The U.S. Girls' Junior Championship gets underway next week from the United States Air Force Academy Eisenhower Blue Course with a field of 156 players competing for the prestigious title.
The players range in age from 12 years-old to 18 years-old, representing 14 different countries. Here's a closer look at the girls in the 74th edition of this championship.
Among the 156 players in the 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship field, there are:
Youngest Competitors: Mia Clausen (12 years, 11 months and 25 days old), is the championship’s youngest competitor. Baobao Niuniu Zhao turns 13 on July 16, the day before stroke play begins.
Oldest Competitors: Ashley Kim (18 years, 11 months and 17 days old) is the championship’s oldest competitor. Jillian Friyia is 18 years, 11 months and 16 days old, as of July 17. There are 39 18-year-olds in the field.
Average Age of Field: 16.35
Field breakdown by age:
12: 1 player
13: 7 players
14: 16 players
15: 13 players
16: 34 players
17: 46 players
18: 39 players
International – There are 13 countries represented in the championship: Australia (1), Canada (10), Chinese Taipei (4), Hong Kong, China (2), Japan (3), Malaysia (1), Mexico (3), New Zealand (1), People’s Republic of China (5), Philippines (3), Thailand (4), the United States of America (118) and Venezuela (1).
U.S. States Represented – There are 33 states represented in the championship: Alabama (3), Arizona (4), California (25), Colorado (1), Delaware (2), Florida (9), Georgia (3), Hawaii (3), Idaho (1), Illinois (5), Indiana (1), Kansas (1), Kentucky (2), Maryland (1), Massachusetts (3), Michigan (2), Minnesota (4), Missouri (2), Nebraska (2), Nevada (3), New Jersey (5), New York (1), North Carolina (6), Ohio (1), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (4), South Carolina (1), Tennessee (1), Texas (13), Utah (1), Virginia (1), Washington (4) and Wisconsin (2).
USGA Champions (4): Yana Wilson, (2022 U.S. Girls’ Junior), Gianna Clemente (2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball), Avery Zweig (2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball), Sara Im (2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball)
USGA Runners-Up (3): Gianna Clemente (2022 U.S. Girls’ Junior), Kaitlyn Schroeder (2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball) Bailey Shoemaker (2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball)
Siblings in the field: There is one set of siblings playing in the two USGA junior championships this summer: Anna Davis, 17, will compete in the 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior and twin brother, Billy Davis, 17, will compete in the U.S. Junior Amateur at Daniel Island Club in Charleston, S.C., the following week.
Seven players are in the top 100 of the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking® as of July 13:
No. 4 – Anna Davis, 17, of Spring Valley, Calif.
No. 16 – Fiona Xu, 18, of New Zealand
No. 30 – Tinghsuan Huang, 17, of Chinese Taipei
No. 41 – Gianna Clemente, 15, of Estero, Fla.
No. 51 – Jeneath Wong, 18, of Malaysia
No. 62 – Nika Ito, 18, of Japan
No. 75 – Bailey Shoemaker, 18, of Dade City, Florida
Players in the field with the most U.S. Girls’ Junior starts:
Bailey Shoemaker – 4
Avery Zweig – 4
Kaitlyn Schroeder – 3
There are four current college players in the field:
Leia Chung, 18, of Wahiawa, Hawaii (Boise State University)
Kaitlyn Schroeder, 18, of Jacksonville, Fla. (University of Alabama)
Allyn Stephens, 18, of Houston, Texas (Texas A&M)
Jeneath Wong, 18, of Malaysia (Pepperdine University)
There are 43 players who have signed national letters of intent with colleges for Fall 2023:
Emma Abramson, 17, of Sandwich, Mass. (Williams College)
Andee Avery, 17, of Carlsbad, Calif. (Long Beach State University)
Vanessa Borovilos, 17, Canada (Texas A&M University)
Leigh Chien, 17, of Irvine, Calif. (Stanford University)
Sammie Dolce, 18, of Florham Park, N.J. (Bowling Green State University)
Hannah Dunk, 18, of Janesville, Wis. (University of Wisconsin-Green Bay)
Jillian Friyia, 18, of Canada (Troy University)
Ryan Flynn, 18, of Truckee, Calif. (Grand Canyon University)
Ella Greenberg, 17, of Rockford, Ill. (University of South Dakota)
Amelia Guo, 17, of Seabrook, Texas (Sam Houston State University)
Logan Hale, 18, of Erie, Colo. (University of Denver)
Anna Howerton, 18, of Winston-Salem, N.C. (High Point University)
Tinghsuan Huang, 18, of Chinese Taipei (UCLA)
Sara Im, 18, of Duluth, Ga. (Vanderbilt University)
Jessica Jolly, 17, of Rockford, Mich. (Illinois State University)
Lauren Kim, 18, of Canada (University of Texas)
Kara Kaneshiro, 18, of Honolulu, Hawaii (Colorado State University)
Ashleen Kaur, 18, of Cypress, Texas (Baylor University)
Ashley Kim, 18, of Buena Park, Calif. (University of Michigan)
Nicole Kolbas, 18, of Lincoln, Neb. (Indiana University)
Emily Lee, 17, of Torrance, Calif. (Texas Tech University)
Erica Lee, 17, of Arcadia, Calif. (University of Illinois)
Katie Li, 18, of Basking Ridge, N.J. (Duke University)
Krystal Zhuotong Li, 18, of Canada (Rutgers University)
Lyla Louderbaugh, 17, of Buffalo, Mo. (University of Kansas)
Marissa Malosh, 18, of South Fayette, Pa. (University of Delaware)
Emily Mathews, 18, of Mebane, N.C. (Virginia Tech University)
Karsen Morrison, 18, of North Platte, Neb. (Creighton University)
Farah O'Keefe, 18, of Austin, Texas (University of Texas)
Zoe Parker, 17, of Las Vegas, Nev. (Boise State University)
Macy Pate, 17, of Winston-Salem, N.C. (Wake Forest University)
Kiara Romero, 17, of San Jose, Calif. (University of Oregon)
Abra Richmond, 17, of Glendale, Calif. (Princeton University)
Ava Salay, 18, of Prescott, Wis. (University of Wisconsin)
Olivia Salonek, 18, of Roseville, Minn. (University of Iowa)
Bailey Shoemaker, 18, of Dade City, Fla. (University of Southern California)
Molly Smith, 18, of Westford, Mass. (University of Central Florida)
Leena Stephens, 18, of The Woodlands, Texas (North Carolina State University)
Sophie Stevens, 17, of Highland, Mich. (University of Florida)
Selena Tang, 17, of Fremont, Calif. (Yale University)
Kathryn VanArragon, 18, of Blaine, Minn. (University of St. Thomas)
Sidney Yermish, 18, of Wynnewood, Pa. (University of Michigan)
Madelyn Young, 18, of Mount Carmel, Ill. (Ball State University)
There are 26 players in the field who have competed in the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta (Ga.) National Golf Club:
Vanessa Borovilos (2015 7-9, 2016 7-9, 2018 Won 10-11, 2019 12-13)
Sawyer Brockstedt (2018 10-11)
Kayla Bryant (2017 7-9)
Leigh Chien (2016 10-11
Gianna Clemente (2017 7-9)
Anna Fang (2018 Won 7-9)
Ella June Hannant (2018 Won 7-9)
Anna Huang (2019 10-11)
Sara Im (2018 Won 12-13, 2019 14-15)
Lyla Louderbaugh (2017 10-11)
Macy Pate (2021 14-15)
Emerson Roychoudhury (2022 12-13)
Bailey Shoemaker (2018 12-13)
Athena Singh (2021 10-11, 2022 12-13)
Molly Smith (2015 7-9)
Allyn Stephens (2018 12-13)
Sophie Stevens (2019 12-13)
Kennedy Swedick (2017 10-11)
Asterisk Talley (2018 7-9, 2022 12-13)
Kathryn VanArragon (2016 10-11, 2019 12-13)
Ruihan Kendria Wang (2023 12-13)
Yana Wilson (2019 Won 12-13, 2021 Won 12-13)
Helen Yeung (2021 14-15)
Ellen Yu (2019 10-11)
Angela Zhang (2019 Won 7-9)
Avery Zweig (2016 7-9, 2018 10-11, 2021 12-13)
Eight players in the field competed in the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links:
Anna Davis (MC)
Tinghsuan Huang (MC)
Lauren Kim (MC)
Chizuru Komiya (MC)
Farah O'Keefe (MC)
Yana Wilson (MC)
Jeneath Wong (MC)
Angela Zhang (MC)
Seventeen U.S. Girls’ Junior competitors played in the 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship in May at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash.:
Kayla Bryant
Gianna Clemente
Anna Davis
Amelia Guo
Sara Im
Brynn Kort
Avery McCrery
Madison Moman
Layla Pedrique
Kiara Romero
Kaitlyn Schroeder
Bailey Shoemaker
Molly Smith
Emily Song
Siuue Wu
Angela Zhang
Avery Zweig
PLAYER NOTES
Anna Davis, 17, of Spring Valley, Calif., will compete in her second U.S. Girls’ Junior. Davis’ amateur career took off when, at 16, she won the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur. This year, she won the Girls Junior Orange Bowl and the Girls Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. Following her victory at Augusta in 2022, she competed in seven LPGA Tour events, including three majors, and made five cuts. Davis was named a first automatic selection to the 2023 USA Team for the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, set to take place at Abu Dhabi Golf Club in the United Arab Emirates in October. She is one of eight in the field who competed in the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach.
Mia Clausen, 12, of Carlsbad, Calif., is the youngest player in the field and will compete in her first U.S. Girls’ Junior. In 2022, Clausen won the TTC Corey Pavin Invitational, finished third in the Toyota Tour Cup at Mission Hills and was named the Southern California PGA Junior Player of the Year. Clausen is a prolific skier who speaks fluent Mandarin.
Gianna Clemente, 15, of Estero, Fla., will compete in her second U.S. Girls’ Junior and seventh USGA championship. In 2022 at The Club at Olde Stone, Clemente finished runner-up to Yana Wilson in the 36-hole final. In May, Clemente won the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball in DuPont, Wash., alongside fellow 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.
Sammie Dolce, 18, of Florham Park, N.J., will play in her third USGA championship and second U.S. Girls’ Junior. She missed the cut in her first Girls’ Junior appearance and in the 121st U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, but since then, she has been a medalist in the 2022 AJGA qualifier for the Princeton Championship and won the 2022 Morris County High School Championship and the 2022 NJAC High School Championship. She is a participant in LPGA*USGA Girls Golf, New Jersey First Tee and the New Jersey PGA Junior League.
Ryan Flynn, 18, of Truckee, Calif., will play in her second USGA championship and first U.S. Girls’ Junior. Flynn qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2022. Flynn has won three high school state championships, two of which have been individual golf titles. Flynn was also a two-year captain of her school’s basketball team and helped the team win a state title.
Logan Hale, 18, of Colorado Springs, Colo., is the only Coloradan in the field. Hale grew up playing at Colorado Country Club, the qualifying site where she earned her spot in the field. Hale is competing in her first USGA championship, and when she completes her senior year in 2024, she will enroll at the University of Denver, where she will compete on the golf team. Hale grew up as a competitive skier – at the Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy – but she made the switch to golf when she started high school.
Sara Im, 18, of Duluth, Ga., won the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball in 2022 with partner Thienna Huynh and will compete in her second U.S. Girls’ Junior. In 2022, the incoming Vanderbilt University freshman competed in the U.S. Women’s Open, and also represented the United States in the 2021 Junior Solheim Cup. Im is a six-time AJGA champion, the 2020 Georgia Women’s Amateur champion, and in 2018, she won the age 12-13 division of the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta National. She went on to tie for fourth the following year in the age 14-15 division.
Nicole Iniakov, 16, of Prunedale, Calif., has been an active member of First Tee of Monterey (Calif.) County, where the U.S. Women’s Open just took place at Pebble Beach Golf Links. She was invited to be one of the junior speakers at the First Tee National Trustees Banquet. Iniakov also founded the California State Cup Golf Tournament, which took place for the first time April 8-9 at the Links at Spanish Bay. This event raised more than $45,000 for the Pebble Beach Company Foundation and the American Junior Golf Association’s ACE Grant Program, which supports golfers who can't afford to participate in tournaments. The success of the inaugural California State Cup ensured an annual commitment from Pebble Beach Company to provide a host facility for future California State Cups.
Nika Ito, 18, of Chiba, Japan, will be competing in her second U.S. Girls’ Junior championship and fourth USGA championship. Ito competed in the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open after qualifying at Boso Country Club in Japan and the 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur. She reached the Round of 32 in both the U.S. Girls’ Junior and the U.S. Women’s Amateur last year, was T-6 in the Annika Invitational and was runner-up to Anna Davis in the 2023 Girls Junior Invitational at Sage Valley.
Kara Kaneshiro, 18, of Honolulu, Hawaii, is playing in her second U.S. Girls’ Junior. She won the Hawaii State Women’s Amateur in 2021 and 2022, and in 2021, Kaneshiro was named the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association Player of the Year as well as the Hawaii State Golf Association Women’s Player of the Year.
Chloe Kovalesky, 16, of Boca Raton, Fla., is playing in her first U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship and fourth USGA championship. Kovalesky is a three-time age-group IMG Junior World champion, is 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. She also competed in the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open at The Olympic Club.
Reese McCauley, 17, 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 this championship in 2022, is competing in her second USGA championship. She is a two-time high school state champion and in 2018 was named PGA Junior League of Minnesota Player of the Year.
Farah O’Keefe, 18, of Austin, Texas, is playing in her second USGA championship and second U.S. Girls’ Junior. O’Keefe advanced to the Round of 64 in the 2022 Girls’ Junior, was the winner of the 5A Texas State Golf Championship and made the cut in the LPGA Tour’s VOA Classic in Dallas. O’Keefe enrolled early at the University of Texas but did not play in any competitions in the spring. She is one of eight players in the field who competed in the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach.
Scarlett Schremmer, 16, of Birmingham, Ala., is playing in her first USGA championship. Her mother, Patty Ehrhart, has competed in a number of USGA championships, including last year’s U.S. Senior Women’s Open, where she was the low amateur. 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.
Kaitlyn Schroeder, 18, of Jacksonville, Fla., will be playing in her third U.S. Girls’ Junior and seventh USGA championship. Schroeder advanced to the Round of 32 in 2022 and reached the quarterfinals the year before. She also was the 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball runner-up, alongside Bailey Shoemaker, who is also in the field. Her father, Scott, is the men’s head golf coach at North Florida University.
Bailey Shoemaker, 17, of Dade City, Fla, will be playing in her third U.S. Girls’ Junior. The three-time New York State Girls Junior Amateur champion finished runner-up with partner Kaitlyn Schroeder in the 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball in Puerto Rico, and she made the cut in last year’s U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles (T-49). Shoemaker advanced to the quarterfinals of the Girls’ Junior at The Club at Olde Stone in 2022 and has signed to play golf at the University of Southern California this fall.
Yana Wilson, 16, of Henderson, Nev., will be playing in her second U.S. Girls’ Junior after winning the title last July at The Club at Olde Stone. With her victory, she qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach, and in March, she competed in her second Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She also defeated Anna Davis in a playoff to claim the 2022 Annika Invitational, holing out a wedge shot for an eagle. She has announced her intention to play at the University of Oregon in 2024.
Baobao Niuniu Zhao, 13, of Woodinville, Wash., is playing in her first USGA championship. Zhao is the second-youngest player in the field – turning 13 the day before stroke play begins. She won the 2022 Washington Junior Golf Association District 2 Championship, the 2022 Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship and was named the Junior Tour of Northern California Player of the Year for the 2022-23 season.
Angela Zhang, 14, of Bellevue, Wash., will play in her third USGA championship and first U.S. Girls’ Junior. Zhang is one of eight players in the field who played in the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach – the youngest in the field at the historic edition of the championship – and also competed in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash. Last June, at 13 years old, she became the youngest to win the Washington Women’s State Amateur during a season that included seven Washington Junior Golf Association titles, including the WJGA State Championship and Washington Golf Girls’ Junior Player of the Year honors. In 2019, Zhang was a Drive, Chip and Putt national champion in the Girls 7-9 Division at Augusta National Golf Club.
Avery Zweig, 16, of McKinney, Texas, will compete in her 10th USGA championship and fourth U.S. Girls’ Junior. Zweig qualified for the championship following her victory in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball in May at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash., alongside Gianna Clemente. Zweig made history as the youngest player to qualify and compete in the championship five years ago at 11 years old, and in 2022, she was the youngest player in the field at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and became the youngest in event history to make the cut until her mark was broken this past April by Clemente. 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.
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