GRANITEVILLE, S.C. (March 21, 2025) – Aphrodite Deng shot a 6-under 66 on Friday to take a 4-stroke lead in the Girls Division of the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Golf Club, while Joshua Bai carded another 67 to hold a 2-shot lead in the Boys Division. 

Deng, who started the third round in second place, made seven birdies and just one bogey in what stands as the low round of the tournament so far, moving the Canadian to the top of the leaderboard at 8-under. Pimpisa Rubrong of Thailand and American Scarlett Schremmer are tied for second at 4-under, with Yujie Liu of China (-3) and Soomin Oh of South Korea (-1) rounding out the top five. 

“My opponents were making a lot of birdies so I wanted to keep up with them,” Deng said after playing with Schremmer, who made six birdies en route to a 3-under 69, and Rubrong, who settled for a 1-over 73 after leading the first two rounds. 

“I just played each shot trying not to make any errors,” said Deng, who is keeping the same mindset going into Saturday’s final round. “I just have to play my own game.”

In the Boys Division, Bai of New Zealand stayed at the top of the standings, a spot he has occupied since the Junior Invitational began Wednesday. He made seven birdies on Friday in a round that was only slowed by a double bogey on No. 17. 

“I felt like I was on autopilot, which is what I strive to feel like when I am playing my best golf,” Bai said. “I’m excited to have another round tomorrow, and the game plan doesn’t change – just have fun and have a crack at it.”

American Jackson Byrd matched Bai’s 67 to improve to 9-under for the tournament, just two strokes behind Bai at 11-under. American Miles Russell (-7) and Hugo Le Goff of France (-6) hold third and fourth, with two players tied at 4-under for fifth. 

Tee times for Saturday’s final round start at 9 a.m. Live scoring can be found at www.juniorinvitational.com. 

About the Junior Invitational

The 14th annual Junior Invitational features 24 of the top junior girl players and 36 of the top boy players 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. For more information and tickets, visit www.juniorinvitational.com.