Joshua Bai sets the pace at the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley
3/19/2025 | by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com
see also: View results for Junior Invitational, Sage Valley Golf Club
Aphrodite Deng and Pimpisa Rubrong are tied for the lead in the girls division at the opening round
Joshua Bai shot an opening round 5-under 67 to take a one-shot lead in the boy's division into the second round of the 2025 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Golf Club in Graniteville, S.C.
This is deja vu for Bai after he opened up with a 7-under 65 last year at the Junior Invitational.
Last year, Bai shot a first-round 7-under 65 that consisted of seven birdies, an eagle, and two bogeys. He started his round with a bang, holing out for eagle on the par-4 No. 1 for a two to start the round.
This year, Bai recorded six birdies and one bogey, including three straight birdies on holes No. 14, 15, and 16.
Bai finished runner-up to Bryan Kim in the 2023 U.S. Junior Amateur and is currently ranked No. 230 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings.
Mason Howell is one shot back of Bai at 4-under, and Luke Colton, Miles Russell, and Hugo Le Goff are all T3 at 3-under to round out the top five.
In the girl's division, Aphrodite Deng and Pimpisa Rubrong are tied for the lead after the opening 18 holes. Both golfers shot rounds of 2-under 70 with three birdies and one bogey.
Yujie Liu and Soomin Oh are T3 at 1-under, and Alice Kong is even-par and in solo fifth place.
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Sage Valley Golf Club is a private national membership golf club located just outside Augusta, Georgia. The course and clubhouse are surrounded by several thousand acres of preserved southern pine forest providing a setting of serenity and tranquility found in visions of life in the south.
The course plays 7,437 yards from its championship tees and challenges every club in a golfer’s bag, from precise carries with long irons to deft touch around the green with one’s wedges and putter.
Past participants of the Junior Invitational 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.
Scheffler, the 2014 Junior Invitational champion, followed up an appearance at the 2022 Junior Invitational by capturing his first major at The Masters.
About the Junior Invitational
The Junior Invitational's mission is to operate the most prestigious junior golf championship in the world—an invitation-only 72-hole annual event (increased from 54 holes prior to 2025) for the top 36 boys and 24 girls from around the globe, hosted ...
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