Close Finish Expected at 57th JGA Open at Tryall

Pre-tournament favorite Rose Zhang leads after a five-under 67 in the first round

Rose Zhang, a 19-year-old amateur from California, shot a five-under 67 in the first round of the 57th Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) Open at Tryall on Wednesday to take a one-stroke lead over a group of four players, including defending champion William Knibbs.

Zhang, who is ranked No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, was in the final group to tee off at 12:30 p.m. and made the turn in two-under 34, after a birdie on the par-four ninth hole and a bogey on the par-four eighth. She picked up three more birdies on the back nine, including a birdie-birdie-birdie stretch from the 13th to the 15th holes, to take the outright lead.

Knibbs, the 2022 JGA Open champion, is one stroke behind Zhang after a four-under 68

Knibbs, a 25-year-old from Jamaica, is one stroke behind Zhang after a four-under 68. He was also in the final group and was bogey-free on the front nine, with birdies on the first and fifth holes. He made the turn in two-under 34 and picked up two more birdies on the back nine, including a birdie on the par-five 18th hole, to finish with a four-under 68.

Tied with Knibbs at four-under 68 are three other players: Michael Maguire of the United States, Ryan Lumsden of Canada, and Leandro Marelli of Argentina. Maguire, a 22-year-old from Florida, was in the first group to tee off at 8:00 a.m. and made the turn in two-under 34, with birdies on the first and fifth holes. He picked up three more birdies on the back nine, including a birdie-birdie-birdie stretch from the 13th to the 15th holes, to finish with a four-under 68.

A group of six players are tied for sixth place at three-under 69

Lumsden, a 23-year-old from Ontario, was in the second group to tee off at 8:30 a.m. and made the turn in one-under 35, with a birdie on the par-five ninth hole and a bogey on the par-four eighth. He picked up three more birdies on the back nine, including a birdie on the par-five 18th hole, to finish with a four-under 68.

Marelli, a 24-year-old from Buenos Aires, was in the third group to tee off at 9:00 a.m. and made the turn in two-under 34, with birdies on the first and fifth holes. He picked up two more birdies on the back nine, including a birdie on the par-five 18th hole, to finish with a four-under 68.

A group of six players are tied for sixth place at three-under 69: Justin De Los Santos of the United States, Kevin Hall of the Cayman Islands, Ethan Britt of the United States, Harry Ellis of England, Patrick Martin of the United States, and Ben Schmidt of the United States.