Meja Ortengren of Stockholm, Sweden, extended her lead to four strokes after recording a 2-under-par 70 on the Fazio Course. Jackson Koivun of San Jose, California, took his solid play to the Champions Course and shot a 3-under-par 68. Koivun now has a four-stroke lead over the Boys Division at the Rolex Tournament of Champions.
The 44th edition of the Rolex Tournament of Champions features 144 of the best junior golfers in the world from 14 different countries. The tournament combines the 2021 Rolex Junior All-Americans and Rolex Scholastic Honorees with many of this year's AJGA champions to create The Greatest Week in Junior Golf. There are 69 current or former Rolex Junior All-Americans in the field, with a total of 93 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.
Ortengren started the second round the same way she did the first, with a birdie. She went on to go eight consecutive holes with pars before carding two birdies on Nos. 10 and 12. Ortengren now sits atop the leaderboard at 6-under-par 138.
Kaitlyn Schroeder of Jacksonville, Florida, moves up the leaderboard and now sits in second at 2-under-par 142. Schroeder is a verbal commit to the University of Alabama and a 2021 second team Rolex Junior All-American. Alexa Pano of Lake Worth, Florida, is right behind Schroeder in third at 1-under-par 143. Pano is a first team 2021 Rolex Junior All-American.
Three girls share fourth place at even-par 144:
- Julia Misemer of Overland Park, Kansas
- Kary Hollenbaugh of New Albany, Ohio
- Yurang Li of Fullerton, California
Koivun, a Rolex Junior All-American, now sits at 8-under-par 135. The 2023 graduate is No. 8 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. Koivun's second round had two birdies on his first nines and another one coming on his last nine. His round was highlighted by an eagle on the par 5 No. 3.
Michael La Sasso of Raleigh, North Carolina, Boyd Owens of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Ben James of Milford, Connecticut, are T2 at 4-under-par 139. La Sasso signed a letter of intent with North Carolina State University. Owens signed a letter of intent to Wake Forest University. James has three AJGA invitational wins this year at the Team TaylorMade Invitational, The Junior PLAYERS Championship, and The PING Invitational.
Four juniors sit T5 at 3-under-par 140:
- Eric Lee of Fullerton, California
- William Love of Atlanta, Georgia
- Jean-Philippe Parr of St-Célestin, Quebec, Canada
- Caleb Surratt of Indian Trail, North Carolina
Third-round tee times run from 7:30 - 9:20 a.m. on Wednesday, November 24. The Girls Division will be competing on the Champion Course, while the Boys Division will play the Fazio.
About Rolex
An unrivalled reputation for quality and expertise
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.