the ANA Inspiration this year.
Xin (Cindy) Kou of (China) Whittier, California, is in second at 4-under-par 140. Kou moved up the leaderboard with a 5-under-par 67 in the second round. The University of Southern California signee owns 11 AJGA victories, which is seven short of the all-time Girls Division record. Kou is No. 3 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
Madison Hewlett of Oldsmar, Florida, and Amanda Sambach of Davidson, North Carolina, are T3 at 2-under-par 142. Hewlitt is a verbal commit to Florida State University and is No. 53 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. She won the 2019 AJGA Junior at Victoria Hills. Sambach, a University of Virginia signee, is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American with six AJGA victories. She won the 2018 Rolex Tournament of Champions.
Megha Ganne of Holmdel, New Jersey, is in fifth at 1-under-par 143. Ganne is No. 8 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings and a Stanford University verbal commit. She owns one AJGA victory.
Third-round tee times run from 7:30 - 9:20 a.m. on Friday, November 27. The Girls Division will be competing on the Champion Course, while the Boys Division will play the Fazio.
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Rolex, a Swiss watch manufacture headquartered in Geneva, is recognized the world over for its expertise and the quality of its products. It's Oyster Perpetual and Cellini watches, all certified as Superlative Chronometers for their precision, performance and reliability, are symbols of excellence, elegance and prestige. The word “Perpetual” is inscribed on every Rolex Oyster. But more than just a word on a dial, it is a philosophy that embodies the company’s vision and values. Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of the company, instilled a notion of perpetual excellence that would drive the company forward. This led Rolex to pioneer the development of the wristwatch and numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, and the Perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism, invented in 1931. Rolex has registered over 500 patents in the course of its history. A truly integrated and independent manufacturing company, Rolex designs, develops and produces in-house the essential components of its watches, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. Furthermore, Rolex is actively involved in supporting the arts and culture, sport and exploration, as well as those who are devising solutions to preserve the planet.