Click here for leader photos from Day 2. Please credit Junior Invitational at Sage Valley.
Click here for Junior Invitational Second-Round Results.
GRANITEVILLE, S.C. (March 22, 2024) – Fifteen-year-old Asterisk Talley shot a second straight 2-under par 70 and has extended her lead in the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Golf Club to four strokes. Bowen Mauss, 17, and Louis Klein, 14, fired 4-under par 68s to finish the second round in a first-place tie at 6-under.
Playing in a steady rain, Talley, from Chowchilla, Calif., was equally steady carding five birdies to offset three bogies on the day. She carries a four-stroke lead into the final round of the prestigious Junior Invitational over Nikki Oh, a 16-year-old from Torrance, Calif.; Gianna Clemente, a 15-year-old from Estero, Fla.; and Rianne Malixi, a 17-year-old from Quezon City, Philippines. Oh had the low round of the day on the girl’s side firing a 3-under 69 to get into the mix.
“I like playing in tougher conditions, so this weather sets up well for me,” said Oh. “I’m just going continue with my same game plan tomorrow and play my best.”
Talley said her success on day one gave her confidence in her quest for her first gold jacket.
“After yesterday, I felt like I was in position to be in the running and could actually win,” said Talley. “The greens were a little slower today due to the rain. I was just trying to hit every green so I could have an easy one or two-putt. Tomorrow, I’m just going to play like we are all even and just play my game.”
Mauss, a 17-year-old from Draper, Utah, and Klein, a 14-year-old from Prague, Czech Republic, both began the day four shots behind day one leader Joshau Bai, a 17-year-old from Auckland, New Zealand. Bai had an up-and-down day on the wet course, finishing with a double bogey on the final hole to shoot a 2-over 74. He is one stroke back of the leaders and tied with Gerardo Gomez, an 18-year-old from San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and Taishi Moto, an 18-year-old from Yokohama, Japan. Gomez and Moto shot a 68 and 69, respectively, in the second round.
After a bogey on Hole No. 3, Klein was able to settle down with five birdies and all pars the rest of way. “I’m not looking at the leaderboard right now, I am focusing on tomorrow,” Klein said. “The job’s not finished. We have 18 more holes tomorrow so a lot of things can happen.”
The final round of the tournament begins at 9 a.m. ET on Saturday (March 23) at the Sage Valley Golf Club with players playing off the first and 10th holes due to potential rain. The leaders will tee off at 10:36 a.m. ET and 10:48 a.m. ET. The event is open to the public, and admission is free. Live scoring is available at www.juniorinvitational.com.
The 13th annual Junior Invitational features 24 of the top junior boy players and 36 of the top girls in the world. Recognized by Golfweek as the No. 1 junior event in golf, the Junior Invitational welcomes the best golfers from around the world to Sage Valley Golf Club in Graniteville, S.C. Founded in 2011, the Junior Invitational has become one of the most desired invitations in the world of competitive junior golf. Past participants have included some of the top names in golf: Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Colin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, Cameron Young, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Anna Davis, Megha Ganne and more.
Top Five Boys Results
T1. Bowen Mauss – 70-68=138; T1. Louis Klein – 70-68=138; T3. Gerardo Gomez – 71-68=139; T4. Taishi Moto – 70-69= 139; T4. Joshua Bai – 65-74=139
Top Five Girls Results
- 1. Asterisk Talley – 70-70=140; T2. Nikki Oh – 75-69=144; T2. Rianne Mikhaela Malixi – 73-71=144; T2. Gianna Clemente – 74-70=144; T5. Anna Canado – 74-71=145; T5. Yana Wilson – 75-70=145
Click here for photos from Day 2 of the 2024 Junior Invitational. Please credit Junior Invitational at Sage Valley.