Christian Cavaliere (MET Golf Photo)

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.

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Five facts about the Azalea Invitational

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.