LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Two days of wind, rain and ever-changing conditions have produced a crowded leaderboard entering Thursday's final 36 holes at the 108th Western Junior Championship.
After opening the tournament with one of just two under-par rounds in the field, Cole Pregler saw his two-shot lead evaporate Wednesday at Knollwood Club. The 18-year-old from Fulshear, Texas, followed his opening-round 68 with a 2-over-par 73 and now shares the lead at 1-under-par 141 with SJ Thomas, of Birmingham, Alabama.
Thomas, AJGA’s No. 76-ranked player, climbed into a share of the lead with a 1-under-par 70 that featured three birdies and a 2-under front nine. With players facing everything from heavy rain to gusting winds throughout the day, Thomas leaned on a familiar strength to stay in contention.
"You got every condition out here right now," Thomas said. "The biggest thing for me was just taking it one shot at a time. I did pretty solid on that."
Thomas repeatedly escaped trouble around the greens, chipping in three times on his opening nine and converting several key up-and-downs.
"I didn't hit many greens, but I was getting up and down from a lot of places," he said. "The strength of my game is definitely my short game, and it showed today."
Just one shot off the lead at even-par 142, Zude Xu and Andrew Sciortino are firmly in the hunt.
Xu, from Rancho Palos Verdes, California, tied the low round of the day Wednesday, carding a 2-under-par 69 to vault up the leaderboard. Starting the day five shots off the pace, Xu, No. 58 in the AJGA rankings, embraced the challenging forecast and quickly found momentum.
"I approached this round knowing it was going to either thunderstorm, pour or have 30 mile-per-hour gusts," Xu said. "I just knew that no matter what weather I faced, the entire field was as well.
"It's a lot of confidence-based for me," Xu said. "I've gotten away from focusing on my swing to focusing on scoring. I've just gotten more and more confident each week."
As he prepares to chase down the leaders Thursday, Xu's message to himself is simple:
"I just need to remember that I am good enough for this."
Sciortino, a Lipscomb University commit from Brentwood, Tennessee, matched Thomas with a 1-under-par 70 to move to even par through 36 holes. Sciortino, No. 163 in the AJGA rankings, was steady throughout the day, recording two birdies, one bogey and 15 pars.
Three players are tied for fifth at 2-over-par, and just three shots off the lead: Keane Taino, of Pinehurst, North Carolina; Brady Barnum, of Dublin, Ohio; and Walker Webb, of Brentwood, Tennessee.
Three players are tied for eighth at 3-over, while seven players share 11th place at 4-over. Among them is Braeden Nelson, a University of Wisconsin commit from West Des Moines, Iowa, who matched Xu for low round of the day with a 2-under-par 69 after opening with a 77.
"I think I learned a lot yesterday about the wind on the golf course," Nelson said. "I honestly like the rain. I felt good about it. I like chasing and being behind, so that fired me up to get the day started."
Fifty players advanced to Thursday's final 36 holes, with the cut line falling at 8-over-par.
Two Illinois players remain in the field. Lester Low, of Evanston, is tied for 18th at 5-over-par, while Owen Coniaris, of Glen Ellyn, sits tied for 31st at 7-over.
The winner this week will join past Western Junior champions Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler and Jim Furyk while earning a three-year exemption into the Western Amateur Championship. The top three finishers and ties will also receive exemptions into the 2026 Western Amateur, provided spots remain available in the field.
Attendance and parking for the Western Junior are free.
For the full leaderboard, click here.
For tee times, click here.