The AGJA’s all-girls Nelly Invitational concluded and Aphrodite Deng, 14, of Short Hills, New Jersey, captured the win by one stroke, finishing 2-under-par. LPGA player, Nelly Korda, was onsite serving as the tournament host. Memories, laughs, and inspiration were everywhere.
Korda reminisced about her past AJGA tournaments. She smiled when she recalled golfing alongside her fellow junior players, Alison Lee, Megan Khang, and Alison Corpuz. The foursome, who all play on the LPGA tour today, are still her close friends. Korda’s fondest memory was when she represented team USA in the 2015 Junior Solheim Cup. Back in those days, she never imagined she would be hosting her own AJGA tournament. It is a true full circle moment, and she was soaking it all in.
Korda enjoyed seeing the junior's genuine love of the game and the innocence they still have. She reflected on the game of golf and said the more a person plays the game and the older they are, they can develop a bit of scar tissue, but she didn’t see that in the juniors. She felt a sense of rejuvenation seeing how free and in the moment they were; their love of the game was evident and Korda was inspired by them.
Deng, the champion, said her goal was to get out there and have fun. Hugs, smiles, and laughs showed the players were having a great time at The Nelly Invitational. They embraced each other when they came off the course, took fun selfies, and recapped their performance over lunch.
The world-renowned golfer’s presence was teaching the girls they can dream big. Only nine years ago, Korda was in a similar position to the girls competing at The Nelly Invitational. At the time, she was playing in several AJGA events. She was a three-time Rolex Junior All-American who cinched two AJGA Invitational titles in 2015 then joined the LPGA Tour in 2017. Since then, she has won two majors and an Olympic Gold medal; she is currently on a five-win streak and is the #1 ranked female golfer in the world.
Many of the juniors hope to follow a similar path of success. While they prefer to take it one step at a time, several discussed their dream of joining the LPGA tour.
As for the winner, Deng, in addition to the trophy and other awards, she received a TaylorMade Chevron Champion major staff bag autographed by Nelly Korda. Deng said the bag won’t hit the course, rather it will proudly be displayed in her house as great memory of an amazing tournament.