BRADENTON, Fla. - Clara Ding of White Rock, British Colombia, Canada leads the first round of The Nelly Invitational presented by Chevron with a 7-under-par 65. Currently ranked at No. 15 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, she has a six-shot lead over the rest of the field.
At just 14 years old, Ding took an early lead with a four-under-par front nine, finishing it off with three consecutive birdies. She carried that momentum into the back nine, where he added four more birdies to cap off the round.
"My ball striking was decent today, and I did a good job of staying in the present."
The class of 2029 graduate, has won two AJGA in 2024 including the RLX Ralph Lauren Classic. The Rolex Junior All-American is looking to improve upon her 14th place finish from the inaugural year.
The following two players are tied for second at 1-under-par 71:
- Gianna Clemente of Estero, Florida
- Honorine Nobuta Ferry of Flower Mound, Texas
The Nelly Invitational presented by Chevron brings the top-ranked junior golfers in the world to compete at The Concession Golf Club for a 54-hole, stroke-play tournament. The 2025 event includes 12 of the top 25 girls of the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
Representatives from 12 foreign countries and 18 U.S. states are set to compete in the all-girls event. There are also 32 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 27 Rolex Junior All-Americans.
Nelly Korda, a standout LPGA player Tour player, AJGA alumna and Team TaylorMade athlete, will serve the tournament host for the second time. Korda joined the LPGA Tour in 2017 and has had 13 career victories, with five so far in 2024, including two majors at the 2021 KPMG Women's PGA Championship and the 2024 Chevron Championship.
The second round continues on Saturday with tee times from 8:00 a.m. – 9:40 a.m. off of No. 1.