By Mark Button
THE WOODLANDS—Austin’s Christine Lin made a second-round charge Wednesday and finds herself in first place with 18 holes remaining at the inaugural AJGA Signsational Signs Junior at The Woodlands Country Club’s Gary Player Course.
Lin fired a 3-under-par 69 in perfect scoring conditions. Matched with her 1-over 73 from the first round, the Westwood High School senior to-be is 2-under for the tournament. That’s one shot better than first round leader Maddie Szeryk of Allen.
Lin made four birdies against just one bogey on Wednesday to stake her one-shot lead.
Alexandra Rossi bounced back from her first-round 81 with a 6-over 77. The rising senior at the Regents School of Austin moved up to 13th place through 36 holes from 18th.
In the boys’ division, Westlake’s Stratton Nolen moved up two spots to third place after shooting a 1-over 73 in the second round. He’s tied with Andrew Ertel, who is playing in his hometown of The Woodlands (along with six other boys and three girls).
Nolen, who shot a 1-under 71 in the first round, started hot and got it to 3-under for the tournament through three holes on Wednesday. After consecutive birdies on Nos. 2 and 3, Nolen cooled off and bogeyed the fourth and ninth holes to make the turn at even for the day. A bogey on No. 14 led to his 73.
Nolen is even par for the tournament entering Thursday’s final round. That’s five shots back of the leader, Vincent Martino of Southlake. McKinney’s Brad Dalke, the 13-year-old who won the AJGA’s coveted Thunderbird Invitational a week ago, is in second place at 2-under par.
Klein Klotz of Lake Travis High School shot 79. He’s tied for 35thplace.
The Woodlands Country Club is playing host to 96 boys and girls for the first-year event. The AJGA has a rich history in The Woodlands Country Club with annual events from 1986-99 and 2004-07.
The final round begins Thursday at 7:15 a.m.
