Jackson Byrd (left) and Asterisk Talley (AJGA Photo)
Jackson Byrd of Saint Simons Island, Georgia, and
Asterisk Talley of Chowchilla, California, are the champions of The 18th PING Invitational. Byrd and Talley both finished the event with a 7-under-par 209. Both champions won the event by two strokes.
Byrd started the round with an stray tee shot that ended in a bogey on the par-4 No. 1. He quickly recovered with a birdie on the par-4 No. 2. Byrd made two more birdies on the front nine to make the turn with a 2-under-par 34. On the back nine, the Clemson commit made a second bogey on the par-3 No. 13. He made back-to-back birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 and three pars to finish the day with a 3-under-par 69.
"I expected to be a little more nervous but I was trying to not thinking about the outcome," Byrd said. "When you're leading, you think about how great it would be to win, but you just have to stay in the present."
At No. 13 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, Byrd won in his debut at The PING Invitational and earned his first AJGA Invitational win.
Behind Byrd, Ronin Banerjee of Irvine, California, made five birdies on his last seven holes to finish in second place at 5-under-par 211.
University of Kentucky commit Cole Stockard of Dalton, Georgia, finished in solo third at 3-under-par 213. In a tie for fourth, Jackson Ormond of Webster, New York, and Miles Russell of Jacksonville, Florida, leaves the event at 1-under-par 215.
In the Girls Division, Talley entered the final round with a one-shot lead over the field. She made a birdie on the par-4 No. 2 but dropped a shot on the par-4 No. 3 after making a bogey. The two-time Rolex Junior All-American made two more birdies to make the turn with a 2-under-par 34. Talley played the back nine with one birdie and one bogey to finish the day with a 2-under-par 70 and to win The 18th PING Invitational in her tournament debut.
"It was a tough day out there with everyone being so close the whole round, but I pulled through on No. 18 with an easy par," Talley said. "I had a lot of clutch holes and kept it simple through the whole round. Fairways and greens all day."
The Class of 2027 junior was a member of the victorious United States PING Junior Solheim Cup team this year. The four-time AJGA Champion won the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, finished eighth in the Augusta National Women's Amateur, and captured the U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball title this year.
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Talley notched a huge point at the Curtis Cup this summer when she took down the No.1 female in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Lottie Woad.
"Getting to play with friends all three days definitely helps you stay calm throughout the whole round," Talley added.
In solo second place, two-time The PING Invitational Champion Gianna Clemente of Estero, Florida, finished at 5-under-par 211. Her round was highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 No. 8 and three birdies. In solo third, Stanford commit Nikki Oh of Torrance, California, had a tournament total of 4-under-par 212. Lily Peng of San Ramon, California, Clairey Lin of Palos Verdes Estates, California, and Texas A&M commit Natalie Yen of West Linn, Oregon, all tied four fourth place at 1-under-par 215.
The 18th PING Invitational showcases the best of the next generation of future college and professional stars. The tournament is hosted at The Saticoy Club. The venue change takes place after Karsten Creek undergoes renovations.
There are 26 Rolex Junior All-Americans and 64 AJGA champions in the field. In addition, there are 36 college commits and six countries represented.
View results for AJGA PING Invitational
ABOUT THE
AJGA PING Invitational
One of the AJGA series of tournaments that
require an invitation to participate. Format is 54
holes of stroke play.
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