Lynn Lim of Gallatin, Tennessee, leads the Girls Division by one stroke after round two of The PING Invitational. Kelly Chinn of Great Falls, Virginia, added to his Boys Division lead during the second round.
The 14th PING Invitational showcases the best of the next generation of future college and professional stars. The tournament is hosted at Karsten Creek, home to the Oklahoma State University Men's and Women's Golf teams.
There are 22 Rolex Junior All-Americans and 52 AJGA champions in the field. In addition, there are 44 college commits and five players hailing from four international countries.
Lim entered the day three off the lead after posting an even-par 72 in round one. Her first round was a roller coaster ride that featured six birdies canceled out by two doubles and a pair of bogeys. Lim flipped the script during round two however, registering three birdies and not a single bogey. Her 3-under-par 69 matches the lowest round of the tournament thus far.
I think I just kept my cool really well throughout the round. I was being patient and playing smart. Overall, it was just playing it safer than yesterday for sure.
Lim is verbally committed to Vanderbilt University. She won the 2019 AJGA Junior All-Star Invitational at Reynolds Lake Oconee and the 2020 UHY St. Louis Junior presented by Family Golf and Learning Center. The high school junior is No. 8 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. Lim will take a one-stroke lead heading into the final round at 3-under-par 141.
I'm just going to think of it as another round of golf, because that's what it ultimately comes down to.
Yunxuan (Michelle) Zhang of (China) Plano, Texas, and Catherine Rao of Camarillo, California, are T2 at 2-under-par 142.
Zhang fired six birdies in the second round for a 2-under-par 70. The SMU commit is a three-time AJGA champion and No. 11 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
Rao, who shared the first-round lead, posted a 1-over-par 73 in the second round. The high school junior won the 2018 AJGA Junior All-Star at Wood Ranch. She finished fourth at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship in August. She's No. 23 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
Alexa Pano of Lake Worth, Florida, is in fourth at 1-under-par 143. Pano is a three-time Rolex Junior All-American and a two-time AJGA champion. She won the Kathy Whitworth Invitational in March. Pano is No. 5 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
Frances Kim of Rolling Hills Estate, California, and Sophie Zhang-Murphy of Saratoga, California, are T5 at even-par 144.
Chinn is the only player in the field to post multiple under-par rounds after carding consecutive rounds of 2-under-par 70. He's made eight birdies through 36 holes and has yet to register a bogey on the back nine at Karsten Creek. The Duke University commit will enter the final round with a four-stroke lead at 4-under-par 140.
Everything was working well today. I was striking the ball a lot better in this wind and I continued to make those 5-10 footers to hold my lead.
Chinn won the 2019 Rolex Tournament of Champions and finished T2 at The Junior PLAYERS Championship over Labor Day weekend. The Rolex Junior All-American is No. 2 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
Gordon Sargent of Birmingham, Alabama, is in second at even-par 144. He posted a 1-under-par 71 in the first round and a 1-over-par 73 in round two. Sargent is a two-time AJGA champion and a two-time Rolex Junior All-American. The Vanderbilt University commit finished T6 at the AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods in February.
David Ford of Peachtree Corners, Georgia, is in third at 1-over-par 145. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill commit owns two victories this year at the AJGA Invitational at Sedgefield and The Junior PLAYERS Championship.
Jonas Appel of Encinitas, California, and William Sides of Tulsa, Oklahoma, are T4 at 3-over-par 147.
Final-round tee times run from 8:30 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. off No. 1 on Monday, October 12, at Karsten Creek.
The PING Invitational History
The inaugural PING Invitational took place in 2006. The first edition of the tournament was won by 5-time Rolex Junior All-American Andrew Yun and four-time Rolex Junior All-American Esther Choe. In addition to her victory at The PING Invitational, Choe also won the Rolex Girls Junior Championship and the Polo Golf Junior Classic that year.
Jordan Spieth is the only two-time champion in tournament history (2008 and 2010). Canon Claycomb broke Spieth's 54-hole scoring record in 2017 when he eagled the final hole of the tournament to reach 9-under-par 207.
Back @KarstenCreek for year 14 of the #PINGInv pic.twitter.com/nJh7CiTpZM
— AJGA (@AJGAGolf) October 9, 2020
Past champions are listed below:
2018 - Michael Thorbjornsen and Rose Zhang
2017 - Canon Claycomb and Lucy Li
2016 - Noah Norton and Paphangkorn Tavatanakit
2015 - Spencer Soosman and Nelly Korda
2014 - Donnie Trosper and Kaitlyn Papp
2013 - Brad Dalke and Megan Khang
2012 - Gavin Hall and Alison Lee
2011 - A.J. McInerney and Jaye Marie Green
2010 - Jordan Spieth and Kristen Park
2009 - Emiliano Grillo and Rachel Morris
2008 - Jordan Spieth and Victoria Tanco
2007 - Gregor Main and Vicky Hurst
2006 - Andrew Yun and Esther Choe
About PING
PING, a golf club manufacturer with the goal to help golfers play their best, has been an AJGA supporter since 1990 and began supporting the PING Phoenix Junior in 1991. The PING Invitational, one of the AJGA's top Invitationals held over Columbus Day weekend, began in 2006 at Karsten Creek. The PING Junior Solheim Cup, the all-girls match play biennial event, has received worldwide recognition and many participants are able to say they played for their country as a junior and professional.
PING, an Official Partner since 2002, sponsors PING College Golf Signing Day and in 2009, became "The Official Bag of the AJGA." In 2010, PING debuted golf bags for all AJGA champions.
About Karsten Creek Golf Club
Former Oklahoma State University head golf coach and current Athletic Director Mike Holder first envisioned Karsten Creek Golf Club in the 1970's. His goal was to create a sanctuary for college golf. With the help of renowned golf course designer Tom Fazio, that dream took shape over the next two decades.
On May 9th, 1994, Karsten Creek Golf Club officially opened, and was named "Best New Course" in the country by Golf Digest.
The course was named in honor of the late Karsten Solheim, founder of Karsten Manufacturing (PING). Lake Louise, featured on the finishing holes, was named in honor of Karsten's wife.
Karsten Creek Golf Club is home to the Oklahoma State Men's and Women's golf programs.
Karsten Creek officially opened on May 9th, 1994.
— AJGA (@AJGAGolf) October 10, 2020
Today, the course welcomes 78 of the best junior golfers in the world for the 14th #PINGInv. pic.twitter.com/7tDIhB6N8E
Social
Follow along on social with #PINGInv or check us out on Twitter
, Instagram
and Facebook
.