Christian Cavaliere takes the Azalea lead heading into the final round

March 29, 2025 | by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com

Christian Cavaliere (MET Golf Photo)

Cavaliere is 8-under and leads the field by two shots with 18 holes remaining at the Country Club of Charleston

Former Boston College standout Christian Cavaliere leads the 2025 Azalea Invitational at the Country Club of Charleston in Charleston, S.C., with 18 holes remaining.

Cavaliere has carded rounds of 71-66-68 to get to 8-under and take hold of a two-shot lead. He has recorded 12 birdies and four bogeys and, in the second round, propelled up the leaderboard with a bogey-free 5-under 66.

Gareth Steyn leads the pack of chasers in the field and is in solo second place at 6-under, two shots back of Cavaliere.

Class of 2026 graduate and North Carolina commit Preston Hage carded rounds of 67-69 to get to 6-under and lead by one shot heading into the third round. He is currently T3 with Patrick McCann at 5-under.

Bradford Tilley is in solo fifth place at 4-under.

The Azalea attracts the very best Mid-Ams and Juniors from across the country and internationally each year, along with a unique blend of college players, depending on the college schedules that year.

As one player stated, “Because of the time of year the Azalea is played, The Azalea brings together a rare combination of accomplished golfers along with golfers who are beginning their careers.”

Established in 1786, the Country Club of Charleston was the first golf club in the United States. The current course was designed by Seth Raynor in 1925, with revisions by John LaFoy in 1990 after Hurricane Hugo leveled hundreds of trees there.

The course is vintage Raynor, with sectioned tabletop greens, flat linear bunkers with steep grass slopes, and some bold and unusual holes. Without question, the most (in)famous hole is the 187-yard 11th, to a narrow angled tabletop green with amazingly deep bunkers on either side.

Ben Hogan cursed the hole, and it is not unusual in tournament play to see players lay up short of the green rather than go back and forth from bunker to bunker. Other notable holes include the 432-yard 16th, protected in front by a deep Lion's Mouth bunker, and the 333-yard 14th, which features one of the best greens Raynor ever built.

Results: Azalea Invitational

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Christian Cavaliere	Katonah, NY	500	71-66-68-67=272
2	Preston Hage	Raleigh, NC	400	67-69-72-67=275
3	Gareth Steyn	, Australia	300	69-70-68-69=276
4	Peyton Blackard	Fort Branch, IN	300	66-72-76-64=278
T5	Sam Jackson	W. Columbia, SC	300	71-69-73-66=279

View full results for Azalea Invitational

About the Azalea Invitational

Christian Cavaliere takes the Azalea lead heading into the final round

DUE TO COURSE RENOVATIONS, THE 2026 TOURNAMENT HAS BEEN CANCELED. IT IS EXPECTED TO RETURN TO THE MAJORS CALENDAR IN 2027 AT COUNTRY CLUB OF CHARLESTON, 72-hole stroke play championship with a 54-hole cut on a 1925 Seth Raynor design. Good mix of col...