NDSU's Larson Remains Steady, Eyeing First State Win at MGA Women's Amateur
MEDINA, Minn. – With a pair of runner-up finishes already this month, North Dakota State University golfer Cora Larson is looking to close out July...
WHO'S HERE: A breakdown of the 156 players competing in the 2024 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship field:
Youngest Competitor: Hailey Kim (12 years old) is the championship's youngest competitor.
Oldest Competitor: Andee Avery (18 years, 11 months and 7 days old) is the championship's oldest competitor. There are 35 18-year-olds in the field.
Average Age of Field: 16.31
Field breakdown by age:
12: 1 player
13: 3 players
14: 11 players
15: 31 players
16: 30 players
17: 45 players
18: 35 players
International - There are 12 countries represented in the championship: Australia (2), Canada (14), Hong Kong China (2), India (1), Japan (2), Mexico (4), People's Republic of China (7), Philippines (3), Republic of Korea (3), Taiwan (3), Thailand (3) and the United States of America (112)
U.S. States Represented - There are 33 states represented in the championship: Alabama (4), Arizona (1), California (29), Colorado (2), Florida (11), Georgia (4), Hawaii (1), Illinois (3), Indiana (4), Iowa (1), Kansas (2), Kentucky (2), Maryland (1), Massachusetts (2), Michigan (2), Minnesota (1), Mississippi (1), Missouri (2), Nebraska (2), Nevada (2), New Hampshire (1), New Jersey (2), New York (4), North Carolina (4), Ohio (1), Oklahoma (3), Oregon (3), South Carolina (1), Texas (7), Utah (1), Virginia (5), Washington (2) and West Virginia (1).
USGA Champions (4): Gianna Clemente (2023 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball), Sarah Lim (2024 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball), Asterisk Talley (2024 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball), Avery Zweig (2023 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball)
USGA Runners-Up (3): Gianna Clemente (2022 U.S. Girls' Junior), Brynn Kort (2024 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball), Rianne Malixi (2023 U.S. Girls' Junior)
Seven players are in the top 100 of the Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking® as of July 12:
- No. 8 - Jasmine Koo, 18, of Cerritos, Calif.
- No. 19 - Rianne Malixi, 17, of the Philippines
- No. 22 - Gianna Clemente, 16, of Estero, Fla.
- No. 54 - Avani Prashanth, 17, of India
- No. 58 - Asterisk Talley, 15, of Chowchilla, Calif.
- No. 64 - Sarah Hammett, 17, of Australia
- No. 94 - Arianna Lau, 16, of Hong Kong China
Players in the field with the most U.S. Girls' Junior starts:
- Avery Zweig - 5
- Kennedy Swedick - 4
There is one current college player in the field:
- Andee Avery, 18, of Carlsbad, Calif. (Long Beach State)
There are 38 players who have signed national letters of intent with colleges for Fall 2024:
- Vanessa Borovilos, 18, Canada (Texas A&M University)
- Samantha Brown, 18, of Westfield, Ind. (Purdue University)
- Isabel Brozena, 18, of North Reading, Mass. (Xavier University)
- Bailey Burkett, 18, of Kansas City, Mo. (University of Louisville)
- Larissa Carrillo, 18, of Mexico (University of Mississippi)
- C.A. Carter, 17, of Lexington, Ky. (University of Kentucky)
- Christine Chang, 17, of Auburn, Ala. (Columbia University)
- Leigh Chien, 18, of Irvine, Calif. (Stanford University)
- Kylee Chong, 18, of Torrance, Calif. (University of Southern California)
- Kerri-Anne Cook, 18, of Oceana, W.Va. (Glenville State University)
- Lucy Darr, 18, of Stillwater, Okla. (Oklahoma State University)
- Darla May Dela Torre, 18, of Fairfield, Calif. (Sacramento State)
- June Doerr, 18, of Hampton Falls, N.H. (Merrimack College)
- Gabriella Eifrig, 18, of Newport Beach, Calif. (Georgetown University)
- Veronika Exposito, 18, of The Woodlands, Texas (University of Louisville)
- Jilian Fatkin, 18, of Oak Island, N.C., Mich. (Queens University)
- Annika Ishiyama, 18, of Costa Mesa, Calif. (University of Houston)
- Julia Karmazin, 18, of Omaha, Neb. (Creighton University)
- Jasmine Koo, 18, of Cerritos, Calif. (University of Southern California)
- Jayla Kucy, 18, of Canada (Oral Roberts University)
- Jacinda Lee, 18, of Camas, Wash. (Colorado State University)
- Hsin Tai Lin, 18, of Chinese Taipei (Northwestern University)
- Eden Lohrbach, 18, of Ames, Iowa (University of Nebraska)
- Olivia Lovegrove, 18, of Lincoln, Neb. (University of Nebraska)
- Marissa Loya, 18, of San Antonio, Texas (Abilene Christian University)
- Katie Magner, 18, of Winnetka, Ill. (University of Richmond)
- Reese McCauley, 18, of Inver Grove Heights, Minn. (University of Minnesota)
- Megan Meng, 17, of Pennington, N.J. (Northwestern University)
- Mary Miller, 18, of Savannah, Ga. (Georgia Southern University)
- Amanda Phillips, 18, of New York, N.Y. (Wesleyan University)
- Isaki Sakashita, 18, of Japan (Stetson University)
- Sarah Shao, 17, of Green Brook, N.J. (Columbia University)
- Ariya Soldwisch, 18, of Henderson, Nev. (Cal State Northridge)
- Kennedy Swedick, 17, of Albany, N.Y. (University of Virginia)
- Clarisa Temelo, 18, of Mexico (University of Arkansas)
- Lauren Timpf, 17, of Macomb, Mich. (Purdue University)
- Sofia Vargas, 17, of Riverside, Calif. (University of California-Riverside)
- Bridget Wilkie, 17, of Canada (University of Notre Dame)
Four players in the field have won titles in the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta (Ga.) National Golf Club:
- Vanessa Borovilos (10-11, 2018)
- Maye Huang (7-9, 2017)
- Jenna Kim (2022, 12-13)
- Sophia Li, (10-11, 2019)
Three players in the field competed in the 2024 U.S. Women's Open Presented by Ally at Lancaster Country Club:
- Samantha Brown (MC)
- Asterisk Talley (T44, co-low amateur)
- Amelie Zalsman (MC)
Twenty-two U.S. Girls' Junior competitors played in the 2024 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball Championship in May at Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio, Texas:
- Andee Avery
- Vanessa Borovilos???????
- Emree Cameron
- Lisa Copeland
- Aphrodite Deng
- Emerson B. Dever
- Veronika Exposito
- Amelia Guo
- Maye Huang
- Jenna Kim
- Brynn Kort (runner-up)
- Sarah Lim (champion)
- Mary Miller
- Madison Moman
- Emerie Schartz
- Kennedy Swedick
- Asterisk Talley (champion)
- Camille Thai
- Meg Tilma
- Natalie Yen
- Celina Yeo
- Asia Young
Eight players in the field are members of the U.S. National Junior Team:
- Shyla Brown
- Gianna Clemente
- Ryleigh Knaub
- Chloe Kovelesky
- Nikki Oh
- Emerie Schartz
- Scarlett Schremmer
- Asterisk Talley
Two players in the field also competed in the 2018 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball, hosted by El Caballero:
- Chloe Kovalesky
- Avery Zweig
One player in the field has been chosen to represent the USA in the 2024 Curtis Cup Match in England:
- Jasmine Koo
PLAYER NOTES
Shyla Brown, 15, of McKinney, Texas, was the runner-up in the 2023 Southwest Airlines Showcase at Cedar Crest and runner-up in 2023 Texas Junior Amateur. Brown's 2023 season also featured a third-place finish in the 2023 Patrick Reed AJGA Junior Championship, an eighth-place finish in the 2023 Texas Women's Open and two fourth-place finishes: the 2023 Texas Women's Stroke Play Championship and the Mizuno Junior Championship. Brown's play earned her a spot on the 2023 American Junior Golf Association Junior All-Star Team, becoming just the second Black golfer to achieve the honor. She also was one of 10 girls named to the USGA's inaugural U.S. National Junior Team
Gianna Clemente, 16, of Estero, Fla., will compete in her third U.S. Girls' Junior and ninth USGA championship. In 2022 at The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Ky., Clemente finished runner-up to Yana Wilson in the 36-hole final, and in 2023, at Eisenhower Golf Club in Colorado Springs, Colo., Clemente bowed out in the semifinals, following a 2 down loss to eventual champion Kiara Romero. In May 2023, Clemente won the U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball in DuPont, Wash., with partner and fellow 2024 U.S. Girls' Junior competitor Avery Zweig. A three-time age-group IMG Junior World champion, Clemente became the youngest to Monday-qualify for three consecutive LPGA Tour events in 2023, won the South Atlantic Women's Amateur and was the youngest player in the field at the 2023 Augusta National Women's Amateur, where she finished T-14. Her first USGA championship start came in 2019, when she qualified for the U.S. Women's Amateur at the age of 11.
Sophia Dyer, 16, Saint Petersburg, Fla., is part of a family that includes a brother (Blake) and father (Kevin) who both played college golf at the University of Florida, while her mother, Stephanie, is a high-level marathon runner. Blake Dyer is a past U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier, and Kevin has qualified for the U.S. Mid-Amateur. Sophia is the third member of her family to qualify for a USGA championship and won this year's Florida Women's Amateur. She also qualified for last year's U.S. Women's Amateur.
Chloe Kovalesky, 16, of Boca Raton, Fla., is playing in her first U.S. Girls' Junior Championship and fourth USGA championship. Kovalesky is one of two players in the field to have also competed in the 2018 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball at El Caballero in 2018, a three-time age-group IMG Junior World champion, a past South Florida PGA Player of the Year and, in 2017, was the runner-up in the Girls 10-11 division of the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club. She also competed in the 2021 U.S. Women's Open at The Olympic Club. She was one of 10 girls chosen to the USGA's inaugural U.S. National Junior Team. She has committed to attend Wake Forest in the fall of 2025.
Rianne Malixi, 17, of the Philippines, in 2023 became the third player from her country to reach the championship match of the U.S. Girls' Junior at the United States Air Force Academy Eisenhower Golf Club's Blue Course, joining 2011 runner-up Dottie Ardina and 2014 champion Princess Superal. Malixi lost the 36-hole final, 1 down, to current University of Oregon rising sophomore Kiara Romero, of San Jose, Calif. Malixi has given a verbal commitment to play for Duke University in 2025. She was the runner-up to Asterisk Talley in this year's Junior Invitational at Sage Valley and tied for fourth in the 2023 IMG Academy Junior World Championship at Torrey Pines in the 15-18 division. She began 2024 by claiming the Women's Australian Master of the Amateurs. She also represented the Philippines in the 2023 Women's World Amateur Team Championship in the United Arab Emirates. In the 2021 U.S. Girls' Junior, she lost to eventual champion Rose Zhang, 4 and 3, in the Round of 32.
Reese McCauley, 18, of Inver Grove Heights, Minn., is the younger sister of Isabella McCauley, who competed in three U.S. Girls' Junior Championships and the 2021 U.S. Women's Open. Reese, who reached the quarterfinals of the championship in 2022 and the Round of 16 in 2023, is competing in her third U.S. Girls' Junior. She is a two-time high school state champion and in 2018 was named PGA Junior League of Minnesota Player of the Year. She will join her big sister at the University of Minnesota this fall.
Nikki Oh, 16, of Torrance, Calif., advanced to the Round of 16 of the 2023 U.S. Women's Amateur at Bel-Air C.C. in Los Angeles. She also qualified for match play in the 2022 U.S. Girls' Junior at The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Ky., and in the 2023 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball with partner Frances Kim, where they shared medalist honors with six other sides. In 2023, Oh won the 2023 Joanne Winter Silver Belle Championship in Arizona, which came after claiming the Ping An Bank Championship. Oh was runner-up to Katie Li in the 2023 Polo Junior Golf Classic, the only match-play event on the American Junior Golf Association circuit and was named second-team AJGA All-American in 2023. Earlier this summer, Oh won the Arizona Women's Amateur to earn a spot in next month's U.S. Women's Amateur. Oh is the daughter of 1993 U.S. Open qualifier and former touring professional Ted Oh, who competed at Baltusrol Golf Club as a 16-year-old teen phenom; Ted is now a golf instructor who has worked with LPGA Tour major champion Lydia Ko.
Scarlett Schremmer, 17, of Birmingham, Ala., is playing in her third USGA championship. Her mother, Patty Ehrhart, has competed in a number of USGA championships, including each of the last two U.S. Senior Women's Opens, in which she was the low amateur in 2022. She also is a past semifinalist in the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur (2016) and U.S. Senior Women's Amateur (2019). Schremmer switched to golf after being a competitive surfer when the family lived in Hawaii. She plans to attend the University of Texas in the fall of 2025. She also was one of 10 girls selected to the USGA's inaugural U.S. National Junior Team, and recently posted a 3-0 record in the team's first international competition, a match against Australia.
Asterisk Talley, 15, of Chowchilla, Calif., is a rising high school sophomore who has enjoyed a remarkable 2024 competitive season. At 15 years, 105 days, Talley was the youngest competitor in this year's U.S. Women's Open where she shared low-amateur honors with 2023 U.S. Women's Amateur champion Megan Schofill and University of Southern California standout and 2024 USA Curtis Cup team member Catherine Park. Talley started her year by winning the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, then finished eighth in the Augusta National Women's Amateur, just a few weeks after being one of the 10 girls named to the inaugural U.S. National Junior Team. A few days after attending a national team camp at Atlanta Athletic Club, she traveled to San Antonio, Texas, where she claimed the U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball title with partner Sarah Lim. In 2023, she captured the Rolex Girls Junior Championship, one of the major events on the AJGA circuit and represented her country in the 2023 Junior Solheim Cup in Spain, while also advancing to the Round of 32 of the U.S. Girls' Junior. A year earlier, she reached the Round of 16 in the U.S. Girls' Junior at 13 years of age.
Alexis Vakasiuola, 16, of San Tan Valley, Ariz., won a gold medal for Tonga in the 2023 Pacific Games, a quadrennial competition held among Oceania nations that include Fiji, Tahiti, New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands. She was the only individual gold medal winner for Tonga in the Pacific Games. Alexis' father, Danny, and mother, Grace, both were born in Tonga. He played rugby, the most populous sport in the country, before injuries ended his career. Alexis and older sister Alyzzah, a senior at Grand Canyon University, picked up golf while watching YouTube videos, and have had no formal training in the game. She qualified for the 2019 Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals in the 10-11 division. She is a rising senior at Combs High in San Tan Valley and was the Junior Golf Association of Arizona's player of the year in 2023.
Avery Zweig, 17, of McKinney, Texas, will compete in her 12th USGA championship and fifth U.S. Girls' Junior, the most appearances in this championship of any player in the field. Zweig became a USGA champion with Gianna Clemente at the 2023 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball held at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash. This year, she once again played her way into the U.S. Girls' Junior by earning medalist honors at The Nelson Golf & Sports Club in Irving, Texas. Zweig made history as the youngest player to qualify and compete in the championship six years ago at 11 years, 5 months and 19 days old. Outside the ropes, Zweig has been an active philanthropist, and since age 8, she has raised more than $500,000 to assist pediatric cancer patients and veterans. This will be her second USGA championship appearance at El Caballero Country Club, having played in the 2018 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball Championship there at age 11.
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