GRANITEVILLE (S.C.) – Players at the Sage Valley 2023 Junior Invitational are treated like royalty from the moment they step foot on the beautiful property hidden behind the South Carolina pines. The 18 challenges are king- and queen-sized, waiting for them once they have put a tee into the ground.
This year’s Junior Invitational is a well-known tournament for junior golfers. It boasts an international field of top boys and girls golfers. Friday’s second round at Sage Valley Golf Club was no exception. For the second consecutive day, scores were also high because of the strong winds.
Aldrich Potgieter and Anna Davis remain the leaders in the first round, but there are still a few players who can challenge them for the title of leaderboard.
Davis celebrates 17 th birthday together with win
Davis celebrated turning 17 on Friday by taking a five shot lead over the field. This gave him a strong lead going into Saturday’s final.
Davis said that she was disappointed with her putting performance on Thursday, despite being in the lead at the start with a 2-under 70. With a 3-under-69, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion finished one shot better Friday. “I started off a little better. I didn’t have three putts as many so I had a better start.”
Nika Ito is solo second at even par, with Fiona Xu at 2 over and Andrea Revuelta at 3 over. At 3 over, Bailey Shoemaker and Kati Li round out the top 5.
Although you might think that a five-to-8-shot advantage is insurmountable, remember what happened at Sage Valley last year. Shoemaker lost seven shots in the final round, and ended up losing to Amalie Leth Nissen in a playoff.
“I love to come back from the side, that’s where I feel most at home. Shoemaker, a USC commitment, said that it is difficult to have a lead, especially if you only have a two-day lead. “I’m aware of what happened to me last summer, so I want to change the odds and have my own little taste of it. I hope, hopefully, that I can do a little like Amalie did last year to me.
“I have been thinking about Sage Valley the past three months. I just want to get my revenge. I’m hoping to shoot tomorrow, and then just post the score to give myself a chance.
Potgieter can be caught by anyone?
Potgieter leads the boys’ team by five shots. He has combined a Thursday 65 and Friday 70 to be at 9 under. But he is not the only one to drop this week. Connor Williams, who is headed to Arizona State in the Fall, shot a 5-under 67 on Friday, which was bogey-free. This clip included Eduardo Derbez Torres 68 for the low round.
“Honestly, I hit it really well the first few holes, so I gave myself opportunities. I had a rough stretch from the No. 1 tee. Williams shared his round: “7-10, hit a terrible drive on 10, but got a great break from a kickback in the fairway.” “From there, I locked in, took the ball low, hit a great drive on 15, and had a 7 iron in. It was a good finish.
Williams said that you have to give each shot your full attention, because the next one could be just as difficult. Williams made friends with Potgieter this week after sharing a cottage. “I did a fantastic job with that today. It was a slow process, I didn’t get ahead of myself, and it worked well.
