Wheaton Ennis (AJGA Photo)
Wheaton Ennis of Litchfield Park, Arizona, extends his lead after the second round of the AJGA Invitational presented by PING with a total score of 7-under-par 135. In the Girls Division,
Jasmine Koo of Cerritos, California, maintained her lead at 4-under-par 138.
Ennis followed up his first-round 67 with a 3-under-par 68. The Texas A&M commit, starting on No. 10, had one bogey and one birdie before making the turn. He birdied his final two holes on Nos. 8 and 9 and holds a nine-shot lead in the Boys Division.
At No. 11 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, Ennis has just two bogeys through the first two rounds of play. He is making his debut at the AJGA Invitational presented by PING and is looking for his first Invitational win. The high school senior has two AJGA victories already this year, winning the PING Heather Farr Classic and PGA WEST Junior Championship.
"I hit 17 greens and made some good decisions today," Ennis said. "I'm just trying to commit to each shot and take it one shot at a time."
Behind Ennis in a tie for second is Nathan Miller of Dallas, Texas, and Arkansas commit Gerardo Gomez of (Mexico) Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida, at 2-over-par 144. Defending champion, Jay Leng Jr of San Diego, California, and Will Gordon of Hot Springs, Arkansas, are tied for fourth at 3-over-par 145.
In the Girls Division, Koo had a 2-over-par 73 in the second round and now holds a four-shot lead in the Girls Division. Koo had an up-and-down front nine, but finished the back nine bogey-free with two birdies.
"I did a good job with keeping things playable today," Koo said. "73 is not bad and it still puts me in a good position for tomorrow. I hit more greens on the back (nine) and made a couple of long putts. I am going to take the same mindset tomorrow from the last two days."
The University of Southern California commit is also 18 holes away from her first Invitational title. She is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American and No. 14 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. She was a member of the United States PING Junior Solheim Cup team and has had two top-10 finishes in Invitationals this season.
Oregon commit Yana Wilson of Henderson, Nevada, moved into second place with a score of 3-under-par 68. Wilson is four shots back from Koo at even-par 142 through the first two rounds. In solo third, Michelle Liu of Vancouver, British Columbia, sits at 3-over-par 145.
Defending champion Gianna Clemente of Estero, Florida, made the most of moving day and now sits in fourth place. The No. 1 player in the Rolex AJGA Rankings shot a 4-under-par 67 to move up 27 spots.
The 17th AJGA Invitational presented by PING showcases the best of the next generation of future college and professional stars. The tournament is hosted at The Pfau Course at Indiana University. The venue change takes place after Karsten Creek undergoes renovations.
There are 25 Rolex Junior All-Americans and 57 AJGA champions in the field. In addition, there are 33 college commits and eight countries represented.
View results for The PING Invitational Junior
ABOUT THE The PING Invitational Junior
One of the AJGA series of tournaments that
require an invitation to participate. Format is 54
holes of stroke play.
View Complete Tournament Information