Aphrodite Deng leads after first round of The Nelly Invitational

BRADENTON, Fla. – Aphrodite Deng of Short Hills, New Jersey, leads the first round of the inaugural Nelly Invitational with an opening two-under-par 70. Deng is No. 13 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings and holds a two-shot lead over the field of top-ranked girls in junior golf.

Deng, one of the youngest players in the field at 14-years-old, took her first lead when she recorded early birdies on Nos. 3 and 4. She made the turn at one-under-par 35 and finished her back nine with two birdies and one bogey.

Deng, the 2028 grad, has claimed two AJGA wins in the last two years, including one Invitational victory at the 2023 Rolex Tournament of Champions. She was also named a 2023 Rolex Junior All-American and Junior All-Star team member.

The following five players are tied for second at even-par 72:

• Lisa Herman of Jenks, Oklahoma
• Scarlett Schremmer of Birmingham, Alabama
• Elise Lee of Irvine, California
• Anna Fang of San Diego, California
• Remi Bacardi of Miami, Florida

The all-girls Nelly Invitational brings the top-ranked junior golfers in the world to compete at The Concession Golf Club for a 54-hole, stroke-play tournament.
This will be Concession's first AJGA event since hosting the Rolex Girls Junior Championship 2012. Nelly Korda, a standout LPGA Tour player, AJGA alumna and Team TaylorMade athlete, will serve as the tournament host to the inaugural event.

The 2024 event includes nine of the top 25 girls in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. Representatives from eight foreign countries and 16 U.S. states are competing in the inaugural all-girls event.

There are also 27 players who have committed verbally or with a National Letter of Intent to play college golf. The field consists of 44 past AJGA champions and 24 Rolex Junior All-Americans.

The second round continues on Sunday with tee times from 9:40 a.m. – 1:10 p.m. off of No. 1.

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