The top amateur women’s golfers from around the world are coming to Chula Vista next week to compete in the prestigious 117th United States Women’s Amateur Championship.
The San Diego Country Club, which will host the 156-player field from Monday, Aug. 7, through Sunday, Aug. 13, is in top form, according to club president John Julius.
Thanks to expert grounds keeping, the course shows no damage from January’s El Niño-driven storm that felled more than 100 trees.
“The course is in its best condition ever,” Julius said. “In April and May our Bermuda grass was spectacular.
“Our grounds keeping crew did a fabulous job. You’d never know there were any missing trees. The course is in perfect condition.”
The course, which is listed as par-72 for the upcoming championship event, is noted for its many hills. A steady on-shore breeze presents an additional challenge for anyone who has played the course.
Shannon Rouillard, a former women’s head coach at Oregon (2000-08), who is serving as director of this year’s U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, said the founding idea behind the event was to create competitive golfing opportunities for females. She called the U.S. Women’s Amateur “the ultimate test” for all competitors.
“We want to force everyone not to spare any club in their bag and study every hole,” she said.
Community pride
The San Diego Country Club expects to put on a grand show for this year’s event. The club fund raised $900,000 to host the tournament. Some of that money will go back to the community in the form of scholarships to local junior golf programs.
The community, in turn, is supporting the club in hosting the tournament. About 300 volunteers are expected to lend a hand over the coming week.
Julius noted that host families will house many of the participating athletes during their stay so that the golfers can focus on their game.
“We want to make this event seamless for all the participants,” he said.
It should also be seamless for spectators.
The event is free to the public and will be telecast nationally. A free shuttle bus will run from the J Street Marina to the club.
History in the making
The San Diego Country Club was formed in 1897 and moved to its current site in 1921. This is the third USGA championship event to be played at the club.
Female golfing legend Mickey Wright won the 1964 U.S. Women’s Open, her fourth and final U.S. Women’s Open tournament title by two strokes in an 18-hole playoff against Ruth Jessen.
The club also hosted the 1993 U.S. Women’s Amateur in which Jill McGill defeated Sarah LaBrun Ingram 1-up.
Other notable events to take place at the club include the 1952 and 1953 PGA Tour San Diego Opens (currently played as the Farmers Insurance Open), 2002 and 2007 Pacific Coast Amateur Championships and the 2013 Southern California Golf Association Amateur Championship.
This is the second U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship to be hosted at the San Diego Country Club.
The entry field for this year’s tournament shows just how much women’s golf has grown in popularity and prestige in the past 24 years.
The 1993 event held at the San Diego Country Club attracted a field of 442 female golfers; this year’s entry field is 1,327 — just under last year’s record count of 1,381 entries.
Both McGill and Ingram were present for a media preview in late June at the Chula Vista club site.
McGill, who earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Southern California, went on to play one year on the Women’s Professional Golfers European Tour and qualified for the LPGA Tour on her second attempt and began her rookie season in 1996.
She crossed the $2 million career earnings mark in 2008 when she recorded a season best tie for third in the MasterCard Classic.
McGill still holds dear memories of the 1993 event at the SDCC.
“To be a part of history and is something you can’t put into words,” she said. “These tournaments are a pinnacle of amateur golf. It prepared me to turn professional. It’s a privilege to play the game and made a living playing it.”
A three-time U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion (1991, 1993 and 1994), Ingram remained an amateur. She met her husband, David Ingram, while earning All-American honors at Duke University. She now serves as co-chair for the 2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at the Golf Club of Tennessee in Kingston Springs, Tenn.
Ingram said participants should “enjoy the moment.”
“It’s always an honor to play in the Amateur, a great honor to play in the field,” she said. “For anyone to play in this, especially the first time, my advice is to soak it up and enjoy it.”
Fore!
This is the 77th USGA championship to be conducted in California, with 11 more still to be conducted in the Golden State through 2025. The 2017 U.S. Amateur Championship follows at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades.
Among the participants in next week’s field are Otay Ranch High School alumnus Hannah Kim, now an incoming senior at Northwestern University, who grew up three miles from the San Diego Country Club. She’s already admitted excitement to returning to play on her home course.
But Kim expects to be challenged.
Among those challengers is Stanford standout Andrea Lee, a first team collegiate All-American as a freshman who finished runner-up at the 2016 U.S. Girls Junior Championship and quarterfinalist at the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship.
The Hermosa Beach native has played in five previous U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship tournaments. She made the round of 32 in her debut in 2012, missed the cut in 2013, was a semifinalist in 2014, made the round of 64 in 2015 and was a quarterfinalist last year.
She’s also played in four U.S. Girls Junior championship events. Her best finish was runner-up in 2016 to Eun Jeong Seong, who went on to win the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship.
Lee, who will turn 19 on Aug. 15, brings some impressive credentials to the upcoming tournament.
She played on both the 2016 U.S. Curtis Cup and U.S. Women’s World Amateur teams and finished runner-up in the 2016 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.
In 2015, she won the Southern California Amateur Championship and captured the silver medal for Team USA in the Pan American Games in Toronto.
In 2014, she earned the title of Rolex Junior Player of the Year, winning the American Junior Golf Association’s Tournament of Champions.
She recorded a 71.62 scoring average and won three college events as a freshman.
She was exempt from qualifying into the 2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. This will be her 10th USGA championship event in her career.
“I’ve tried to grow ever since picking up a club,” explained Lee, who started golfing at 5 and began playing competitively at 8. “My role models were Tiger Woods and Annika Sörenstam.”
Lee, who is also a black belt in tae-kwon-do, played two years ago at the SDCC. “From what I remember, it was great,” she said. “It’s hilly with undulating greens. It will be a challenge.”
For more information, a tournament schedule and broadcast times, visit the website at www.usga.org/womensam.
From the USGA news service:
The average age of the 156 U.S. Women’s Amateur competitors is 18.86 years old.
Alexa Pano, 12, of Lake Worth, Fla., is the championship’s youngest competitor. The only 12-year-old in the field, Pano also played in the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur at age 11. Lucy Li, of Redwood Shores, Calif., now 14, set a U.S. Women’s Amateur record as the youngest competitor at 10 years, 10 months and 4 days old in 2013.
The championship’s oldest competitor is Meghan Stasi, 39, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She shot a 73 and won a 4-for-1 playoff to earn the final spot from the sectional qualifier at Lawrence (Kan.) Country Club. This marks her 12th U.S. Women’s Amateur appearance, the most in the field.
Bailey Tardy, of Peachtree Corners, Ga., will celebrate her 21st birthday during the championship (Aug. 8).
Field by age:
Age 12-15, 16 players
Age 16-20, 108 players
Age 21-25, 28 players
Age 26-30, 1 player
Age 31-35, 2 players
Age 35-40, 1 player
There are 21 countries represented in the championship: Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Denmark, England, France, Guatemala, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Paraguay, People’s Republic of China, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Republic of Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United States.
There are 29 states represented in the championship: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
With 26 players, California is the most represented state, followed by Florida, which is represented by 14 players. The following six players are from San Diego County:
Jamie Binns, 20, of San Diego
Hannah Kim, 21, of Chula Vista
Haley Moore, 18, of Escondido
Calista Reyes, 17 of San Diego
Brooke Seay, 16, of San Diego
Alana Uriell, 20, of Carlsbad
Eighteen players have ties to seven California schools (anticipated graduation year):
California Polytechnic State University: Jamie Binns (2018)
Pepperdine University: Tatiana Wijaya, 21, of Indonesia (2018)
Stanford University: Shannon Aubert, 21, of France (2018); Rachel Heck, 15, of Memphis, Tenn. (2024); Sierra Kersten, 20, of Spokane, Wash. (2019); Andrea Lee, 18, of Hermosa Beach, Calif. (2020); Mika Liu, 18, of Beverly Hills, Calif. (2021); Albane Valenzuela, 19, of Switzerland (2020)
University of California, Berkeley: Jiyoon Jang, 19, of the Republic of Korea (2020)
University of California, Davis: Samantha Hutchison, 20, of San Jose, Calif. (2019); Yoonhee Kim, 19, of San Ramon, Calif. (2020)
University of California, Los Angeles: Mariel Galdiano, 19, of Pearl City, Hawaii (2020); Kailie Vongsaga, 16, of Diamond Bar, Calif. (2023); Lilia Kha-Tu Vu, 19, of Fountain Valley, Calif. (2019); Bethany Wu, 20, of Diamond Bar, Calif. (2019)
University of Southern California: Alyaa Abdulghany, 18, of Newport Beach, Calif. (2021); Jennifer Chang, 17, of Cary, N.C. (2022); Robynn Ree, 20, of Redondo Beach, Calif. (2019)
There are eight USGA champions in the field:
Hailee Cooper, 17, of Montgomery, Texas (2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball with Kaitlyn Papp)
Kristen Gillman, 19, of Austin, Texas (2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur)
Lauren Greenlief, 26, of Oakton, Va. (2015 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur)
Mika Liu and Rinko Mitsunaga, 20, of Roswell, Ga. (2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball)
Hannah O’Sullivan, 19, of Chandler, Ariz. (2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur)
Erica Shepherd, 16, of Greenwood, Ind. (2017 U.S. Girls’ Junior)
Meghan Stasi (2006, 2007, 2010 and 2012 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur)
There are seven USGA runners-up in the field:
Virginia Elena Carta, 20, of Italy (2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur)
Jennifer Chang (2017 U.S. Girls’ Junior)
Shannon Johnson, 34, of Norton, Mass. (2016 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur)
Ina Kim, 33, of New York, N.Y. (2000 U.S. Girls’ Junior)
Andrea Lee (2016 U.S. Girls’ Junior)
Hannah O’Sullivan and Robynn Ree (2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball)
Eight U.S. Women’s Amateur competitors have played in the Curtis Cup Match:
Mariel Galdiano (USA, 2016)
Alice Hewson, 19, of England (Great Britain & Ireland, 2016)
Andrea Lee (USA, 2016)
Mika Liu (USA, 2016)
Hannah O’Sullivan (USA, 2016)
Meghan Stasi (USA, 2008)
Bailey Tardy (USA, 2016)
Bethany Wu (USA, 2016)
Seventeen U.S. Women’s Amateur competitors have represented their home countries in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship:
Julianne Alvarez, 21 of New Zealand (2016)
Shannon Aubert (France, 2012)
Virginia Elena Carta (Italy, 2014)
Pilar Echeverria, 19, of Guatemala (2012, 2014, 2016)
Isabella Fierro, 16, of Mexico (2016)
Mariel Galdiano (USA, 2016)
Sofia Garcia, 19, of Paraguay (2016)
Kristen Gillman (USA, 2014)
Alice Hewson (England, 2016)
Naomi Eun Young Ko, 19, of Canada (2016)
Agathe Laisne, 18, of France (2016)
Andrea Lee (USA, 2016)
Wenbo Liu, 16, of the People’s Republic of China (2016)
Kim Metraux, 22, of Switzerland (2016)
Puk Lyng Thomsen, 19, of Denmark (2014, 2016)
Maria Torres, 22, of Puerto Rico (2010, 2012, 2014, 2016)
Albane Valenzuela (Switzerland, 2014)
Seventeen players are in the top 25 of the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking™ as of Aug. 2:
No. 3 – Albane Valenzuela
No. 4 – Jennifer Kupcho, 20, of Westminster, Colo.
No. 5 – Lilia Kha-Tu Vu
No. 6 – Andrea Lee
No. 7 – Mariel Galdiano
No. 8 – Cheyenne Knight, 20, of Aledo, Texas
No. 11 – Hannah O’Sullivan
No. 12 – Wenbo Liu
No. 13 – Julia Engstrom, 16, of Sweden
No. 15 – Lauren Stephenson, 20, Lexington, S.C.
No. 16 – Kristen Gillman
No. 17 – Puk Lyng Thomsen
No. 18 – Virginia Elena Carta
No. 19 – Maria Torres
No. 20 – Haley Moore
No. 21 – Bailey Tardy
No. 24 – Hannah Kim
Eight players in the field competed in the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open (July 13-16) at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J.:
Virginia Elena Carta – MC, 75-80
Mariel Galdiano – MC – 80-72
Rachel Heck – T33, 72-74-72-72—290
Jennifer Kupcho – T21, 74-72-71-71—288
Brooke Seay – T60, 73-73-79-76—301
Natalie Srinivasan, 19, of Spartanburg, S.C. – MC, 77-71
Lauren Stephenson – T41, 72-72-73-75—292
Bailey Tardy – MC, 70-82
Twenty-seven players competed in the 2017 U.S. Girls’ Junior (July 24-29) at Boone Valley Golf Club in Augusta, Mo., including runner-up Jennifer Chang and champion Erica Shepherd, as well as:
Zoe Campos, 14, of Valencia, Calif. (lost in the Round of 64)
Stephanie Carras, 18, of Midland, Mich. (lost in the Round of 32)
Siyan Chen, 15, of the People’s Republic of China (missed cut)
Youngin Chun, 17, of Gainesville, Fla. (quarterfinalist)
Megha Ganne, 13, of Holmdel, N.J. (missed cut; lost in 4-for-1 playoff)
Lois Kaye Go, 18, of the Philippines (lost in the Round of 64)
Julia Gregg, 15, of Farmers Branch, Texas (lost in the Round of 64)
Haylin Harris, 18, of Carmel, Ind. (lost in the Round of 16)
Caroline Hwang, 14, of Orlando, Fla. (missed cut)
Lucy Li (lost in the Round of 32)
Tze-Han Lin, 17, of Chinese Taipei (lost in the Round of 64)
Mika Liu (lost in the Round of 32)
Emily Mahar, 18, of Australia (lost in the Round of 64)
Ramya Meenakshisundaram, 17, of Jacksonville, Fla. (missed cut)
Haley Moore (lost in the Round of 16)
Michaela Morard, 15, of Huntsville, Ala. (lost in the Round of 64)
Elle Nachmann, 14, of Boca Raton, Fla. (lost in the Round of 64)
Alexa Pano (lost in the Round of 16)
Calista Reyes (quarterfinalist)
Brooke Seay (lost in the Round of 32)
Yujeong Son, 16, of the Republic of Korea (lost in the Round of 16)
Kornkamol Sukaree, 17, of Thailand (missed cut)
Chia-Yen Wu, 13, of Chinese Taipei (lost in the Round of 32)
Han Hsuan Yu, 17, of Chinese Taipei (lost in the Round of 64)
Ashley Zagers, 18, of Oldsmar, Fla. (missed cut)
Twenty U.S. Women’s Amateur competitors played in the 2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship (May 27-31) at The Dunes Golf & Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Two of those two-player teams made this field (second player in bold):
Jaravee Boonchant, 18, of Thailand, with partner Ya Chun Chang (lost in the Round of 32)
Elizabeth Bose, 20, of Norfolk, Va., with partner Whitney Stevenson (missed cut)
Jennifer Chang with partner Gina Kim (semifinalist)
Hailee Cooper with partner Kaitlyn Papp (lost in the Round of 16)
Brigitte Dunne, 20, of Camarillo, Calif., with partner Alexandra Rossi (lost in the Round of 32)
Brittany Fan, 21, of Pearl City, Hawaii, with partner Esther Lee (lost in the Round of 16)
Lauren Greenlief with partner Alexandra Austin (lost in the Round of 32)
Julia Gregg with partner Trinity King (missed cut)
Sabrina Iqbal, 16, of San Jose, Calif., with partner Simar Singh (lost in the Round of 32)
Emmy Martin, 21, of Odessa, Fla., with partner Kelly McGovern (lost in the Round of 16)
Elle Nachmann with partner Dana Williams (lost in the round of 32)
Katrina Prendergast, 19, of Sparks, Nev., with partner Ellen Secor, 19, of Portland, Ore. (lost in the Round of 16)
Sarah Spicer, 19, of Bahama, N.C., with partner Jessica Spicer (missed cut)
Meghan Stasi with partner Dawn Woodard (lost in the Round of 32)
Kornkamol Sukaree with partner Kailie Vongsaga (missed cut, lost in a 4-for-2 playoff)
Bailey Tardy with partner Monica Vaughn (quarterfinalist)
Maria Torres with partner Samantha Wagner (quarterfinalist)
Rose Zhang, 14, of Irvine, Calif., with partner Linyu (Anna) Dong (quarterfinalist)
The following 33 2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur competitors played in the 2016 Women’s Amateur: Alyaa Abdulghany (lost in the Round of 64); Kaylee Benton, 20, of Litchfield Park, Ariz. (missed cut); Jamie Binns (missed cut); Jaravee Boonchant (lost in the Round of 64); Sarah Burnham, 21, of Maple Grove, Minn. (missed cut); Stephanie Carras (missed cut); Virginia Elena Carta (runner-up); Olivia Cason, 20, of Owensboro, Ky. (missed cut); Briana Chacon, 15, of Whittier, Calif. (missed cut); Annika Clark, 20, of Highlands, Texas (lost in the Round of 64); Hailee Cooper (lost in the Round of 16); Isabella Fierro (lost in the Round of 64); Mariel Galdiano (lost in the Round of 64); Kristen Gillman (lost in the Round of 32); Lauren Greenlief (missed cut); Cheyenne Knight (lost in the Round of 32); Agathe Laisne (lost in the Round of 32); Andrea Lee (quarterfinalist); Lucy Li (lost in the Round of 32); Mika Liu (lost in the Round of 32); Janet Mao, 20, of Johns Creek, Ga. (lost in the Round of 64); Lindsey McCurdy, 22, of Liberty Hill, Texas (lost in the Round of 64); Rinko Mitsunaga (lost in the Round of 64); Haley Moore (missed cut); Alexa Pano (missed cut); Katrina Prendergast (missed cut); Yuka Saso, 16, of the Philippines (semifinalist); Meghan Stasi (missed cut); Lauren Stephenson (lost in the Round of 64); Valerie Tanguay, 21, of Canada (lost in the Round of 64); Bailey Tardy (lost in the Round of 64); Maria Torres (quarterfinalist); and Bethany Wu (lost in the Round of 32)
Eighteen U.S. Women’s Amateur competitors were named to the Women’s Golf Coaches Association of America All-America teams for the 2016-17 season:
Sarah Burnham (honorable mention, Michigan State University)
Mariel Galdiano (honorable mention, UCLA)
Kristen Gillman (first team, University of Alabama)
Jillian Hollis, 20, of Rocky River, Ohio (honorable mention, University of Georgia)
Hannah Kim (second team, Northwestern University)
Cheyenne Knight (first team, University of Alabama)
Jennifer Kupcho (first team, Wake Forest University)
Amy Lee, 20, of Brea, Calif. (second team, Baylor University)
Andrea Lee (first team, Stanford University)
Haley Moore (second team, University of Arizona)
Robynn Ree (honorable mention, USC)
Sophia Schubert, 21, of Oak Ridge, Tenn. (honorable mention, University of Texas)
Lauren Stephenson (second team, University of Alabama)
Bailey Tardy (honorable mention, University of Georgia)
Maria Torres (first team, University of Florida)
Albane Valenzuela (second team, Stanford University)
Lilia Kha-Tu Vu (first team, UCLA)
Alex White, 22, of Lompoc, Calif. (honorable mention, BYU)
Twenty-seven U.S. Women’s Amateur competitors earned 2017 WGCA Academic All-America honors, meaning they had at least a 3.50 grade point average for the 2016-17 season:
Emma Albrecht, 20, of Ormond Beach, Fla. (University of Notre Dame)
Kaylee Benton (University of Arkansas)
Jaimie Binns (Cal Poly)
Elizabeth Bose (Virginia Tech)
Virginia Elena Carta (Duke University)
Annika Clark (Texas Christian University)
Pilar Echeverria (University of Indianapolis)
Erin Fahey, 20, of Austin, Texas (Bowling Green State University)
Jamie Freedman, 21, of Miami Beach, Fla. (Nova Southeastern University)
Sofia Garcia (Texas Tech University)
Kristen Gillman (University of Alabama)
Grayson Gladden, 19, of Helena, Ala. (Arkansas State University)
Lois Kaye Go (Boston College)
Lauren Hartlage, 19, of Elizabethtown, Ky. (University of Louisville)
Julie Houston, 20, of Allen, Texas (University of Texas at San Antonio)
Cheyenne Knight (University of Alabama)
Janet Mao (Northwestern University)
Kim Metraux (Florida State University)
Kimberlie Miyamoto, 21, of Kahului, Hawaii (Eastern Washington University)
Wad Phaewchimplee, 22, of Thailand (Kent State University)
Madeline Sager, 20, of Valley Forge, Pa. (Seton Hall University)
Natalie Srinivasan (Furman University)
Lauren Stephenson (University of Alabama)
Albane Valenzuela (Stanford University)
Brynn Walker, 19, of St. Davids, Pa. (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Kiley Walsh, 21, of Mt. Prospect, Ill. (Illinois State University)
Mary Weinstein, 19, of Highlands Ranch, Colo. (University of Denver)
General Player Notes
Emma Albrecht, 20, of Ormond Beach, Fla., is a rising junior at the University of Notre Dame majoring in science-business. Upon graduating, she plans to attend medical school. On Father’s Day in 2016 (also her birthday), she won the Florida Women’s Amateur with her father Eric, a former LPGA executive, on her bag. Both of her parents played college golf: Eric for James Madison, and her mother Annie for Wichita State.
Julianne Alvarez, 21, of New Zealand, helped the University of Washington win the 2016 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship, a first for the program, during her first year as a Husky. The two-time New Zealand Amateur champion (2013 and 2015) is playing in her first USGA championship.
Shannon Aubert, 21, of France, is a rising senior at Stanford University who helped her team win the 2015 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship. She represented France in the 2012 Women’s World Amateur Team Championship and played on the 2013 Junior Solheim Cup Team. Fluent in French, German and English, she has lived in more than nine countries and is a citizen of France, South Africa and Ireland. Her mother Monica was a professional figure skater then judge, and her father Christian was a professional skier and ski instructor.
Elizabeth Bose, 20, of Norfolk, Va., won the 2017 Women’s Eastern Amateur. Majoring in clinical neuroscience and biochemistry, the rising junior received the 2017 Skelton Award from the Virginia Tech athletic department for academic excellence and was named to the 2017 All-ACC Academic Women’s Golf Team.
Sarah Burnham, 21, of Maple Grove, Minn., is a rising senior at Michigan State University. Her sophomore scoring average of 72.42 was the lowest in Spartans history by nearly a full stroke. Burnham has won numerous Minnesota Women’s Golf Association championships, most recently the 2015 match-play and four-ball titles, and she qualified for the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open.
Virginia Elena Carta, 20, of Italy, won the 2016 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship as a freshman at Duke University, setting records with her 16-under-par 272 total and her margin of victory (eight strokes). She earned first-team All-America honors and won golf’s Honda Sports Award, which is presented to the top female athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports. She finished runner-up to Eun Jeong Seong in the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur.
Briana Chacon, 15, of Whittier, Calif., won the girls division of the 2016 Southern California Junior Amateur Championship by three strokes, and tied for second in the 2016 California Interscholastic Federation Girls Golf Championship playing for La Serna High School. She was also named the Southern California PGA Junior Tour Amy Alcott Player of the Year in 2013. She has verbally committed to attend the University of Oregon in 2019.
Coco (Jingwei) Chai, 17, of the People’s Republic of China, is in the class of 2018 at the Santa Catalina School in Monterey, Calif. The 2017 American Junior Golf Association’s Killington Junior champion, she is playing in her first USGA championship.
Jennifer Chang, 17, of Cary, N.C., is playing in her fifth USGA championship. The 2015 North Carolina Girls’ Player of the Year, she played in her first USGA championship – the 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links – at age 13. In July 2017, she finished runner-up in the 2017 U.S. Girls’ Junior to earn an exemption into the U.S. Women’s Amateur and helped the East Team win the American Junior Golf Association’s Wyndham Cup for the first time since 2012. With partner Gina Kim, she was a semifinalist in the 2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship. She is verbally committed to play for the University of Southern California in 2018.
Annika Clark, 20, of Highlands Texas, is a rising junior at Texas Christian University. She won the 2015 Women’s Texas Golf Association State Amateur Championship and the 2013 Texas State Girls Junior. A decorated high school golfer, she also lettered in basketball and softball at First Baptist Christian Academy. Named after Annika Sorenstam, she considers herself superstitious and always plays with five ball markers on her hat.
Hailee Cooper, 17, of Montgomery, Texas, won the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball at Streamsong (Fla.) Resort with partner and future University of Texas teammate Kaitlyn Papp. One of the most decorated junior players in the country, she is verbally committed to attend the University of Texas in 2018, and was a member of the victorious 2015 USA Junior Solheim Cup Team.
Brigitte Dunne, 20, of Camarillo, Calif., is a rising junior at Southern Methodist University who won the 2014 North & South Junior Girls Championship. She enjoys surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding.
Isabella Fierro, 16, of Mexico, was runner-up in the 2016 Mexican Women’s Amateur Championship and finished third in 2015. She won the 2015 Mexican Girls’ Junior Championship.
Mariel Galdiano, 19, of Pearl City, Hawaii, was the medalist in last year’s U.S. Women’s Amateur at Rolling Green Golf Club, setting the 36-hole stroke-play scoring record with a 133. She won the 2015 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and 2014 Joanne Winter Arizona Silver Belle Championship. The rising UCLA sophomore finished runner-up to Muni He in the 2015 American Junior Golf Association’s Polo Golf Junior Classic, and also finished second in the 2015 Junior PGA Championship. Galdiano played in her fourth U.S. Women’s Open Championship in July, with her best finish coming in 2015, when she tied for 42nd. She was also a member of the victorious 2015 USA Junior Solheim Cup team, is a three-time Hawaii state high school champion (2013, 2014, 2015) and represented the USA Team in the 2016 Curtis Cup Match.
Kristen Gillman, 19, of Austin, Texas, is the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion. She also won the 2016 North & South Women’s Amateur Championship at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2. A rising sophomore at the University of Alabama, she won the 2014 Junior PGA Championship and was a quarterfinalist in the 2015 Polo Golf Junior Classic.
Lois Kaye Go, 18, of the Philippines, will play for the University of South Carolina starting in the fall of 2017 after transferring from Boston College, where she was a 2017 All-ACC selection and named Boston College athletics rookie of the year. She is playing in her fourth USGA championship and first U.S. Women’s Amateur.
Lauren Greenlief, 26, of Oakton, Va., won the 2015 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Squire Creek Country Club in Choudrant, La., becoming the youngest winner in the championship’s history. She is a three-time Virginia State Golf Association stroke-play champion and the 2015 VSGA Player of the Year.
Ruqing Guan, 17, of the People’s Republic of China, has won several junior golf events in the People’s Republic of China, including the 2016 China Amateur Golf Classic. Named a Rolex Junior All-American, she is playing in her second USGA championship following the 2017 U.S. Girls’ Junior. She is verbally committed to attend Boston College in 2018.
Tess Hackworthy, 20, of Madison, Wis., won back-to-back Wisconsin State Opens in 2016 and 2017. The 2015 Women’s Western Junior runner-up, she won individually in the 2014 Wisconsin State High School Championship and helped Edgewood High School win four straight team titles. A rising junior at the University of Wisconsin, she is playing in her first USGA championship. When she was in seventh grade, her mother Amie was diagnosed with breast cancer. Since that time, Hackworthy has organized a 3-mile “Walk for Courage” that has raised more than $100,000 for breast cancer research at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center.
Jessica Haigwood, 22, of Roswell, Ga., works in the pro shop at The Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. A 2017 graduate of Augusta University, she is playing in her first USGA championship after earning a share of medalist honors in the sectional qualifier at Ansley Golf Club’s Settindown Creek Course in Roswell, her home course. One of her best golf memories includes making an eagle on No. 8 at Augusta National.
Rachel Heck, 15, of Memphis, Tenn., finished tied for 33rd in the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open, earning an exemption for the U.S. Women’s Amateur. In 2017, she won the American Junior Golf Association’s Rolex Girls Junior Championship and finished runner-up in the Thunderbird International Junior and tied for second in the ANA Junior Inspiration. A two-time Rolex Junior All-American, she helped the East Team win the 2017 Wyndham Cup for the first time since 2012 and is verbally committed to attend Stanford University in 2020.
Jillian Hollis, 20, of Rocky River, Ohio, is a rising junior at the University of Georgia. The 2016 Women’s Western Amateur champion, she is playing in her first USGA championship. Her mother Sharon (Minnich) Hollis played golf at North Carolina State for three years before transferring to Ohio State and playing on the Futures and European tours.
Sabrina Iqbal, 16, of San Jose, Calif., won the 2016 California Women’s Amateur Championship and, representing Pioneer High School, was the 2014-15 California Interscholastic Federation Girls Golf champion as a freshman. She has also won several American Junior Golf Association tournaments, and was named the 2015-16 NCGA Women’s Player of the Year after receiving the junior award for three consecutive seasons. A violinist in her school’s chamber orchestra, she is verbally committed to attend Texas Christian University in 2018.
Aya Johnson, 21, of Muskegon, Mich., is a rising senior at the University of Wisconsin who did not play in the 2015 or 2016 seasons due to back surgery that repaired a herniated disc. In July, she won the Michigan Women’s Amateur Championship.
Shannon Johnson, 34, of Norton, Mass., finished runner-up in the 2016 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship. Originally from South Dakota, where she has won multiple state championships, she is the first female to win the South Dakota Golf Association’s “grand slam” – Women’s Amateur, Women’s Match Play, Two-Woman and Girls’ Junior. She now works as a field sales representative for Ping! and plays ice hockey year round in a Boston co-ed league.
Hannah Kim, 21, of Chula Vista, Calif., is a rising senior and communication studies major at Northwestern University, which finished runner-up in the 2017 NCAA Championship to Arizona State University. A two-time Big Ten Player of the Year (2015 and 2016), she is playing in her third USGA championship and first U.S. Women’s Amateur.
Ina Kim, 33, of New York, N.Y., finished runner-up in the 2000 U.S. Girls’ Junior at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Ore. A native of Los Angeles, Calif., and 2005 graduate of Northwestern University, she recently returned to competitive golf after living abroad and working in the financial industry in London and Hong Kong for 11 years. Now in Manhattan, where she has reunited with the game, she won the 2016 Women’s Metropolitan Golf Association Met Amateur and Met Amateur Stroke-Play championships. While this is marks her fifth USGA championship, it is her first appearance outside of a U.S. Girls’ Junior, and first championship since 2001.
Cheyenne Knight, 20, of Aledo, Texas, is a rising junior at the University of Alabama. She earned 2016 Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Freshman of the Year honors after a season that featured six top-10 finishes, including a victory in the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate and a tie for fourth in the NCAA Championship. She is playing in her third consecutive U.S. Women’s Amateur after advancing to the Round of 32 in both 2015 and 2016.
Jennifer Kupcho, 20, of Westminster, Colo., led every round in clinching the Canadian Women’s Amateur title in July. A rising junior at Wake Forest University who tied Leona Maguire for second place in the 2017 NCAA Championship, just one stroke shy of Monica Vaughn’s lead, Kupcho is the highest ranked American (No. 4) in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking. In her second U.S. Women’s Open appearance in July, she tied for 21st, which was the second-lowest amateur finish in the field behind second-place finisher Hye-Jin Choi.
Mia Landegren, 21, of Bridgewater, Conn., played for four years at the University of Alabama, where she majored in communications. A dual citizen of the United States and Sweden, her father’s country of origin, she grew up playing on the Swedish national team, helping the team win the 2012 European Girls Championship. The 2012 Connecticut State Women’s Amateur champion, she is a triplet, but neither of her sisters Emma and Hanna, play golf.
Andrea Lee, 18, of Hermosa Beach, Calif., claimed the American Junior Golf Association’s 2014 Tournament of Champions and Yani Tseng Invitational titles, and was runner-up in the Thunderbird International Junior. That same year, she advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur (losing to eventual champion Kristen Gillman), the quarterfinals of the U.S. Girls’ Junior and tied for 69th in the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2. Lee earned a silver medal for the USA in the 2015 Pan American Games, and the next week she again reached the U.S. Girls’ Junior quarterfinals. She has twice competed in the ANA Inspiration, receiving a sponsor’s exemption in 2015 and winning the 2016 ANA Junior Inspiration to earn a second berth. Lee was a member of the victorious 2015 USA Junior Solheim Cup and 2014 USA Junior Ryder Cup teams, and played for the USA Team in the 2016 Curtis Cup. A rising sophomore at Stanford University, she garnered several honors following her freshman year, including Pac-12 freshman of the year, Pac-12 first team and Ping!/Women’s Golf Coaches Association freshman of the year. She is playing in her 12th USGA championship and sixth U.S. Women’s Amateur. Her best USGA championship finish was runner-up in the 2016 U.S. Girls’ Junior to Eun Jeong Seong, who successfully defended her title before becoming the first player in history to win the Girls’ Junior and Women’s Amateur in the same year. She has also played in two Southern California Golf Association Women’s Amateur Championships – winning Aug. 1, 2017, and in the inaugural 2015 event.
Lucy Li, 14, of Redwood Shores, Calif., qualified for the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open, becoming the youngest qualifier in history at 11 years, 8 months and 19 days old. She became the youngest competitor in U.S. Women’s Amateur history in 2013 at 10, a month after she became the youngest competitor in history to advance to match play in a USGA championship, the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links. This will be her third U.S. Women’s Amateur following 2013 and 2016, when she missed the cut and made it to the Round of 32, respectively. A self-proclaimed fashionista who has made her own Halloween costumes since she was 7, Li earned low-amateur honors in the 2017 ANA Inspiration. In the 2017 U.S. Girls’ Junior, she earned medalist honors before losing in the Round of 32.
Mika Liu, 18, of Beverly Hills, Calif., won the 2014 Women’s Western Amateur and Southern Amateur championships, the 2015 Thunderbird International and the 2016 South Atlantic Women’s Amateur, known as “The Sally.” Also in 2015, she received an exemption into the ANA Inspiration and won the inaugural U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Bandon Dunes with partner Rinko Mitsunaga. Following her championship record-tying seventh appearance in the 2017 U.S. Girls’ Junior, she is playing in her 13th USGA championship and fourth U.S. Women’s Amateur. A member of the 2016 USA Curtis Cup Team and a graduate of IMG Academy, she will attend Stanford University this fall.
Ramya Meenakshisundaram, 17, of Jacksonville, Fla., won the AJGA Gary Gilchrist Open in 2015 and also held a charity event for cancer treatment and research. She won the 2017 First Coast Women’s Amateur.
Rinko Mitsunaga, 20, of Roswell, Ga., won the 2015 Georgia Women’s Match Play Championship, as well as the 2015 Kathy Whitworth Invitational, conducted by the American Junior Golf Association. She teamed with fellow U.S. Women’s Amateur competitor Mika Liu to win the inaugural U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship in 2015 at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon.
Haley Moore, 18, of Escondido, Calif., graduated high school a year early to attend the University of Arizona, and finished tied for second individually in the 2016 NCAA Championship. She was the lone amateur to make the cut in the 2015 ANA Inspiration. Playing in her third consecutive U.S. Women’s Amateur, her brother Tyler qualified for the 2017 U.S. Amateur at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., later this month.
Michaela Morard, 15, of Huntsville, Ala., is a two-time Alabama Golf Association Girls’ Junior Amateur champion (2015 and 2017), and won the 2016 Alabama Women’s Amateur Stroke-Play Championship at age 14 to become the youngest winner in the championship’s 67-year history. A three-time American Junior Golf Association Rolex Junior All-American, she has also won three AJGA events. She plays high school softball as well as the violin and flute.
Elle Nachmann, 14, of Boca Raton, Fla., has won three American Junior Golf Association tournaments, including two when she was 12 years old, the youngest to do so. Her mother Luanne Spadea-Nachmann played tennis at Duke and her uncle Vince Spadea played professional tennis and ranked as high as No. 18 in 2005. Her brother Alec qualified for the 2017 U.S. Amateur. In 2017, she won the Florida State Four-Ball with Dana Williams, whom she also competed with in the 2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball at The Dunes Golf & Beach Club.
Alexa Pano, 12, of Lake Worth, Fla., is the championship’s youngest competitor, and at 11 was the youngest competitor to play in an LPGA of Japan Tour event – the 2016 Yonex Ladies Golf Tournament. An eight-time winner of the IMG Junior World Championship and two-time Drive, Chip & Putt champion (2016 and 2017), she is playing in her second U.S. Women’s Amateur. In January, she led the South Atlantic Women’s Amateur (The Sally) heading into her final nine holes, and finished tied for third in the prestigious event.
Leila Raines, 16, of Galena, Ohio, was born in Moscow, Russia, and was adopted by her parents when she was 32 months old. Named the 2017 Central Ohio High School Girls Golfer of the Year, she has two sisters who also golf and were adopted – Kara, 19, and Mia, 11. Leila celebrated her eighth birthday at the Great Wall of China when her parents were adopting Kara, who was 11 at the time. All three girls participate in Drive, Chip & Putt, and Leila was a finalist in 2017.
Calista Reyes, 17, of the Philippines, was a first alternate for the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open and made it to the quarterfinals in the 2017 U.S. Girls’ Junior, her best finish in four consecutive appearances. When facing a challenging situation on the course, she pretends to play the piano with her toes to refocus and relax. She has lived in the United States since she was 5 years old and currently resides in San Diego, Calif.
Sarah Rhee, 20, of Seattle, Wash., helped the University of Washington win the 2016 NCAA team title during her freshman year. In the championship semifinals against UCLA, she clinched the win for the Huskies with a hole-out from the bunker on the 19th hole that advanced Washington to the finals. She is now a rising junior on the Husky team.
Brooke Seay, 16, of San Diego, Calif., hit the ceremonial first tee shot in the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in 2013. She is playing in her second U.S. Women’s Amateur, and first since 2015, when she missed the cut. She earned an exemption by returning a 72-hole score from the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open, where she finished in a tie for 60th place.
Ellen Secor, 19, of Portland, Ore., is a rising sophomore majoring in business administration at Colorado State University. In high school, she lettered in both golf and soccer, and at age 3 was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
Erica Shepherd, 16, of Greenwood, Ind., won the U.S. Girls’ Junior two weeks ago at Boone Valley Golf Club in Augusta, Mo. She competed in the 2016 U.S. Women’s Open at CordeValle and is a two-time Indiana Girls’ Junior champion. Her middle name is Leigh in honor of family friend and 1998 U.S. Girls’ Junior champion Leigh Anne Hardin. The left-hander is verbally committed to Duke University. She is playing in her fifth USGA championship.
Sarah Spicer, 19, of Bahama, N.C., has a twin sister Jessica, whom she is teammates with at Virginia Tech University. The duo used to compete in synchronized ice skating, advancing to the 2010 U.S. Synchronized Skating National Championship. They also partnered to compete in the 2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, where they missed the cut.
Grace St-Germain, 19, of Canada, won the 2017 Ontario Women’s Amateur, and in 2014, she won the Canadian Junior Girls Championship and Quebec Women’s Amateur. A member of the Team Canada amateur squad, she will transfer from Daytona State University to the University of Arkansas in the fall of 2018.
Meghan Stasi, 39, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is a four-time U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion (2006, 2007, 2010, 2012) and represented the USA Team in the 2008 Curtis Cup Match on the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland, where she got engaged to her husband Danny on the iconic Swilcan Bridge. She also served as the head women’s golf coach at the University of Mississippi from 2000-07. A Tulane University graduate, Meghan and Danny own a seafood restaurant in Fort Lauderdale.
Lauren Stephenson, 20, of Lexington, S.C., won the 2016 Eastern Women’s Amateur Championship and the 2015 Dixie Women’s Amateur Championship. She is a rising junior at the University of Alabama after spending her freshman year at Clemson University.
Gigi Stoll, 20, of Tigard, Ore., is a rising junior at the University of Arizona who has won three Oregon Women’s Amateurs (2014, 2015 and 2017) and is a three-time Pacific Northwest Golf Association Player of the Year. She’s also an accomplished basketball player.
Bailey Tardy, 20, of Peachtree Corners, Ga., is a rising junior at the University of Georgia who competed in her third U.S. Women’s Open in July. She earned medalist honors in the 2013 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship and advanced to the Round of 16 in the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur. A member of the 2016 USA Curtis Cup Team, she won the 2015 North & South Women’s Amateur Championship at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2.
Maria Torres, 22, of Puerto Rico, won the 2016 SEC Championship as a junior at the University of Florida and became the first Gator to win SEC Player of the Year honors.
Albane Valenzuela, 19, of Switzerland, is the top-ranked player in the field at No. 3 in the Women’s World Golf Ranking. A rising sophomore at Stanford University, she was one of three amateurs and the youngest golfer to play in the 2016 Olympic Games. Runner-up in the 2017 European Ladies Amateur Championship, she is a three-time recipient of the Swiss Ladies and Junior Order of Merit, and was one of three amateurs to make the cut in the 2016 U.S. Women’s Open. A Junior Solheim Cup team member in 2015, she also finished tied for low amateur in the 2016 LPGA ANA Inspiration. Born in New York City, she spent a few years living in Mexico, where she learned to play golf at age 3, before moving to Switzerland in 2003. She is fluent in English, Spanish and French, and has a good working knowledge of German.
Lilia Kha-Tu Vu, 19, of Fountain Valley, Calif., is a rising junior majoring in political science at UCLA who won the 2017 Pac-12 Championship and finished runner-up in the 2017 Canadian Women’s Amateur. She also won the 2016 Southern California Golf Association Women’s Amateur and played in the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open.
Kiley Walsh, 21, of Mt. Prospect, Ill., is a rising senior at Illinois State University who received the Bone Scholarship Award for the 2017-18 school year. It is the highest university-wide honor awarded to undergraduate students at Illinois State, and recipients are selected through a rigorous campus-wide competition based on scholarly achievements, engagement and leadership in activities in the university community and beyond. Her older sisters Melanie and Allison played golf at Washington University and Bradley University, respectively.
Bethany Wu, 20, of Diamond Bar, Calif., won the 2016 Women’s Trans National Championship. She was runner-up to fellow 2016 USA Curtis Cup competitors Bailey Tardy and Mariel Galdiano in the 2015 North & South Women’s Amateur and Canadian Women’s Amateur championships, respectively. The rising junior at UCLA advanced to the semifinals of the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur and was the medalist in the 2014 Women’s Amateur. She was also a member of the victorious 2013 USA Junior Solheim Cup and 2014 USA Junior Ryder Cup teams.
