Tag: 74th U.S. Girls’ Junior

17-year-old Kiara Romero wins 74th U.S. Girls’ Junior at Eisenhower Golf Club

Talk about clutch.

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Kiara Romero was shaking.

She was lining up a putt on the 18th hole of Eisenhower Golf Club in Colorado Springs, Colorado. A make, she would win the U.S. Girls’ Junior. A miss, her opponent, Rianne Malixi, could force extra holes.

Romero didn’t give Malixi the chance.

She drained the putt, halving the hole and winning the match 1 up to capture the 74th U.S. Girls’ Junior title. The 17-year-old incoming freshman at Oregon made only one birdie in the afternoon session of the 36-hole final, but she also had only one bogey, shooting even-par to outlast Malixi, 16, to win the title and raise the Glenna Collett Vare Trophy.

“I don’t think it has really sunk in yet,” Romero said. “I kept coming up a little short, but I continued to grind and I’m glad to get it done this time.”

With the victory, Romero also gets exemptions into the 2023 and 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateurs, the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open and 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

2023 U.S. Girls' Junior
Rianne Mikhaela Malixi, left, and Kiara Romero pose with the Glenna Collett Vare Trophy before the final match of the 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior at United States Air Force Academy Eisenhower Golf Club (Blue Course) in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Saturday, July 22, 2023. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)

Romero finished third in the stroke-play portion and knocked out 2022 runner-up Gianna Clemente in the semifinals. Last year, Clemente topped Romero in the Round of 16.

Malixi, from the Philippines, won the first hole and maintained her lead until the 22nd when she made a bogey. She was stellar on par 3s all week, but a bogey on the par-3 13th, the 31st hole, gave Romero a 1 up lead with five to play, and the duo halved the remaining holes.

The championship was the first in USGA history to be contested on a military base.

Defending champ Yana Wilson earns medalist honors at 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior

Yana Wilson has an opportunity to become the fourth player to repeat as U.S. Girls’ Junior champion.

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Seeing Yana Wilson and Anna Davis on top of the leaderboard should be no surprise to those who follow junior golf.

Wilson is the defending champion at the U.S. Girls’ Junior, and she earned medalist honors this year at Eisenhower Golf Club’s Blue Course in Colorado Springs, Colorado, following a second-round 4-under 68 to finish at 6-under 138, one shot ahead of Davis. The winner of the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, Davis is the highest-ranked player in the field and shot a second-round 1-under 71.

Now, the duo has secured the top seeds in match play, which begins at 10 a.m. ET Wednesday with the Round of 64.

The two have battled plenty in recent tournaments, including Wilson holing a shot for eagle to beat Davis in a playoff at the 2022 Annika Invitational.

Yana Wilson plays with a golf ball while waiting to hit her drive off the hole 17 tee box during the second round of the 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior at United States Air Force Academy Eisenhower Golf Club (Blue Course) in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Tuesday, July 18, 2023. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)

Wilson, an Oregon commit, and Davis, who’s headed to Auburn, are two of the top prospects in the Class of 2024. Kiara Romero, who finished third after 36 holes of stroke play, is an incoming freshman at Oregon.

Wilson will try to become the sixth medalist to hoist the Glenna Collett Vare Trophy since 2002. She also has an opportunity to become the fourth player to repeat as U.S. Girls’ Junior champion and first since Eun Jeong Seong in 2015-16.

The cut for match play was 7 over, and exactly 64 players were inside the line. It’s the first time no playoff was needed for the final spots since 2007 at Tacoma Golf and Country Club in Lakewood, Washington.

Additionally, there was another ace Tuesday, marking the fourth of the tournament. Sophie Stevens used a 9-iron from 132 yards on the seventh hole.

The four aces surpassed the 2004 U.S. Girls’ Junior for the most in a single championship. It also matches the USGA mark for a single event with the 1989 U.S. Open at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.

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Not one, not two, but three holes-in-one Monday at 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior

The three holes-in-one matches the most in a single U.S. Girls’ Junior.

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Making a hole-in-one is one of the hardest things to achieve in golf. It doesn’t happen often, even for professionals.

But three in one day? That happened Monday at the 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior at Eisenhower Golf Club’s Blue Course in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Three different players carded aces in the first round of stroke play. First, Veronika Exposito of The Woodlands, Texas, flushed a 5-hybrid from 162 yards out on the third hole. Then, Emerie Schartz of Wichita, Kansas, aced the 143-yard seventh with a 7 iron. Last but not least, 2023 U.S. Women’s Open qualifier Angela Zhang essentially mimicked Schartz, using a 7 iron on the seventh.

The aces are the 23rd, 24th and 25th known holes-in-one in championship history, and they’re the first since 2021. For Schartz, it was her second competitive ace in a month.

The three holes-in-one matches the most in a single U.S. Girls’ Junior. Three were also made in 2004 at Mira Vista Golf Club in Fort Worth, Texas, including one by future U.S. Women’s Open champion Paula Creamer.

After the first round, Anna Davis, the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion, was one of four players tied for the lead after shooting a 4-under 68. She carded eight birdies in her round but also had four bogeys.

The second round of stroke play continues Tuesday. After play finishes, the field will be cut to the top 64, who will advance to match play.

Everything to know about the 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior at Eisenhower Golf Club

The event will be the first USGA championship conducted on a military base.

It’s time again for the best girls in the world to battle it out in the biggest junior event.

The 74th U.S. Girls’ Junior begins Monday at United States Air Force Academy Eisenhower Golf Club’s Blue Course in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The event will be the first USGA championship conducted on a military base. The site was originally scheduled to host in 2020, but COVID-19 canceled that championship.

Last year, Yana Wilson of Henderson, Nevada, defeated Gianna Clemente of Estero, Florida, 3 and 2, in the 36-hole championship match at The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Both are back in the field this week.

Here’s everything you need to know for the 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior.