BRADENTON, Fla. – Aphrodite Deng of Short Hills, New Jersey, fires a bogey-free 5-under-par 67 in the second round to extend her lead at The Nelly Invitational.
Deng improved her first-round 70 by three strokes on Sunday, also carding the lowest round of the tournament through 36 holes. At No. 13 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, Deng sits at 7-under-par 137 and holds a six-shot lead over the field.
The 14-year-old had five birdies, including three birdies in her final six holes to build on her lead. Deng is No. 13 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
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.
Following Deng, Scarlett Schremmer of Birmingham, Alabama, sits in second at 1-under-par 143 with rounds of 72-71. Schremmer has two top-10 finishes this year and is No. 40 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
In third place, Yu-Chu Chen of (Taiwan) Allen, Texas, is even-par at 144. Chen had two AJGA victories in 2023 and is making her 2024 AJGA debut at The Nelly Invitational.
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 final round will continue on Monday, May 6 with tee times from 7:30 a.m. – 9:10 a.m. off of No. 1 & 10 at The Concession Golf Club.
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She's here to stay.
— AJGA (@AJGAGolf) May 5, 2024
With a six-stroke lead, Deng (-7) leads #TheNellyInv ahead of the final round. pic.twitter.com/2gJNX7Vk1C