Asher Vargas of Spring, Texas started his second round in the best way possible with an eagle hole-out from 92 yards on his first hole. He followed that up with a bogey on No. 2 but closed out the front nine with back-to-back birdies. He would record a bogey on No. 12 and a birdie on No. 15 to shoot 2-under-par, 68. Vargas sits two shots up and 6-under-par total ahead of the final round.
John Daniel Culbreth of Thomasville, Georgia holds a solo second spot after a round two of 3-under-par, 67. Culbreth started hot with birdies on four of his first five holes and a bogey-free front nine. He would hit a rough patch on the back carding a bogey on holes No. 10, 11 and 14. He bounced back in a big way with birdies on the 15th and 16th holes and secured a spot in the final pairing in round three.
Ronin Banerjee of Irvine, California, Carson Bertagnole of Pinehurst, North Carolina, and Brooks Simmons of Dallas, Texas are all 3-under-par for the tournament, placing them tied for third.
Banerjee came off a round of even par in the first round and came out today firing. He recorded birdies on two of his first three holes as well as on holes No. 5, 8 and 15. Banerjee lost his footing on his final tee shot of the day and found himself scrambling to make a bogey. He turned in a solid round of 3-under-par, 67 and will be playing in the final pairing with Vargas and Culbreth.
Bertagnole started with a strong birdie on the first hole but would only get two more to fall throughout the rest of the afternoon. A bogey on a tough 17th hole would leave him at 1-under-par, 69 for the day. Bertagnole is coming off a recent invitational victory at the Team TaylorMade Invitational and will look to make it two big victories to start the summer in tomorrow's final round.
Simmons started slowly with back-to-back bogeys on holes Nos. 3 and 4, but never did again. Three birdies with one coming on the iconic 18th, moved him to 1-under-par, 69 on the day and three shots back of the lead.
About Sedgefield Country Club
This year marks Sedgefield's 23rd year hosting the AJGA, a testament to the course's rich history. The 72 juniors in the field will compete on the same course that PGA TOUR players will play just two months later during the Wyndham Championship. Notably, 49 PGA TOUR winners have competed in the Wyndham Invitational. Additionally, past participants have achieved significant success, with 12 winning the U.S. Amateur Championship, 15 claiming the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship and seven capturing the NCAA D-I Men’s Individual Championship. Many of the juniors in this field will be in similar spots in the near future.
10 of the Top 35 Players in the Rolex AJGA Rankings
No. 7 Henry Guan of Dallas, Texas
No. 14 Carson Bertagnole of Pinehurst, North Carolina
No. 16 Phillip Dunham of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
No. 18 Michael Riebe of Encinitas, California
No. 20 Tyler Mawhinney of Fleming Island, Florida
No. 26 Clark Van Gaalen of Turlock, California
No. 27 Brady Catalano of Upper Arlington, Ohio
No. 28 Ronin Banerjee of Irvine, California
No. 30 Jake Albert of Blacksburg, Virginia
No. 33 John Daniel Culbreth of Thomasville, Georgia