BRADENTON, Fla. – Aphrodite Deng of Short Hills, New Jersey, wins The Nelly Invitational with a tournament total of 2-under-par 214. Her wire-to-wire victory marks the second Invitational win for the 14-year-old in just six months.
Deng started the inaugural event with a first-round 2-under-par 70 and extended her lead shooting the low round of the tournament with a 67 in the second round. The 2028 grad was challenged over the course of the final 18 holes, battling to hold off the field.
She finished the back nine at 2-over-par for a final-round score of 77 to win by one stroke. Deng is No. 13 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings and one of the youngest players in the field.
It means a lot to me being the first person to win The Nelly Invitational, it's really cool. I was just trying to play every shot, the best I can and hit as many greens as I can. It's really awesome to be here and even better to win.
This is her third-career AJGA victory. Her first was at the 2023 Moon Golf Junior All-Star in April. She then went on to finish runner-up and solo-second at her next two AJGA events. Deng finished fourth in the 1st Clubs for Kids Foundation Junior All-Star Invitational before winning her first Invitational at the 2023 Rolex Tournament of Champions in November.
Her 2023 performance earned her Rolex Junior All-American and Junior All-Star team honors. Deng was one of six players from the class of 2028 to compete. She will make her debut in the Mizuho Americas Open, also in May.
Finishing in a tie for second place, Scarlett Schremmer of Birmingham, Alabama, and Amelie Zalsman of Saint Petersburg, Florida, had a tournament total of 1-under-par 215. This is the best Invitational finish for both Schremmer and Zalsman.
In solo fourth, Anna Fang of San Diego, California, finished at even-par 216, while Yu-Chu Chen of (Taiwan) Allen, Texas, finished fifth at 3-over-par 219.
The following players round out the top 10:
T6. Elizabeth Rudisill of Charlotte, North Carolina, 4-over-par 220
T6. Jude Lee of Walnut, California, 4-over-par 220
T6. Elise Lee of Irvine, California, 4-over-par 220
T6. Anna Huang of (Canada) Coto De Caza, California, 4-over-par 220
T10. Kinsley (Zixin) Ni of (China) Los Angeles, California, 6-over-par 222
T10. Siuue Wu of (Hong Kong) Reunion, Florida, 6-over-oar 222
The all-girls Nelly Invitational brings the top-ranked junior golfers in the world to compete at The Concession Golf Club for the first AJGA event since hosting the Rolex Girls Junior Championship 2012. Nelly Korda, a standout LPGA Tour player, AJGA alumna and Team TaylorMade athlete, served as the tournament host to the inaugural event.
Follow along on social with #TheNellyInv or check us out on X , Instagram and Facebook .
History made. 🏆
— AJGA (@AJGAGolf) May 6, 2024
Deng (-2) goes wire-to-wire to claim the inaugural #TheNellyInv champion title. pic.twitter.com/irOYTedOPV