U.S. captain Meghan Stasi’s side led 2-1 after the morning foursomes, but a chip-in from Sara Byrne on the 17th hole sealed a 2-and-1 win over Catherine Park and Zoe Campos in the afternoon session, pulling things even. Byrne, from Ireland, was paired with Lottie Woad.
“I’m absolutely delighted,” said GB&I captain Catriona Matthew. “At one point this morning it looked like we were going to be beaten three-nil, but then we had a good comeback. The standard of golf has been pretty amazing. The Americans have made a lot of birdies, we’ve made a lot of birdies, and it was exciting out there in the four-balls. I can see in the team that their confidence is growing just from that finish there this afternoon.”
One of the shining stars for the Americans was 15-year-old Asterisk Talley, who paired with Jasmine Koo for nine birdies in 14 holes during a convincing 5-and-4 win over Lorna McClymont and Mimi Rhodes.
Talley made a name for herself earlier this year when she won the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, leading wire-to-wire. Then she made her Augusta National Women’s Amateur debut before dominating the USGA circuit this summer.
In the afternoon session, Talley made birdies on holes No. 10, 11 and 13 to clinch the victory.
“I think both teams played extremely well,” said Stasi. “It was a really good start for us in the morning. We had a couple all-square matches that we came back and fought for. I think they’re going to learn a lot from today. It’s a long day out there for most of them.
“I think they’re going to learn a little bit more about each other’s games and just take that into tomorrow.”
Malixi is the second player ever to win the Women’s Amateur and Girls’ Junior in the same year.
TULSA, Okla. — Rianne Malixi doesn’t show much emotion, but there’s a fire within that burns strong enough to conquer any obstacle.
It didn’t used to be like that. Malixi, a 17-year-old from the Philippines, admits she used to be self-deprecating. When things weren’t going her way on the golf course, she wouldn’t make anything easier for herself.
But everything, as she says, is all about perspective. And in the past 22 days, her perspective, and that of those who follow amateur golf, knows she’s one of the best young players in the game.
Malixi topped Asterisk Talley 3 and 2 on Sunday to win the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Southern Hills Country Club in historic fashion. Malixi was patient, riding the waves of momentum all day until she reached the summit: a second USGA championship in the span of 22 days. Four straight birdies from Nos. 13-16 were the dagger in a two-day historic marathon.
“It feels so surreal right now,” Malixi said. “It’s just an honor.”
SHE DID IT… AGAIN! 🏆🏆
Just three weeks after winning the U.S. Girls’ Junior, Rianne Malixi is the U.S. Women’s Amateur champion! pic.twitter.com/pTM1tLJj2q
Three weeks ago and 1,350 miles away from Southern Hills, Malixi beat Talley, a 15-year-old from California who won the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball earlier this year, 8 and 7 in the championship match of the U.S. Girls’ Junior, a record margin of victory. On Sunday at the famed Perry Maxwell design, Malixi beat Talley again, this time in one of the oldest amateur championships in golf.
Malixi is the second player ever to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Girls’ Junior in the same year, joining Eun Jeong Seong in 2016. Her and Talley are also the first duo to meet up in the championship match of both events ever, let alone in the same year. She’s also the first player from the Philippines to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur.
Malixi, a Duke commit in the 2025 class, went 12-0 in USGA match play events this year. Talley went 15-2, but at least this year, Malixi proved her kryptonite.
“I love Asterisk,” said Malixi, who also roomed with Talley at the Junior Invitational earlier this year, an event Talley won and Malixi placed second. “Developing a relationship with her has just been so awesome. She’s just a great player and a great person, as well.”
Throughout the duration of their 36-hole championship match, Malixi and Talley had numerous conversations, even if it was just small talk. The first 18 holes were played Saturday afternoon because of rain and storms in the Tulsa area on Sunday morning, with Talley taking a 1 up lead into the overnight intermission.
On the first hole Sunday, Talley won with a par, taking a 2 up lead. But Malixi, as calm as she looked on the outside, remained positive on the inside, one of the changes her dad tried to implement when he noticed his daughter’s mental game wasn’t at a championship level.
Malixi won four straight holes, and after Talley made a 40-foot bomb for birdie on the par-4 seventh, Malixi responded with a 15-foot make of her own. She then won another hole and was 3 up with 10 holes to play.
Rianne Malixi reacts after winning the fifth hole during the final match of the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Southern Hills Country Club. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)
But in a match of runs, even extending to Saturday afternoon, Talley responded. She won three straight holes, and on the par-4 12th and the match tied, Talley had a short birdie putt to take a 1 up lead with five to play.
She made the stroke, a bit too firm, and the ball lipped out.
“I knew she was going to make it,” Malixi said. “It’s why I went for it and hit it four or five feet past the hole. Then I was surprised she missed it. Then I was like, ‘Oh, we have to make this putt.”
Talley left the door open. Malixi slammed it shut.
On the par-5 13th, Malixi blasted her tee shot. It rolled out roughly 75 yards after landing on a downslope and sprinting down the fairway. She went for the green in two, landing 30 feet beyond the flag. Talley had a birdie look but missed. Malixi’s eagle look didn’t quite reach the hole, but birdie was conceded.
“I feel like she just — she hit some good shots. I missed a short putt on 12. I just hit it too hard. Maybe just misread it a little bit,” Talley said. “And then she got on in two on 13. I couldn’t really help she made a birdie there. I missed another makable one on that hole. I feel like that’s what kind of switched her momentum, seeing me miss a short putt and her just having an easy birdie.”
On the par-3 14th hole, Malixi found the green and left herself 25 feet for birdie. Talley’s tee shot ended up in a bunker, and her sand shot rolled out just over the green. Her comeback attempt didn’t matter because Malixi made yet another birdie.
Rianne Mikhaela Malixi and Asterisk Talley hug after Rianne Mikhaela Malixi wins their match during the final match of the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)
Then on 15, the most difficult green at Southern Hills, Malixi again found the fairway then green. As Talley’s birdie attempts didn’t quite break enough, Malixi’s shot found the center of the cup again.
3 up with three to play, Malixi and Talley were both greenside in two on the par-5 16th, and Talley’s chip shot rolled out 4 feet past the hole. Malixi, a savant from the bunkers all week, hit her sandy to roughly the same distance below the hole.
Talley poured in her putt, but Malixi responded and did the same.
Four straight birdies, and a special hug with Talley, before the celebration began.
Rianne Malixi makes history! She wins the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Southern Hills, only 22 days after winning the U.S. Girls’ Junior. Only the second person to win both in the same year pic.twitter.com/P3rzURN4OG
“Honestly I just wanted to play good golf,” Malixi said of her goals this year. “That’s it. I wasn’t expecting to win (the) Australian Master of the Amateurs in January, and then won U.S. Girls last month and then this one. I was like so surprised. Even though I was playing good golf, I was just not expecting it.”
Three weeks ago in California, Malixi dominated at the U.S. Girls’ Junior, making 14 birdies over 28 holes in the final. This week, Southern Hills provided a test she hadn’t faced yet, and she still conquered the course in magisterial fashion, and now she’s on top of the amateur world.
“I’m thankful for my dad who kept on pushing me beyond my limits,” Malixi said. “Everything is just all about perspective, and I kind of realized that at the beginning of the year. Yeah, everything just went skyrocket.”
Malixi and Talley advanced to the championship match of the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur, which will begin Saturday afternoon at 2:10 p.m. ET and continue Sunday, tentatively scheduled for 2 p.m. ET. The first 18 holes were moved to Saturday because of anticipated weather Sunday in the Tulsa area, meaning there will be a rare break between play Saturday night.
It is believed to be the first time in USGA history the championship match of the U.S. Women’s Amateur will begin on Saturday. It’s also the first time in 70 years the final match will be contested over two days.
That’s not the only historic moment. Malixi and Talley are the first pair in USGA history to face off in the finals of the U.S. Girls’ Junior and U.S. Women’s Amateur. Not just in a calendar year, ever. There has never been a repeat championship match in the U.S. Women’s Amateur from a duo that made the championship in the U.S. Girls’ Junior, too.
Rianne Malixi!! Birdies 18 to advance to the championship match.
First time in USGA history that there will be the same championship match in the U.S. Girls’ Junior and U.S. Women’s Amateur ever, let alone the same year. History at Southern Hills pic.twitter.com/mZEsQdbCz1
Malixi, a Duke commit, is now 11-0 in USGA match play events, and she’s on the verge of becoming the second player ever to win the U.S. Girls’ Junior and the U.S. Women’s Amateur in the same year. She topped rising Arkansas senior Kendall Todd 1 up after birdies to win the 17th and 18th holes.
Now, a historic final is on tap at Southern Hills.
TULSA, Okla. — Asterisk Talley is only 15 years old, but don’t let her innocent demeanor fool you. She’s a match-play assassin.
Talley dominated her 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur Round of 16 match on Thursday afternoon, taking down Angela Heo 7 and 6 to move into Friday’s quarterfinals at Southern Hills Country Club. That came on the heels of her 4-and-2 win over Justice Bosio of Australia earlier in the day in the Round of 32.
While it may seem an impressive achievement for someone as young as Talley, it’s just another week this summer for her.
The victory moved Talley to 13-1 in match play in U.S. Golf Association events this year. On top of earning low amateur honors at the U.S. Women’s Open, Talley and partner Sarah Lim won the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball at Oak Hills Country Club in Texas, where Talley won five matches.
Then at the U.S. Girls’ Junior at El Caballero Country Club in California, she made the championship match, going 5-1 on the week in match play.
Now at the U.S. Women’s Amateur, she’s 3-0 and the youngest player to advance to match play.
“I feel like just hitting it within like 20 feet and just trying to get on the green and then just, if a one-putt falls you’re doing well, or if you get within 15 feet, you’re doing really good,” Talley said. “You’re not trying to get anywhere close to the hole, you’re just trying to get somewhere on the green, and then if you make a putt, you make a putt, and I feel like I was.
“Sometimes I would get within like 10 feet and then I would just try and make it, and it’s all working out.”
Talley made a name for herself earlier this year when she won the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, leading wire-to-wire. Then she made her Augusta National Women’s Amateur debut before dominating the USGA circuit this summer.
“I feel like the best part of match play is you’re just playing the one person, and you don’t have to worry about everybody else,” Talley said. “Especially this morning with the conditions that there were, there was a bunch of wind, and in stroke play you can have someone going off at like 7 a.m. and there’s no wind, no conditions at all, and I feel like it’s great that you can have someone that has the wind, has the conditions that you have when you’re playing them.”
Now, only time will tell if Talley can add to her impressive mark.
In the morning 18, she was the equivalent of 9-under 62.
Rianne Malixi had to live with the sting of a heartbreaking championship-match loss in the U.S. Girls’ Junior for 363 days. However, the motivation over the last year paid off.
Malixi won the 2024 U.S. Girls’ Junior on Saturday, a year after her runner-up finish in the event. She beat Asterisk Talley in the final at El Caballero in California. Malixi’s impressive 8-and-7 victory over the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball champion was the largest in championship history.
“It’s hard for me to comprehend right now because everything just came in so quickly,” Malixi said. “I know being USGA champion means a lot. Being able to do that is a huge honor for me and I’m very grateful.”
Malixi, 17, lost to Kiara Romero 1 down last year in Colorado, but in this year’s championship, she made 14 birdies over 29 holes. In the morning 18, she was the equivalent of 9-under 62.
“It was such a heartbreak last year because I was so close,” Malixi said. “After that U.S. trip I just practiced a lot. I spent a lot of hours training in Manila. I sacrificed a lot of my social time, school time. Not only me, but my dad (Roy) also sacrificed a lot of time for me just to accompany me. My family had their share [of sacrifices] and I’m just really grateful for everything.”
Malixi will receive a sponsor exemption into the LPGA’s JM Eagle LA Championship that will be held at El Caballero C.C. next year due to renovations going on at nearby Wilshire C.C. She also has a likely invite to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
LANCASTER, Pa. – Technically, Asterisk Talley is still in school. The Chowchilla High School freshman actually had a bunch of homework due on Friday, but hoped her teachers would give her a pass as she plays her way up the leaderboard in her U.S. Women’s Open debut.
“I feel like I can kind of fluctuate with the due date,” said Talley from Golf Channel’s U.S. Women’s Open Live From desk, “even though they were like ‘no exceptions.'”
The 15-year-old media darling from Chowchilla, California, was in high demand after carding rounds of 70-71 at Lancaster Country Club to finish in the top five with fellow amateur Megan Schofill. Coming into her first LPGA major, Talley had a stair-step approach to her goals for the week.
“I first wanted to make the cut,” said Talley, “and if that, I wanted to get low amateur, and if I was playing good enough, I wanted to win. But you know, I feel like setting the bar high for myself really helps me play better golf because if I expect the best out of myself and I don’t meet that, then I’m still doing OK, so I feel like that’s worked for me.”
"I have a bunch [of homework], and it's all due today." 😂
15-year-old amateur Asterisk Talley shares her #USWomensOpen experience so far after carding solid rounds of 70-71 to reach T-11. pic.twitter.com/Id6LjGhCZN
Known for her calm nature on the golf course, the long-hitting Talley, whose name means “little star” in Greek, has tackled this demanding William Flynn design with maturity beyond her years.
Of course, it’s not unusual for teens to make headlines at this event. 2014 champion Michelle Wie West first made the cut at the Women’s Open in 2003 at age 13. She’d tie for 13th the following year at age 14.
World No. 1 Nelly Korda made her first cut at a Women’s Open in 2013 at age 14, ultimately tying for 64th. Lexi Thompson was 14 when she made the cut in 2009 and tied for 34th. Canadian legend Brooke Henderson made the cut as a 15-year-old in 2013 and tied for 10th at age 16 at Pinehurst.
LPGA founder Marlene Hagge holds the record for being the youngest player to make the cut in this championship in 1947 at age 13.
Talley, who won her first USGA title earlier this month at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, was a spectator at this event last year and has been wanting to qualify “forever.” Now that she’s made it, the fearless player feels comfortable enough to feel like she belongs.
“I’m just trying to have a good time out here,” said Talley. “I want my first Open to be memorable and for it to always be something I can look back on and say I had the time of my life, and I feel like earlier in the week I wasn’t having a lot of fun.
“Then when I started playing the tournament rounds I had so much fun out here. I’m having the best time of my life, so I hope that I can look back and just remember this time.”
LANCASTER, Pa. – Asterisk Talley arrived at her first U.S. Women’s Open Championship a little later than most. The 15-year-old got her first look at Lancaster Country Club on Tuesday and, like everyone else, thought it was tough.
“When I was on the first hole, I was just like, these greens are stupid,” said Talley with a wide smile full of braces. “It’s just so hard. The pins they had on the practice rounds, I was like, if they put the pins here, I’m going to start crying.
“I was on the verge on a couple holes with the way I was playing. But I’m not mad with where the pins were today, the way I played the course, so I feel like I’m happy with how I did.”
Talley, whose first name means “little star” in Greek, lit up the microphone on Thursday afternoon after she posted an even-par 70 in the first round that included a triple-bogey. She held a share of the lead for some time and was well aware.
“I look at the leaderboard all the time,” said Talley, who won the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball earlier this month. “I feel like some people get scared to look at it, but I don’t really do that.”
Adela Cernousek plays her shot from the second tee during the first round of the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by Ally at Lancaster Country Club on May 30, 2024 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. (Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
While many of the game’s biggest stars struggled mightily in the opening round of the 79th U.S. Women’s Open, a number of amateurs shined. Recent NCAA champion Adela Cernousek of France is tied for second, a shot off the lead, after carding a 1-under 69 while reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Megan Schofill shot 70 to take a share of fifth.
Yuka Saso shot 68 to lead at 2 under, a shot ahead of Cernousek as well as Andrea Lee and Wichanee Meechai. Those are the only four players in red numbers after 36 holes. There are four amateurs near the top of the leaderboard, including USC’s Catherine Park.
“I was very nervous on the first tee,” said Texas A&M’s Cernousek. “First round of a major, so very nervous.”
In a way, the round must have felt like it started all over again on the par-3 12th after Cernousek’s group had to wait 45 minutes after World No. 1 Nelly Korda made a 10 on the challenging par 3.
“It’s just going to be about who does hard better,” Texas A&M coach Gerrod Chadwell told her.
Cernousek was in between clubs on that hole and opted to hit a 7-iron. She two-putted from the back fringe, and Chadwell said that really settled her for the day.
The top four amateurs on the leaderboard after round one of the U.S. Women's Open are a combined 1-under-par.
The top four in the Rolex Rankings in the field were a combined 21-over.
A long hitter who manages her emotions well, Chadwell said the Frenchwoman has matured greatly since she showed up to campus with lightweight graphite shafts. Chadwell, who is married to LPGA player Stacy Lewis, said they brought Cernousek over to the house often during the Christmas holidays that freshman year.
“We’d call her fish because that’s what freshmen are called (at A&M), but she literally was a fish out of water,” said Chadwell.
Cernousek lives about 50 yards from the Aggies’ practice facility, and she’s there every single day. On the road, she putts at night in the hotel room.
Earlier this spring at the Chevron Collegiate, Cernousek had the overnight lead at the Golf Club of Houston but struggled with three-putts in the final round and dropped down the leaderboard. When they got back to campus, everyone peeled out of the parking lot except an emotional Cernousek, who slammed down her golf bag and putted for an hour and a half.
Lewis happened to drop by the facility and told Cernousek that she did the same thing in college at Arkansas.
“This is what’s going to make you great,” Lewis told her.
This year’s championship will be held May 30-June 2 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Gabriela Ruffels and Asterisk Talley have qualified for the 79th U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club. Ruffels, No. 83 in the Rolex Rankings, medaled with rounds of 70-66 to finish at 6 under at San Joaquin Country Club in Fresno, California.
This year’s championship will be held May 30-June 2 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Talley, one of America’s brightest up-and-coming junior stars, finished second with rounds of 68-69 to qualify for her first U.S. Women’s Open. The 15-year-old Talley recently won the Sage Valley Invitational and finished eighth at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
Ruffels, a rookie on the LPGA, will make her fifth Women’s Open appearance. The former U.S. Women’s Amateur champ tied for 13th at the 2020 USWO in Houston. Like World No. 1 Nelly Korda, Ruffels’ parents were elite professional tennis players. In fact, Ruffels was a prodigious tennis star in Australia until she abruptly quit the game and took up golf at age 14.
Former Fresno State player Harriet Lynch of England is the site’s first alternate.
Mike Schy’s biggest worry about Talley was that she’d fall out of love with golf before the age of 15.
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Mike Schy’s biggest worry about Asterisk Talley was that she’d fall out of love with golf before the age of 15.
At the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, where 15-year-old Talley is the youngest player to make the cut, she certainly sounds like someone having the time of her life on the biggest stage in women’s amateur golf.
“It’s been the greatest two weeks ever,” said Talley after playing Augusta National Golf Club for the first time. Just prior to the ANWA, Talley won the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, shooting 9 under over 54 holes to set a new women’s scoring record.
Talley drained a 5-foot putt for par on her last hole Thursday at Champions Retreat to make the cut at 3 over. She trails leader Lottie Woad by eight strokes heading into the final round and will tee off at 7:50 a.m. alongside Farah O’Keefe.
Schy isn’t surprised that Talley made the cut. In fact, he expected her to win. Talley is comfortable winning because Schy encouraged the family to sign her up for as many small tournaments as possible, including the 9-holers, so that she’d learn how to win.
“She became very comfortable winning early,” said Schy. “So many players skip that part.”
Asterisk was 3 years old when people first started telling her father she was good. That’s when she got her first official coach. Schy came into the picture about five years later.
“When she was eight and a half, she had this one tooth that stuck out funny in the front,” said Schy, “and yet when she started hitting balls, I literally thought I was talking to a 20-year-old.”
Schy said he could almost talk to a young Talley about her golf swing like he talked to longtime student Bryson DeChambeau.
“I’ve watched her do chipping stuff with Bryson and beat his brains in,” said Schy, laughing. “She’s not afraid of anyone.”
Asterisk Talley tees off on No. 13 tee during a practice round for the 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Shanna Lockwood/Augusta National)
Another similarity to DeChambeau, he notes, is their ability to put on blinders and focus. That kind of mentality has been built in for some time now with Talley, he said, despite her age.
Talley’s notoriety has already risen considerably this week with an NBC broadcast still to come on Saturday. The resume, combined with the unique first name, makes her easy to spot.
Talley can thank her dad for her unique first name, which means “little star” in Greek. Her mother, Brandii, is Greek. When asked whether she liked her name, Talley said it has its ups and downs.
“Some people are like, wow, really cool name,” she said, “and then some people are like, what the hell is that, and it’s like, sorry, I didn’t choose it. You just live with it.”
Talley likes to put an “x” when she dots the “I” in her name to make an asterisk sign. She’s been working on her autograph since adults started asking her for it around age 8. Her father, a former graphic designer turned corrections officer, has been working on a logo. When asked whether it might be embroidered on her clothes, which her father mostly buys on eBay, Talley said, “We’re not there yet, but that might happen.”
Talley wants to get to the LPGA as quickly as possible. If she can get there without going to college, she’ll take it.
The 113th-ranked Talley won three WAGR-ranked events last year, including the AJGA Rolex Girls Junior Championship. She also represented the U.S. on the Junior Solheim Cup team and was recently named one 10 girls on the USGA’s new U.S. National Junior Team.
While Schy believed Talley could do big things in her ANWA debut, he reminded her that no matter what happened, she still has to go to school the next week.
