JERSEY CITY, NJ - Alice Ziyi Zhao of Irvine, California, carded four birdies during the third round to enter the final round with a total stableford score of 107. Scoring for stableford is as follows:
Paired with LPGA players Andrea Lee and Stephanie Kyriacou, Zhao opened her round with a bogey on the par-4 No. 1. She bounced back with a birdie on the par-4 No. 3 and a birdie on the par-4 No. 5. Zhao made her second bogey of the day on the par-5 No. 6 but made back-to-back birdies on the Nos. 7 and 8. On the back nine, Zhao made seven pars and two bogeys to close out her round. She will be paired with LPGA players Jeeno Thitkul and Celine Boutier in the final round.
"It was really cool and fun to learn from the pros and see how our games compare."
Aphrodite Deng of Short Hills, New Jersey, sits one point back of Zhao at 106 points. Paired with LPGA players Nelly Korda and Somi Lee, Deng put together a solid round that included three birdies. The New Jersey native looks to become the first local player to win the Mizuho Americas Open. She will be paired with Nelly Korda and Andrea Lee in the final round.
Rounding out the top 5:
3. Lily Peng of San Ramon, California - 105 points
4. Jude Lee of Walnut, California - 104 points
5. Avery McCrery of Wilmington, Delaware - 102 points
During the third and final round of the Mizuho Americas Open, AJGA juniors are paired with LPGA pros. Final round tee times will begin at 7:45 a.m. EDT off of Nos. 1 and 10.
The tournament will also be aired on Golf Channel from 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. EDT.