The PING Invitational
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The PING Invitational

Gianna Clemente and Jackson Byrd lead after round one of the #PINGInv

Clemente leads the Girls Division by two and Byrd leads the Boys Division by one
Gianna Clemente - 2024 - The PING Invitational (7).JPG

First-Round Leaderboard

Gianna Clemente of Estero, Florida, and Jackson Byrd of Saint Simons Island, lead after the first round of The PING Invitational.

Clemente fired a first-round score of 5-under-par 67. She made a birdie on her first hole of the day, the par-3 No. 10 and made two more birdies before making the turn. On the back nine, she made four birdies to offset a double-bogey on the par-4 No. 7.

These greens are really receptive which is great for me. I was just going at every pin and just being really aggressive with my putts. It paid off off today.
Gianna Clemente

Clemente is currently No. 2 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. She played on the victorious U.S. PING Junior Solheim Cup team this year and won the Mizuho Americas Open in May. The four-time Rolex Junior All-American is looking to become the first player in The PING Invitational history to win three times.

Amelie Zalsman of Saint Petersburg, Florida, is two strokes behind Clemente. Zalsman fired five birdies en route to a 3-under-par 69. In a tie for third, Jude Lee of Walnut, California, and Texas A&M commits Natalie Yen of West Linn, Oregon, and Brynn Kort of Henderson, Nevada, finished at 2-under-par 70.

Jackson Byrd - 2024 - The Ping Invitational.JPG

In the Boys Division, Byrd finished with a 3-under-par 69. The Clemson University commit made one bogey and three birdies on the front nine. With a birdie on the par-10 No. 3 and par-3 No. 13, he offset a second bogey to finish the round under par. The two-time Rolex Junior All-American holds a one stroke lead over Joshua Wang of Palo Alto, California, Blake Brown of Cypress, Texas, and Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach, Florida, at 2-under-par 70. Brown made five birdies on the back nine to finish the round under-par.

It sounds cliché, but I'm just going out there to have fun. Being out here with my friends is a good time. I don't really have anything to lose so I'm going to keep playing and have fun.
Jackson Byrd

Byrd finished tied for third place at the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic and represented the U.S. at the Junior Presidents Cup in Canada.

The 18th PING Invitational showcases the best of the next generation of future college and professional stars. The tournament is hosted at The Saticoy Club. The venue change takes place after Karsten Creek undergoes renovations.

There are 26 Rolex Junior All-Americans and 64 AJGA champions in the field. In addition, there are 36 college commits and six countries represented.

    Tournament History
    The inaugural PING Invitational took place in 2006 and in the tournament’s 18-year history, has crowned many notable past champions. Jordan Spieth is the only two-time Boys Division champion, winning in 2008 and 2010. Other notable champions include PGA TOUR player Emiliano Grillo and college standouts – Stanford senior Michael Thorbjornsen and 2023 Walker Cup team member Ben James, a sophomore at the University of Virginia.

    Rose Zhang, two-time Rolex Junior Player of the Year and LPGA Tour star, joined Spieth as the first two-time champion in the Girls Division with victories in 2018 and 2020. In 2021, Gianna Clemente of Estero, Florida, became the youngest champion at 13 years, 6 months, and 18 days old. Clemente successfully defended her title in 2022, winning by seven shots to join Spieth and Zhang. The 2026 grad will return to the event for a fourth year this October. Notable Girls Division champions also include: Nelly Korda, Alison Lee and Patty Tavatanakit.

    Past champions are listed below:
    2023 - Wheaton Ennis and Jasmine Koo
    2022 - Jay Leng Jr and Gianna Clemente
    2021 - Benjamin James and Gianna Clemente
    2020 - Kelly Chinn and Rose Zhang
    2019 - Event was canceled due to weather
    2018 - Michael Thorbjornsen and Rose Zhang
    2017 - Canon Claycomb and Lucy Li
    2016 - Noah Norton and Paphangkorn Tavatanakit
    2015 - Spencer Soosman and Nelly Korda
    2014 - Donnie Trosper and Kaitlyn Papp
    2013 - Brad Dalke and Megan Khang
    2012 - Gavin Hall and Alison Lee
    2011 - A.J. McInerney and Jaye Marie Green
    2010 - Jordan Spieth and Kristen Park
    2009 - Emiliano Grillo and Rachel Morris
    2008 - Jordan Spieth and Victoria Tanco
    2007 - Gregor Main and Vicky Hurst
    2006 - Andrew Yun and Esther Choe

    About PING
    PING, a golf club manufacturer with the goal to help golfers play their best, has been an AJGA supporter since 1990 and began supporting the PING Phoenix Junior in 1991. The PING Invitational, one of the AJGA's top Invitationals held over Columbus Day weekend, began in 2006 at Karsten Creek. The PING Junior Solheim Cup, the all-girls match play biennial event, has received worldwide recognition and many participants are able to say they played for their country as a junior and professional.

    An Official Partner since 2002, the golf club manufacturer sponsors PING College Golf Signing Day and became "The Official Bag of the AJGA" in 2009. In 2010, PING debuted golf bags for all AJGA champions. PING also became the AJGA's first Legacy Partner in 2020.

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