Green Valley’s Kaui, Hahn lead way at Las Vegas Junior Open

Alex Kaui retained her lead after Wednesday’s second round of the American Junior Golf Association’s Las Vegas Junior Open, but the Green Valley star has someone familiar right on her heels.

Jenny Hahn, who is Kaui’s high school teammate, used back-to-back birdies on her back nine to finish with a 3-under-par 69 at Anthem Country Club and has a two-day total of 143.

Hahn, who plans to attend Vanderbilt in 2012, started her second round four shots behind Kaui. She ended it just one shot back after Kaui had a second-round even-par 72 for a two-day total of 142. The two will play together in the final group Thursday.

“It was a grind for me,” Kaui, who will be a junior at Green Valley this fall, said of her second round. “I left a few shots out there.”

In the boys division, Foothill’s Taylor Montgomery overcame a bout of nausea during his round to take over the lead with a 2-under 70. Montgomery, who has a two-shot lead after a two-day total of 141 heading into Thursday’s final round, said he had suffered from food poisoning from a sandwich he had eaten Tuesday night.

Chasing Montgomery are Coronado’s A.J. McInerney, who is a shot back at 142 after carding his second straight 1-under 71 and Arthur Edelman of France, who had a 3-under 69 and is also at 142.

There’s a four-way tie for third place at 143 with Silverado’s Josh Fisher and Coronado’s Kenden Slattery, both who shot even par 72, along with Troix Tonkham of Arleta, Calif., the first-round leader, who struggled during his second round, finishing with a 2-over 74. Montreal’s Alexis Gemme Placente, who had a second-round 1-under 71, is also at 143.

Thursday’s final round at Anthem begins at 7:30 a.m. with the leaders in both the boys and girls divisions expected to tee off just before 9 a.m.