Asterisk Talley (Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Photo)
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.
Clemente is ranked No. 101 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com Women's Rankings.
“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 a 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 Joshua Bai, a 17-year-old from Auckland, New Zealand.
Bai is currently ranked No. 118 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings.
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 the 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.”
Recap courtesy of Junior Invitational at Sage Valley
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ABOUT THE Junior Invitational
The Junior Invitational's mission
is to operate the most prestigious junior golf
championship in the world—an invitation-only
annual event for the top 36 boys and 24 girls from
around the globe, hosted by the renowned Sage
Valley Golf Club.
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