Tag: Sage Valley

Georgia-bound Savannah De Bock is everything that’s great about junior and amateur golf

So much attention is paid to pro golf that it’s easy to forget the true essence of the game is at the amateur level.

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. – Nobody had more fun than Savannah De Bock at the 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley.

The Belgian had such a big smile on her face all week at the nation’s top junior tournament that you’d think she won by a landslide, when in reality she finished on the bottom half of the leaderboard. When’s the last time you walked off a green with a smile after making a double bogey? De Bock did it at least twice.

“Well, it’s really important for me to stay positive, because nothing good can come from me being negative,” she explained. “I’m a really outgoing person, really positive person, so that’s just my way of being and if I’m not joyous, what am I?”

De Bock, No. 51 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, has an infectious personality that you can’t help but gravitate towards. She was sitting alone eating lunch after Saturday’s final round at the pristine Sage Valley Golf Club when four players from the boys’ side of the annual competition immediately came to join her as soon as they saw her. Not long after sitting down the laughter ensued.

“I made new friends, not only my roommates and other girls, but actually other boys, so that’s cool,” said De Bock. “I think I’ll remember the spirit of friendship that was here, I felt at home here.”

Wire-to-wire: Anna Davis, Aldrich Potgieter dominate 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley

She entertained her caddie all week long with songs and jokes and had animated discussions in the middle of the round with fellow players about scrambled eggs. De Bock danced around the property from event to event each night, often in her Gryffindor sweatshirt (a fitting house placement for all you Harry Potter fans out there). After dinner one night, De Bock grabbed a piece of chocolate cake for desert but couldn’t find a fork. Without skipping a beat, she grabbed some chopsticks and went on her merry way.

While she didn’t leave Sage Valley with the trophy, De Bock will take home countless memories, new friends and the unofficial title as the Most Fun Player of the Week.

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“It was just amazing. Everyone is so nice here. I made a lot of friends so that’s really cool,” De Bock said of her experience. “The course is in such great shape. I’ve never played a course so well maintained in my life. The greens are really hard but it’s really fun to play. I learned a lot, so that’s cool. I’m a bit disappointed about my score overall, but I’ve learned a lot, so that’s nice.”

If De Bock was impressed with Sage Valley, she’ll be blown away in two weeks when she ventures 20 miles down the road for the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

“Mostly excited,” she said of her ANWA debut. “A little nervous because it’s such a big competition but I’m looking forward to it.”

De Bock isn’t new to big competitions, especially after her appearance at the Junior Invitational. She won the 2022 European Ladies’ Amateur and finished 14th at the Ladies European Tour’s The Mithra Belgian Ladies Open. That said, she doesn’t have a television at home, so she hasn’t seen much of the ANWA or Masters, but she has spoken about it with her friend and fellow Belgian Clarisse Louis, a two-time ANWA competitor.

After competing in the ANWA, De Bock will head home to Belgium before returning to the Peach State in the fall to attend the University of Georgia, where she’s interested in studying anything from genetics to communication and journalism.

“I’m really looking forward to it because it’s such a great place to train. I know I’m gonna be able to study at the same time, which is always a little hard in Europe. So I’m really excited about it.”

There’s so much attention paid to the professional tours and the millions of dollars at stake that it’s easy to forget the true essence of the game is at the amateur level. Thankfully there are players like De Bock to remind us of that.

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Wire-to-wire winners: Anna Davis, Aldrich Potgieter dominate en route to 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley titles

Last year’s Junior Invitational featured a pair of playoffs. The theme of this year’s event was wire-to-wire winners.

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. — Last year the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley featured a pair of playoffs to decide the boys and girls titles. The theme of this year’s event was wire-to-wire winners.

Aldrich Potgieter and Anna Davis were out in front all week at the nation’s top junior tournament and will leave the pristine club among the South Carolina pines with the trophies and the event’s signature gold jackets. Each player held a five-shot lead entering Saturday’s final round and won in impressive fashion.

“I went into the week wanting to win, thinking I was gonna win,” said Davis after the final round. “I’ve always had high expectations for myself.”

Nika Ito, who finished solo second, holed out from the fairway for eagle on the 17th hole to put the pressure on Davis, who was keeping tabs on the leaderboard all afternoon.

“That’s my second time getting holed-out on having the lead, so I was used to it and thought, ‘Okay, it’s fine. It happens,'” said Davis. “When you’re in that position, you kind of have to expect that stuff to happen so it doesn’t catch you off guard.”

Davis responded by hitting a “pretty bad second shot” that narrowly avoided the water guarding the 17th green.

“I had room because I’m left-handed. If I was right-handed, I would have been standing in the water,” explained Davis. From there the rising star followed Ito’s lead and chipped in to stop the momentum swing.

Davis, an Auburn commit, turned 17 on Friday and celebrated her birthday by walking in the winning putt from just off the 18th green with some serious swagger to finish at 7 under for the tournament.

“Kind of a douche bag move,” she said with a chuckle after the round. “Right off the putter face I thought, ‘that has to be in,’ so I walked it in.”

Ito finished two shots back at 5 under, with Kiara Romero in third at even par after firing the day’s low round of 5-under 67.

Next up for Davis is her title defense in two weeks at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, where she’ll enter with even more pressure and expectations after her win in 2022.

“I think it just it helps like knowing that I can play in this area,” Davis said of the momentum she’ll take to her ANWA title defense. “Augusta and Champions Retreat are very similar to this course. I think just being able to play this kind of golf, being comfortable and being familiar with the area is always very helpful. So I think that just adds on to my win last year.”

Potgieter, the defending British Amateur champion, made eight birdies to win by a whopping 10 shots to set a record for the largest margin of victory in tournament history. The South African fired rounds of 65-70-68 to finish at 13 under for the week. Lee Byungho and Aaron Pounds finished T-2 at 3 under, with Eric Lee in fourth at 1 under and Preston Stout in fifth at even par.

“Yeah, it was awesome week, I really enjoyed it,” Potgieter said of his Junior Invitational debut and win. “Today was good a round. I struggled for a stretch, the par-5 fourth I missed a five-footer or something for birdie and then missed one on five. So that was kind of a disappointing break, but I knew that the back nine had a lot of opportunities and still having to play three par fives, I was still confident enough to put a good score on the board.

“I always run back to what Tiger Woods said, you don’t come to a tournament not to win. I came to kind of prepare for the Masters and getting the win here just gives me more confidence going into that,” added Potgieter. “I think this golf course is pretty similar to Augusta National, so I’m taking this as a learning curve to that course and if I play like this week, I think I’ll do pretty good.”

Potgieter was pleasantly surprised that the rest of the boys field struggled to score while he was under par each day this week.

“Most of the guys were just kind of pissed at me because I was hitting it 50 yards passed everyone,” he jokingly said with a laugh, “so I guess that makes the golf course a little bit easier, carrying all the bunkers and getting in play still.”

As the British Amateur champion, Potgieter earned an spot in the field for the 2023 Masters and will join Davis at Augusta National in two weeks time.

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Anna Davis, Aldrich Potgieter lead at Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, where no lead is safe

The first-round leaders remain atop the leaderboard, but each has a few players within striking distance.

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. – The players at the 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley are treated like royalty the minute they step on the picturesque property tucked away behind the South Carolina pines. They also have 18 king and queen-sized challenges waiting for them as soon as they put a tee in the ground.

Known as one of, if not the best junior golf tournaments in the world, this year’s Junior Invitational – which boasts a field of the top girls and boys golfers from around the world – has been a survival of the fittest test this week, and Friday’s second round at Sage Valley Golf Club was no different. The winds were high, and for the second consecutive day, the scores were as well.

First-round leaders Anna Davis and Aldrich Potgieter remain atop the leaderboard, but each has a few players within striking distance entering the final round.

Davis looks to celebrate 17th birthday with win

Davis turned 17 on Friday and celebrated by taking a five-shot lead over the field to hold a commanding lead ahead of Saturday’s finale.

“It was kind of the same thing as yesterday, I hit just about every fairway and green and then one putt or two putt and then move on to the next hole,” said Davis, who was dissatisfied with her putting on Thursday despite taking the early lead with a 2-under 70. The defending Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion was one shot better on Friday with a 3-under 69. “I just started off a little better, I didn’t have as many three putts so I just had a better start to the round.”

Nika Ito is in solo second at even par, with Fiona Xu and Andrea Revuelta T-3 at 2 over. Kati Li and Bailey Shoemaker round out the top five at 3 over.

While you may think a five-to-eight-shot advantage may be insurmountable, don’t forget what happened last year at Sage Valley, where Shoemaker lost a seven-shot lead in the final round and wound up falling short to Amalie Leth-Nissen in a playoff.

“I love to come from behind, I think that’s the best place to be. Having a lead is pretty hard, especially having a two-day lead,” explained Shoemaker, a USC commit. “I know what happened to me last year, so I’d like to turn the tables and get my own little taste of it. So hopefully, hopefully, I can do a little bit like Amalie did to me last year.

“I’ve been thinking about Sage Valley for the last three months, just hoping to get my little taste of revenge. Hopefully,I can shoot something tomorrow and just post the score and give myself a chance.”

Can anyone catch Potgieter?

Over on the boys’ side, Potgieter has a five-shot lead of his own after following a Thursday 65 with a Friday 70 to sit at 9 under, but he’s not the only player to go low this week. Connor Williams, bound for Arizona State in the fall, fired a bogey-free 5-under 67 on Friday to clip Eduardo Derbez Torres (68) for the day’s low round.

“Honestly, the first few holes I was hitting it really good, gave myself chances. I had a rough stretch off the tee from Nos. 7-10, hit a really bad drive on 10 but got a good break from a kick back in the fairway,” Williams said of his round. “From there I locked in, took it low and made a good eagle on 15, hit a really good drive and only had a 7-iron in, so that helped a lot. Closed it out well.

“You gotta give every shot your full attention because you know the next one can be just as hard,” added Williams, who has become friends with Potgieter after sharing a cottage with him this week. “I did a great job with that today. I took it one step at a time, didn’t really get ahead of myself and it worked out well.”

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With their eyes on Augusta National, Aldrich Potgieter and Anna Davis take early Junior Invitational at Sage Valley leads

Both players will be at Augusta National in two weeks, but they still have 36 holes to go in South Carolina first.

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. – The beauty of Sage Valley Golf Club disarms you when you step on the property.

And then you take your first swing.

The pristine course proved it’s a more than capable test of talent Thursday during the first round of the 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, where the best junior players from around the world were largely flummoxed on a nearly perfect (albeit chilly in the morning) day.

Well, not everyone.

Aldrich Potgieter put his windows down and his round on cruise control to the tune of a bogey-free, 7-under 65 in the opening round. The South African made birdie on his first four holes of the day and added three more on Nos. 6, 11 and 15 to take a commanding six-shot lead into Friday’s second round. Bryan Kim, Eric Lee, William Jennings and Preston Stout are all T-2 at 1 under.

“I hit most of the fairways, was unlucky on the last hole, it ran through the fairway just on the left side and went into a divot so didn’t really have a look for birdie there, but yeah, really solid,” said Potgieter. “Left the chip short on 17, almost holed it, and on 16, so that was really good. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

The 18-year-old is also looking forward to a trip 20 miles down the road in a few weeks to Augusta National Golf Club. As the defending British Amateur champion, Potgieter earned exemptions into both the legendary 150th Open at St. Andrews last year, as well as the Masters this year.

“(The Open) just gave me so much experience and I’m looking forward to the Masters now coming up,” he said. “I’m trying to use this week to prepare for Augusta, both have quick greens, and this golf course is so good.”

Potgieter has yet to make his first trip down Magnolia Lane, but he did pick the brain of two-time PGA Tour winner Tom Kim, who played Augusta National earlier this week before an appearance at Wednesday’s Nike Night at the Junior Invitational.

“The Masters is probably the biggest tournament I grew up watching on TV. Seeing that chip in from Tiger, I watch that probably five times a year on YouTube,” explained Potgieter. “To play (the Masters) at a young age is just unbelievable.”

Speaking of, on the girls side of the leaderboard, 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion Anna Davis leads the way after a 2-under 70 on Thursday. Davis struggled at the start after two bogeys over her first three holes but found some rhythm with four birdies over Nos. 6-10 to take a two-shot lead into Friday. Nika Ito and Andrea Revuelta are T-2 at even par.

“I was hitting it really close most of the day. I kind of had a rocky start there for a second on the front nine, but I brought it back,” said Davis of her round. “I think I was just hitting every fairway, hitting every green, putting kind of let me down a little bit today, but other than that it’s good.”

Around this time last year, the now-16-year-old from Spring Valley, California, was an underdog winner at the ANWA. These days, she’s the favorite every tournament she tees it up.

“I’ve gotten used to it, kind of knowing people know my name now, people know my face. People are gonna put pressure on you because they expect you to win these tournaments, but I just don’t really let that get to me,” said Davis. “I know all these girls are great players. I know everybody has a chance to win. The attention is nice sometimes, but yeah I think I’m alright with it.”

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Sage Valley Junior Invitational competitors hit bombs into the night with PGA Tour pro Tom Kim

Kim, a two-time winner on Tour at 20 years old, is just 2-3 years older than the junior competitors.

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. — The players aren’t the only stars at the Sage Valley Junior Invitational.

The day before Thursday’s first round of the nation’s premier junior golf tournament – whose field boasts the top 10 in both the boys and girls Golfweek/Sagarin rankings – former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow spoke to the 36 boys and 24 girls competing for the gold jacket and even played a practice round with last year’s girls runner-up, Bailey Shoemaker.

Later on in the evening, rising star and two-time PGA Tour winner Tom Kim was on hand to record a podcast with five-time LPGA winner Michelle Wie West and Hally Leadbetter and play an alternate-shot game with a handful of the players on Sage Valley’s under-the-lights par 3 course.

Meet Gianna Clemente: The 14-year-old who Monday-qualified for three consecutive LPGA events

“I never had the opportunity that these kids had, so it’s really cool for me to come out and see the juniors and play with them,” said Kim, the 20-year-old on a meteoric rise through professional golf. “Some of these kids are just 2 years younger than me, so we’re not far apart. I’m so used to seeing the older guys on Tour so it’s kinda cool to see some kids around my age and we definitely had some fun.”

After the alternate-shot game – where Kim and SVJI competitor Macy Pate lost after he missed a three-footer – the pro stayed on the par 3 to take some pictures and answer some questions from a dozen or so players. When one player asked if they could hit his driver, Kim couldn’t help but say yes, and the lot took turns bombing balls into the night sky.

“The biggest thing was just having fun with the kids and giving them an experience they won’t forget.”

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Golf’s future men’s, women’s stars align at 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley

Everything you need to know for one of, if not the, best junior golf tournaments in the world.

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. — Founded in 2011, the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley has become one of, if not the, best competitions in junior golf.

This year’s event at Sage Valley Golf Club, a private, pristine gem of a course nestled among the pines less than 20 miles from famed Augusta National Golf Club, features a loaded field of some of junior golf’s best players from 17 different countries.

Junior Invitational returned to the amateur schedule in 2022 after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the 54-hole event featured a new wrinkle: a girls competition held concurrently alongside the boys. Last year’s event didn’t just include the first girls field, but also the first playoff. Not only that, both boys and girls champions were decided by a playoff.

With a pair of gold jackets on the line, here’s everything you need to know for this week’s 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley.

Meet Gianna Clemente: The 14-year-old who Monday-qualified for three consecutive LPGA events

The fields

Neither defending champion will be back in 2023, but Bailey Shoemaker, who held a seven-shot lead entering the final round in 2022 and lost to girls champion Amalie Leth-Nissen in a playoff, returns as a favorite alongside 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion Anna Davis and nine of the top-10 players in the Golfweek/Sagarin girls ranking.

Of the 24 girls in the field, 13 are from the United States, with two from Spain and one from Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Germany, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Taiwan.

The 36-player boys field includes the top-12 players in the Golfweek/Sagarin ranking, such as No. 1 Preston Stout and 2022 AJGA Player of the Year Eric Lee. A whopping 25 of the boys players hail from the United States, while Mexico and the United Kingdom each have two players in the field. Canada, the Netherlands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and Thailand each have one player in the field.

Records

The lowest rounds recorded both occurred during the inaugural event in 2011, where both Nick Reach (first round) and Justin Thomas (final round) shot 10-under 62. The closest since? That’d be 2019 champion Tom McKibbin, who fired an 8-under 64 in his final round.

Reach also holds the record for lowest 54-hole total after winning by eight shots in 2011 at 20 under following impressive rounds of 62-66-68. Last year’s playoff participants Luke Potter and champion Caleb Surratt each finished at 14 under, the second-best 54-hole total in event history.

On the flipside, the girl’s record books are primed for filling after last year’s inaugural event. Shoemaker holds the mark for lowest score with her 7-under 65 in the second round in 2022, which was two shots better than Davis’ 5-under 67 in the opening round.

Leth-Nissen and Shoemaker each finished at 5 under for the tournament before their playoff.

Past champions

2011: Nicholas Reach

2012: Zachary Olsen

2013: Carson Young

2014: Scottie Scheffler

2015: Marcus Kinhult

2016: Austin Eckroat

2017: Joaquin Niemann

2018: Akshay Bhatia

2019: Tom McKibbin

2020: Jackson Van Paris

2022: Caleb Surratt (boys), Amalie Leth-Nissen (girls)

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2021 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley canceled due to coronavirus precautions

The 2021 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, featuring the top youth golfers in the nation, has been canceled.

The 2021 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Golf Club has been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.

Pete Davis, chairman of the SVJI Sports Foundation said the decision to cancel the tournament came after exhausting all other options, but that the health of everyone involved was the top priority.

“While we’re disappointed to cancel the Junior Invitational, it’s imperative that we prioritize the health of all participants, families, golf course staff and others needed to stage a world-class event like this,” he said in a news release. “The Foundation Board, the Tournament Committee and the Club at Sage Valley examined every possible alternative, and we ultimately determined it was not feasible to host the tournament this year due to the ongoing issues with COVID-19, new travel restrictions and unknowns surrounding the vaccine rollout.”

Last year’s tournament also felt effects from the coronavirus. Spectator and media access was restricted following the first round in hopes of completing the event on schedule.

This year, was also supposed to be the inaugural girls’ event, was to be held alongside the Junior Invitational.

“This was going to be a historic year with the addition of the world’s top junior girl golfers, which makes this even more disappointing,” Davis said. “Eligibility for the 2022 Junior Invitational will begin anew. We’re saddened for the boys and girls aging out of the event, and we wish them the best in their bright futures in college golf and beyond. We look forward to a safe and strong return next March.”

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In midst of coronavirus cancelations, Jackson Van Paris wins Junior Invitational at Sage Valley

Jackson Van Paris, a junior from Pinehurst, North Carolina, won 2020 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley while coronavirus raged.

It was a week to remember for Jackson Van Paris.

Not only did the junior from Pinehurst, North Carolina, win the 2020 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley by two shots at 9-under 207, but he did it in the midst of a global pandemic.

The threat of coronavirus didn’t shatter Van Paris’s focus in Graniteville, South Carolina. On Saturday, he not only set aside coronavirus concerns, but picked up his final round exactly where he left it Friday afternoon. Four under at the turn Friday, Van Paris kept focused Saturday, going 1 under on the back nine to finish the round with a 67. Van Paris shot rounds of 71 and 69 leading up to the final round.

Verbally committed to Vanderbilt, Van Paris also won the Sea Pines Junior Heritage in February, 2019 Hope Valley Junior Invitational and 2019 AJGA Simplify Boys Championship. Van Paris has also competed in the Rolex Junior All-American in 2017 and 2018 and the 2018 U.S. Amateur Championship at Pebble Beach at the age of 14.

Luke Potter earned second at 7 under after finishing his final round with three-straight bogeys. A sophomore from Encinitas, California, Potter carded a final-round 2-under 70, after beginning the day 4 under through nine holes.

Three strokes behind Van Paris in third at 6 under were Michael Brennan, Tyler Wilkes and second-round leader Maxwell Moldovan.

Moldovan, who also led through 45 holes, was runner-up at the 2019 Junior Invitational. The senior from Uniontown, Ohio, held a two-shot lead at the conclusion of play Friday, but went 3 over Saturday on the back nine, including a double bogey on 18 to fall short of the title once again. Moldovan finished the event with rounds if 70-65-71.

Brennan carded a 6-under 66 Saturday, the most impressive final round in the field and tied for second-lowest score of the week. The senior from Leesburg, Virginia, climbed the leaderboard Friday, going 6 under on the final round’s front nine, including an eagle on the par-5 fourth.

Reigning U.S. Junior Amateur champion Preston Summerhays finished T-13 at 3 under.

Joseph Pagdin, the top-ranked boy’s golfer on the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, withdrew from the event Friday after the second round due to a rib injury that hadn’t completely healed. Karl Vilips withdrew prior to the first round.

The tournament was played across its scheduled three days despite nearly every other sporting event being canceled or postponed throughout the week due to the threat of coronavirus, ruled a pandemic Wednesday by the World Health Organization.

On Thursday, officials announced the tournament would continue for the final two rounds despite mass cancelations in the sports world including the PGA Tour’s Players Championship, but with no patrons on site other than family members and essential personnel. Officials also said they planned to test players and families for signs of illness before play on Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, competitors played 27 holes, leaving the final round’s remaining nine holes to be played Saturday morning.

There were more than 1,700 total confirmed cases and 47 deaths in the United States related to coronavirus as of Friday evening.

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Junior Invitational at Sage Valley continues despite mass coronavirus cancellations

The Junior Invitational at Sage Valley continued Friday with limited patrons due to the threat of coronavirus.

The Junior Invitational at Sage Valley is still on.

While nearly every other sporting event has been canceled or postponed over the past two days due to the threat of coronavirus, the annual Graniteville, South Carolina, event resumed Friday, playing 27 holes with limited patrons.

Tournament officials expect to play the event’s final nine holes Saturday. On Thursday, officials announced the tournament would continue for the final two rounds, but no patrons other than family members and personnel essential to the tournament would be allowed inside Sage Valley gates. Officials also planned to test players and families will for signs of illness before play on Friday and Saturday.

There are more than 1,700 total confirmed cases and 47 deaths in the United States related to coronavirus as of Friday evening.

With nine holes remaining in the top junior golf event of the year, Maxwell Moldovan isn’t aiming for second again.

SAGE VALLEY: Scores | Photos

The senior from Uniontown, Ohio, who was runner up at the 2019 Junior Invitational, holds a two-shot lead after carding a bogey-free 7-under 65 during Friday’s second round and a 36 on the front nine in the final round. He was coming off a first-round 70.

Moldovan, the third-ranked boy’s golfer on the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, is committed to play at Ohio State in the fall. He has had a successful junior career so far, winning the 2019 Polo Golf Junior Classic at Liberty National, 2017 Division I State Championship as a sophomore and 2018 Northern Ohio PGA Boys Junior PGA Section Championship.

Aaron Du, coming off back-to-back 70s in the first two rounds, also leapt up the leaderboard Friday after an impressive front nine in the final round. The senior from Sanford, Florida, is 7 under overall with nine holes left to play after recording four birdies and a bogey on his final nine holes of the day. In his junior career, Du, committed to California, placed third at the 2019 Rolex Tournament of Champions and won the 2019 AJGA Junior at Victoria Hills and 2018 AJGA Junior at Superstition.

Andi Xu sits T-3 with Michael Brennan at 6 under after a second-round 6-under 66. Following a first-round 72, the senior from San Diego, California, went 4 under on the second round’s back nine to sit three strokes behind Moldovan. Brennan, a senior from Leesburg, Virginia, ended Friday’s long day with a bang, going 6 under on the final round’s front nine. He shot rounds of 73 and 71, respectively, in the event’s first two rounds.

George Duangmanee, Jackson Van Paris, Kelly Chinn and David Ford sit T-5 at 5 under.

Joseph Pagdin, the top-ranked boy’s golfer on the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, withdrew from the event Friday after the second round. Karl Vilips withdrew prior to the first round.

It was not immediately known why either player withdrew.

The Masters Tournament was postponed Friday morning and the PGA Tour’s Players Championship was canceled after Thursday’s first round. The PGA Tour postponed several future events as well.

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Junior Invitational at Sage Valley won’t cancel, takes precaution in wake of coronavirus pandemic

Junior Invitational at Sage Valley announced Thursday it wouldn’t cancel but is taking precautions in wake of coronavirus pandemic.

It wasn’t until Wednesday evening, when the NBA suspended the rest of its season, President Donald Trump addressed the nation and Tom Hanks announced he and wife Rita Wilson were stricken with coronavirus, that most Americans began paying serious attention to the threat the virus presents.

It was also true of the young golfers at the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley as well.

With 1,300 total confirmed cases and 38 deaths in the United States related to coronavirus as of Thursday afternoon, ignoring the global pandemic while celebrating top junior golfers from across the globe is nearly impossible.

Planning to proceed with the remainder of the Graniteville, South Carolina, tournament as scheduled, tournament officials took steps on Thursday afternoon to protect players and their families.

Officials announced the tournament would continue Friday and Saturday, but no patrons other than family members and personnel essential to the tournament will be allowed inside tournament gates going forward. Players and families will also be tested for signs of illness from Sage Valley physicians before each of the next two rounds.

SAGE VALLEY: Scores | Photos

Competitor Ian Maspat’s mother, Jemelle, is thankful for the changes. When asked if she feels safer knowing outside patrons will not be allowed in the golf club’s gates over the next two days, Jemelle said, “Yes, absolutely yes. Everything is so open and that’s what I like so it’s not like you are in a small stadium or arena where it’s enclosed. You can have space here.”

Ian, a junior from San Diego, was asked what conversations are happening between the 54 players in the field after being stunned by the avalanche of news related to the coronavirus the night before the first round.

The 2020 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. Photo by Montana Pritchard Photography

“(Players) weren’t taking it seriously at first but then yesterday we saw the NBA got suspended for the rest of the season and they started to worry a lot more and take more precaution,” Ian said.

While numbers of those infected with coronavirus continue to increase and the stock market continues to drop, neither Ian nor Jemelle are letting the fear of the unknown deter them from enjoying something as prestigious as an invite to the Junior Invitational.

“We’re just protecting ourselves by wiping everything, washing our hands well, but at the same time we don’t want to stop what the kids love to do. Ian loves golf,” Jemelle, who works for a pharmaceutical company, said. “It’s such a big opportunity for him just to even be invited. We’re going to protect ourselves, we sanitize everything, we wash everything and we pray a lot that God will protect us.

“Even though there’s some fear back home in California we’re doing everything to protect ourselves. It’s up to God now.”

Ian, making his first appearance at Sage Valley, has nine top-10 finishes, including a win at the 2018 Corey Pavin Invitational, 2018 Enagic Junior Championship and 2019 ClubCorp Mission Hills Desert Junior.

He is verbally committed to Oregon.

“It’s kind of scary,” he said. “You never know if it’s going to reach you. It’s tough. My mom makes me wear masks on the plane and sanitize everything so I’m just keeping clean.”

The Maspats plan to fly back to California on Sunday and spend a few days in self-quarantine upon return.

“We don’t have a choice but to fly back, so again, (we hope to) protect ourselves,” Jemelle said.

The 2020 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. Photo by Montana Pritchard Photography

Joe Pagdin, the No. 1 boys junior golfer on the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, applauded tournament officials’ decision to test players and families upon return to the golf club on Friday and Saturday.

“I feel that’s good,” Pagdin said. “Some people can get an overnight bug and that could raise awareness. It’s also good for yourself if you don’t know you have some thing that you do it’s best to find out early than be out there on the course and get sick and not be able to finish. I think it’s good that they’re doing it and I’m not focusing that too much. I’m just focusing on my game and the course right now.”

A senior from Orlando, Pagdin is pleased tournament officials did not cancel the Junior Invitational altogether like professional and college sports leagues across the U.S. have done in the past two days. He thinks there is some panic involved with canceling and other factors must be considered.

“Some of the cancellations of some sporting events like the NBA and stuff like that. I feel there are other ways to go about it,” Pagdin said. “Maybe not letting the public in but still have the competitions because especially for golf some of these players who are out there it’s their only chance to get an earning. Especially guys who don’t have a (tour) card or have sponsors invite.

“There are obviously actions that they need to take. Obviously as players and athletes we have to be careful as well and do the right stuff we need to do but I feel right now you just got to keep an eye on it and if it gets worse in the cancellations then that will be good. But for now, I feel like we just need to stay safe and do things we need to do.”

After finishing the first round 2-over 74, Pagdin said he wasn’t on his game Thursday and hopes to shoot low in the next two rounds.

Michael Thorbjornsen leads the field after the first round at 5 under, one stroke ahead of Luke Potter. David Ford is third at 3 under, with Maxwell Ford, Aaron Du, Stephen Campbell Jr., Scotty Kennon, Holland J. Humphries, John Marshall Butler and Maxwell Moldovan all knotted up in a seven-way tie for fourth.

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