San Antonio, TX - Kihei Akina of Kahuku, Hawaii, and Aphrodite Deng of (Canada) Short Hills, New Jersey, lead the 46th edition of the Rolex Tournament of Champions. Deng is currently at 8-under-par 208 after three-rounds, while Akina is at 4-under-par 212.
This year's Rolex Tournament of Champions features 80 players competing over four-days for the coveted year-end title. The field includes 45 players committed to play college golf, 67 past AJGA champions and 65 Rolex Junior All-Americans.
Akina posted a 1-under-par 71 third-round to hold onto to the lead. He leads by two strokes despite finishing his round bogey, double-bogey on his final two holes. With a victory tomorrow, Akina would become the first AJGA player (boy or girl) from Hawaii to win the Rolex Tournament of Champions.
The Hawaii native earned Rolex Junior All-American honors for the first time this year and is making his first Rolex Tournament of Champions start.
Gerardo Gomez of (Mexico) Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida, is in solo second at 2-under-par 214 for the tournament. His 1-under-par 71 third-round moved him up three spots on the leaderboard. The University of Arkansas signee is hoping to better his 2022 Rolex Tournament of Champions finish of solo fourth this year.
Phillip Dunham holds the solo third spot on the Boys Division leaderboard with a tournament score of even-par 216. His 1-over-par 73 third-round moved him up two spots on the leaderboard on a day in which windy conditions kept scores above par. Dunham is a 2026 graduate and is playing in his Rolex Tournament of Champions this week.
Deng, one of two 2028 graduates in the field this week, shot the low third-round in the Girls Division at 6-under-par 66. The Canada native battled tough windy conditions putting up a bogey-free front nine to start her day. As she made the turn a lone bogey on No. 12 set her back, but she bounced back with a quick birdie on No. 13.
Deng's 6-under-par 66 is tied for fourth all-time on the lowest 18-hole score for girls at the Rolex Tournament of Champions. Through three rounds she is 10-under-par on the front-nine, and 2-over-par on the back-nine.
This is Deng's first appearance in the Rolex Tournament of Champions. In Deng's first-round she recorded birdies on hole Nos. 1 through 5 which tied the Girls' all-time Rolex Tournament of Champions record for most birdies in a row. Deng won her first AJGA this year at the Moon Golf Junior All-Star. She is looking for her first invitational win this week.
Alice Ziyi Zhao of (China) Irvine, California, holds the solo second position at 3-under-par 213. Zhao's 2-under-par 70 second round moved her up one spot on the leaderboard. Zhao is looking for her first win this year and third AJGA win of her career. She starts the final-round five strokes behind the leader, Deng.
Second-round leader, Jasmine Koo of Cerritos, California, fell to the solo third position at 1-under-par 215.
Scarlett Schremmer of Birmingham, Alabama, is in solo fourth at even-par 216 and Lisa Herman of Jenks, Oklahoma, rounds out the top-5 in solo fifth at 1-over-par 217.
Play concludes tomorrow with the final-round starting off Nos. 1 and 10 from 8 to 10:10 am.
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About Rolex
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Rolex is an integrated and independent Swiss watch manufacture. Headquartered in Geneva, the brand is recognized the world over for its expertise and the quality of its products – symbols of excellence, elegance and prestige. The movements of its Oyster Perpetual and Perpetual watches are certified by COSC, then tested in-house for their precision, performance and reliability. The Superlative Chronometer certification, symbolized by the green seal, confirms that each watch has successfully undergone tests conducted by Rolex in its own laboratories according to its own criteria. These are periodically validated by an independent external organization.
The word ‘Perpetual’ is inscribed on every Rolex Oyster watch. 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. In the course of its history, Rolex has registered over 600 patents. At its four sites in Switzerland, the brand designs, develops and produces the majority of its watch components, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. Furthermore, the brand is actively involved in supporting the arts and culture, sport and exploration, as well as those who are devising solutions to preserve the planet.