Charlie Woods made significant strides up the leaderboard, while Kai Trump showed improvement on day two of the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Golf Club in South Carolina as they continue their journeys to the professional game.
Woods is the son of golf legend Tiger Woods whilst Trump is the granddaughter of the current U.S. President Donald J. Trump, and are just two of a talented group of young players competing in what is widely regarded as “the most prestigious event in junior golf.”
Since its inception in 2011, the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley has established itself as a premier event in junior golf. The tournament introduced a girls’ division in 2022, further expanding its impact. Past champions include PGA Tour standouts like Scottie Scheffler, Akshay Bhatia, Joaquín Niemann, and 2024 Cognizant Classic winner Austin Eckroat.
The tournament attracts top junior golfers from around the world, with past champions going on to successful careers in professional golf and is viewed as a good stepping stone in the path to the PGA/LPGA.
It’s good for honing talent but also for forging mental strength and the latter was on display from Woods after a challenging round, as he rebounded and managed to shoot a 1-over-par 73, propelling him into 27th place among the 36 competitors in the boys’ division.
He had started with an eagle on the opening hole before a rough stretch saw him bogey three consecutive holes, leaving him at 1-over-par through the front nine.
Woods fought back strongly on the back nine with four birdies, but his momentum faltered with two bogeys and a double bogey on the final hole.
Kai Trump shows resilience
Trump demonstrated resilience in her second round, bouncing back from a difficult opening day to shoot a much-improved 7-over 79; a 10-stroke improvement from her first round.
It’s an encouraging sign for the young golfer but despite her best efforts, she remains in 24th place in the girls’ field of 24, sitting at 24-over-par overall.
Trump is a named All-County selection and finished her junior season ranked No. 151 among Florida’s girls’ high school golfers, suggesting she has a lot of promise in the sport as she commits to playing collegiate golf at the University of Miami.
Meanwhile at the top of the girls’ leaderboard, Thailand’s Pimpisa Rubrong posted a 3-under 69 in the second round, giving her a three-stroke lead at 5-under overall.
Read the full article here
