U.S. Women's Amateur Home

Eight U.S. Women’s Amateur competitors have played in the Curtis Cup Match:

• Sierra Brooks (USA, 2016)
• India Clyburn (Great Britain & Ireland, 2018)
• Mariel Galdiano (USA, 2016, 2018)
• Annabell Fuller, 16, of England (Great Britain & Ireland, 2018)
• Andrea Lee (USA, 2016, 2018)
• Lucy Li (USA, 2018)
• Mika Liu (USA, 2016)
• Bethany Wu (USA, 2016)

Eight U.S. Women’s Amateur competitors have represented their home countries in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship:

• Virginia Elena Carta (Italy, 2014)
• Ya Chun Chang (Chinese Taipei, 2016)
• Annabell Fuller (England, 2018)
• Mariel Galdiano (United States of America, 2016)
• Rebecca Kay (Australia, 2018)
• Andrea Lee (United States of America, 2016)
• Alessia Nobilio (Italy, 2018)
• Albane Valenzuela (Switzerland, 2014 & 2018)

Fifteen players are in the top 50 of the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking™ (WAGR) as of July 31:

No. 2 – Andrea Lee
No. 3 – Lucy Li
No. 5 – Albane Valenzuela
No. 6 – Alessia Nobilio
No. 15 – Sierra Brooks
No. 20 – Yuka Saso
No. 21 – Gina Kim
No. 22 – Kaitlyn Papp
No. 24 – Mariel Galdiano
No. 28 – Pimnipa Panthong
No. 29 – Dylan Kim
No. 37 – Alexa Pano
No. 35 – Lei Ye
No. 44 – Allisen Corpuz
No. 50 – Rachel Heck

Fifteen players in the field competed in the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open (May 30-June 2) at the Country Club of Charleston in Charleston, S.C.:

• Tyler Akabane – MC, 77-84
• Sierra Brooks – MC, 75-72
• Brigitte Dunne – MC, 78-75
• Megha Ganne – MC, 81-72
• Paris Hilinski – MC, 83-81
• Sabrina Iqbal – MC, 78-73
• Shannon Johnson – MC, 75-78
• Auston Kim – MC, 79-70
• Gina Kim – T-12 (low amateur), 66-72-73-72—283
• Andrea Lee – T-60, 69-72-79-72—292
• Alexa Pano – MC, 75-74
• Kaitlyn Papp – MC, 74-77
• Gabriela Ruffels – MC, 75-77
• Yuka Saso – MC, 71-77
• Albane Valenzuela – MC, 75-75

Thirty-two players competed in the 2019 U.S. Girls’ Junior (July 22-27) at SentryWorld Golf Course in Stevens Point, Wis., including champion, Lei Ye, and runner-up, Jillian Bourdage, as well as:

• Lauren Beaudreau (Quarterfinals)
• Hailey Borja (Round of 64)
• Phoebe Brinker (Round of 32)
• Caroline Canales (MC)
• Briana Chacon (Quarterfinals)
• Anne Chen (Round of 16)
• Bentley Cotton (MC)
• Maisie Filler (Round of 32)
• Madelyn Gamble (Round of 32)
• Megha Ganne (Round of 64)
• Ashley Gilliam (MC)
• Andrea Gomez Ortizibarra (MC)
• Sophie Guo (Round of 64)
• Rachel Heck (Round of 64)
• Kary Hollenbaugh (MC)
• Sabrina Iqbal (Round of 16)
• Jiarui (Joyce) Jin (Round of 64)
• Angela Liu (MC)
• Cory Lopez (Round of 64)
• Hsin-Yu Lu (Round of 64)
• Michaela Morard (Round of 32)
• Alexa Pano (Round of 64)
• Valery Plata (Round of 64)
• Yuka Saso (Semifinals)
• Emma Schimpf (MC)
• Megan Schofill (MC)
• Brooke Seay (Quarterfinals)
• Elina Sinz (Round of 64)
• Natalie Vo (MC)
• Nicole Whiston (Semifinals)
• Caroline Wrigley (MC)

Twenty-three U.S. Women’s Amateur competitors played in the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship (April 27-May 1) at Timuquana Country Club in Jacksonville, Fla. Three two-player sides made this field (second player in bold):

• Lauren Beaudreau with partner Caroline Smith (MC)
• Jillian Bourdage with partner Casey Weidenfeld (Runners-up)
• Jocelyn Bruch & Annabelle Pancake (MC)
• Kelsey Chugg & Julia Potter-Bobb (Round of 32)
• Whitney French with partner Avery French (Quarterfinals)
• Madelyn Gamble with partner Kaleiya Romero (Round of 32)
• Ashley Gilliam with partner Caroline Curtis (Quarterfinals)
• Lauren Greenlief with partner Katie Miller (Round of 32)
• Haylin Harris & Valery Plata (Round of 16)
• Rachel Heck with partner Sadie Englemann (Semifinals)
• Paris Hilinski with partner Allyn Stephens (MC)
• Shannon Johnson with partner Megan Buck (Round of 32)
• Gio Kim with partner Eunice Kim (Round of 32)
• Sophie Linder with partner Karoline Tuttle (Round of 16)
• Cory Lopez with partner Avery Zweig (Round of 16)
• Alexa Pano with partner Amari Avery (Semifinals)
• Valery Plata with partner Haylin Harris (Round of 16)
• Ellen Secor with partner Katrina Prendergast (Round of 16)
• Aneka Seumanutafa with partner Faith Choi (stroke-play medalists; Round of 32)
• Caroline Wrigley with partner Lauren Freyvogel (Round of 32)

The following 34 golfers in the field played in the 2018 Women’s Amateur at The Golf Club of Tennessee:

Tyler Akabane, Sierra Brooks, Ya Chun Chang, Kelsey Chugg, Hailee Cooper, Allisen Corpuz, Bentley Cotton, Amanda Doherty, Annabell Fuller, Ashley Gilliam, Lauren Greenlief, Lauren Hartlage, Rachel Heck, Sabrina Iqbal, Gurleen Kaur, Alli Kim, Dylan Kim, Gina Kim, Yoonhee Kim, Lucy Li, Mika Liu, Kaitlin Milligan, Elizabeth Moon, Alexa Pano, Pimnipa Panthong, Julia Potter-Bobb, Yuka Saso, Megan Schofill, Brooke Seay, Albane Valenzuela, Brynn Walker, Elizabeth Wang, Ziyi Wang, Bethany Wu

General Player Notes

Tyler Akabane, 18, of Danville, Calif., is competing in her ninth USGA championship after playing in the U.S. Women’s Open earlier this year in Charleston, S.C. Akabane, an incoming freshman at UCLA, won the 2018 California Women’s Amateur at Quail Lodge Resort. She advanced to match play in last year’s U.S. Women’s Amateur and was a quarterfinalist in the 2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball with partner Briana Chacon, a quarterfinalist in last month’s U.S. Girls’ Junior. In 2015, Akabane and friend Vivian Pang started “Care Kits for the Homeless,” a program that raises funds to provide homeless people with daily essentials such as water, food and clothing.

Conner Beth Ball, 20, of Starkville, Miss., is the only golfer in the field hailing from Mississippi. Ball, who is competing in her second U.S. Women’s Amateur, qualified as an alternate out of Roswell, Ga., after carding a 1-under 71 at Brookfield Country Club. She previously reached the Round of 64 at the 2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur and the Round of 32 at the 2016 U.S. Girls’ Junior. Ball, a rising junior at the University of Mississippi, helped lead Ole Miss to its first-ever SEC Championship title this April and tallied four top-10 finishes during her sophomore season, including a tie for 10th last October in the Magnolia Invitational held at Old Waverly Golf Club.

Lauren Beaudreau, 18, of Lemont, Ill., won the Illinois High School state golf tournament last October as a senior at Benet Academy. Beaudreau, who will play for Notre Dame this fall, was a quarterfinalist in the 2019 U.S. Girls’ Junior and played in the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball this spring. The 2016 North & South Girls’ Junior champion loves to travel and has visited more than 20 countries.

Jillian Bourdage, 17, of Tamarac, Fla. was a finalist at the 2019 U.S. Girls’ Junior in Stevens Point, Wis., a few weeks ago and lost in the final match to Lei Ye, 1 up. Earlier this year, she played in her third U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship with partner Casey Weidenfeld, losing 2 and 1 in the final match to Erica Shepherd and Megan Furtney. Bourdage, who is set to play collegiate golf for The Ohio State University beginning in the fall of 2020, is taking courses at Broward College while in the process of gaining her pilots license. She is 20 hours through the 60-hour pilot’s process and will soon be making her first solo flight. Bourdage also won the Florida 2A individual state title in 2017 when she was a sophomore at American Heritage High School in Plantation, Fla.

Phoebe Brinker, 17, of Wilmington, Del., is the niece of PGA of America President Suzy Whaley. Whaley, who also serves as Brinker’s instructor, qualified for the 2003 Greater Hartford Open, becoming the first woman in 58 years to qualify for a PGA Tour event. Whaley, who qualified for the inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open in 2018, is the first female president of the PGA of America. Competing against boys, Brinker won the Delaware state high school championship in 2016 and 2018, and finished runner-up in 2017. Brinker also finished second individually in the 2017 USGA Women’s State Team Championship at The Club at Las Campanas in Santa Fe, N.M., and led Delaware to a second-place team finish. Last year, she advanced to the Round of 64 in the U.S. Girls’ Junior at Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach, Calif. This year in the same championship, she advanced to the Round of 32.

Sierra Brooks, 21, of Lake Mary, Fla., was the runner-up in the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur, losing to Hannah O’Sullivan, 3 and 2. Brooks, a rising senior at the University of Florida, was a member of the 2016 USA Curtis Cup Team that was defeated at Dun Laoghaire Golf Club outside of Dublin in the Republic of Ireland. She also represented her country in the 2015 Junior Solheim Cup and the 2014 Junior Ryder Cup. In her first season at the University of Florida after transferring from Wake Forest, Brooks won two titles in her first three events, becoming the first player in program history to do so. She competed in the 2016 and 2019 U.S. Women’s Opens as well as the 2016 ANA Inspiration. In 2019, Brooks finished T-10 in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur and was runner-up to Maria Fassi in the NCAA Division I Championships at The Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark..

Briana Chacon, 17, of Whittier, Calif., was a quarterfinalist in the 2019 U.S. Girls’ Junior, losing to Nicole Whiston, 1 up. Chacon, an incoming freshman at the University of Oregon, is competing in her seventh USGA championship and third U.S. Women’s Amateur. She won the 2016 and 2019 Southern California Golf Association Girls’ Junior Championship and tied for fourth in the 2018 CIF-Southern Section Girls Golf Championship at the Victoria Club in Riverside, Calif.

Ya Chun Chang, 18, of Chinese Taipei, finished runner-up in the 2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, Calif., alongside partner Lei Ye, then advanced to the Round of 64 in the 2018 U.S. Girls’ Junior at Poppy Hills. She won the 2015 Jack Nicklaus Junior Championship at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China, and finished runner-up as an amateur in the 2016 Florida’s Natural Charity Classic, a Symetra Tour event. She is a rising sophomore at the University of Arizona.

Kelsey Chugg, 28, of Salt Lake City, Utah, is the 2017 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion and 2018 runner-up. She will be playing in her 12th USGA championship. Chugg, a four-time Utah Women’s State Amateur Champion (2012, 2013, 2015, and 2017), is the associate director for the Salt Lake City golf division. Earlier this year she joined forces with fellow U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, Julia Potter-Bobb, to compete in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball championship where they advanced to the Round of 32.

Gianna Clemente, 11, of Warren, Ohio, became the third-youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Amateur in the event’s 119-year history when she shot 1-under 71 at the Williamsburg, Va. qualifier. Only Lucy Li (2013) and Latanna Stone (2012) were younger when they qualified for this championship. Clemente won titles at the 2018 Honda Junior Classic at PGA National and two age-group U.S. Kids World Championships in 2016 and 2018. Her father, Patrick, who played collegiate golf at Youngstown State, occasionally caddies for Gianna and will be on the bag for her this week.

Hailee Cooper, 19, of Montgomery, Texas, won the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship with Kaitlyn Papp at Streamsong (Fla.) Resort. She made the cut in  the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open at Shoal Creek after earning the last spot into the field as an alternate just days before the championship started. Cooper, a rising sophomore at the University of Texas, had an impressive freshman season, earning Women’s Golf Coaches Assciation (WGCA) All-America First-Team and Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors. She led the Longhorns in scoring average, claimed two individual victories and placed fourth in the 2019 NCAA Championship, which marked the program’s first top-5 individual finish since 1997. Cooper has qualified for five consecutive U.S. Women’s Amateurs.

Allisen Corpuz, 21, of Honolulu, Hawaii, became the youngestever competitor in a USGA championship when she qualified for the 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links at the age of 10 years, 3 months, 10 days. Corpuz, a senior at the University of Southern California, has competed in 12 USGA championships, including the 2016 and 2018 U.S. Women’s Opens. As a Trojan, she earned All-American honors her sophomore season and finished fifth at the Pac-12 Championships as a junior in 2019. Corpuz tied for 17th in the 2019 Augusta National Women’s Amateur and was a quarterfinalist in last month’s North & South Women’s Amateur at Pinehurst.

Brigitte Dunne, 22, of Camarillo, Calif., will be playing in her third and final U.S. Women’s Amateur as she plans to turn professional after the championship. Dunne, a 2019 graduate of Southern Methodist University, has played in five USGA championships, including the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open at the Country Club of Charleston (S.C.). She concluded her SMU career with the most birdies (359) in school history and had the third-best season scoring average (73.03) in the program’s last 26 years as a senior.

Whitney French, 28, of Monarch Beach, Calif., an operations manager for an IT consulting company, is playing in her 10th USGA championship. Her highest finish came in the 2015 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur (semifinals), losing to eventual champion Lauren Greenlief. Earlier this year French played in her third U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball with her sister, Avery, where they advanced to the quarterfinals.

Annabell Fuller, 17, of England, was the youngest competitor on the Great Britain and Ireland Team in the 2018 Curtis Cup Match at Quaker Ridge Golf Club, and also represented Europe in the 2018 Junior Ryder Cup. Fuller, a rising  at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., made it to the Round of 16 in last year’s U.S. Women’s Amateur. She has runner-up finishes in the 2018 Portuguese International Ladies Amateur and 2017 ANNIKA Invitational Europe and finished tied for second in the 2018 English Women’s Amateur Championship. Her sister, Samantha, is also an accomplished golfer at Keiser University in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Madelyn Gamble, 16, of Pleasant Hill, Calif., will be playing in her fourth USGA championship. Gamble advanced to the Round of 64 in the 2018 U.S. Girls’ Junior at Poppy Hills and played in the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship earlier this year where she advanced to the Round of 32. Most recently, she played in the 2019 U.S. Girls’ Junior where she advanced to the Round of 32. She attends Carondelet High School in Concord, Calif. It is the same private all-girls high school that 2018 U.S. Girls’ Junior champion Yealimi Noh attended for two years.

Megha Ganne, 15, of Holmdel, N.J., is a four-time Drive, Chip & Putt national finalist and finished runner-up in the 14-15 age group this spring. Ganne recently played in her third straight U.S. Girls’ Junior championship, where she advanced to the Round of 64 and competed in her first U.S. Women’s Open in May at the Country Club of Charleston. At 15 and only a freshman at Holmdel High School in New Jersey, she finished runner-up in the Shore Conference Tournament this April, helping the Holmdel girls’ golf team win its third straight team title. Ganne also won the 2017 New Jersey Junior PGA Championship.

Ashley Gilliam, 18, of Manchester, Tenn., will be seeing a lot of Old Waverly Golf Club in the near future as she is set to play for Mississippi State this fall. Old Waverly is Mississippi State’s home course. This will be Gilliam’s eighth USGA championship. She was a quarterfinalist in the 2018 U.S. Girls’ Junior and was a member of the winning Tennessee team at the final USGA Women’s State Team Championship in 2017. She is also a two-time Drive, Chip & Putt National finalist. Most recently, Gilliam played in the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship where she advanced to the quarterfinals.

Lauren Greenlief, 28, of Ashburn, Va., became the youngest winner (25 years, 25 days) of the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur when she defeated Margaret (Shirley) Starosto, 2 and 1, in 2015. Greenlief, a management consultant, also reached the semifinals of the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball with partner Alexandra Austin, and last August became the first mid-amateur (25 and older) in 12 years to reach the quarterfinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur. A former walk-on at the University of Virginia, Greenlief earned three varsity letters from 2010-12. Greenlief qualified for the  the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball championship with teammate Katie Miller, where they advanced to the Round of 32.

Sophie Guo, 18, of Irvine, Calif., is a recent graduate of First Academy in Orlando, Fla., and has signed to play for the Texas Longhorns this fall. Guo, who is competing in her first U.S. Women’s Amateur, won the 2019 Orlando International Amateur Championship and holds five American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) titles. She has played in four U.S. Girls’ Juniors, including a trip to the Round of 32 in 2018.

Haylin Harris, 20, of Carmel, Ind., is a sophomore at Michigan State. As a freshman, Harris placed third at the

2019 East Lansing Regional with a season-best 3-under-par score and earned a bid to the NCAA Championships, where she finished tied for 51st. She competed in the 2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur and three U.S. Girls’ Juniors, including a Round-of-16 appearance in 2017.

Rachel Heck, 17, of Memphis, Tenn., qualified for the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open, made the cut and played the final round with 2008 U.S. Girls’ Junior champion Lexi Thompson. She also earned low-amateur honors in the 2018 Evian Championship. Heck, a member of the 2018 USA Junior Ryder Cup team, was named 2017 Rolex Junior Player of the Year, 2017 USA Today Golfer of the Year and 2017 Global Golf Post First-Team All-American. This will be her third consecutive U.S. Women’s Amateur and her third USGA championship this year. She was a semifinalist in the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball and advanced to the Round of 64 at the U.S. Girls’ Junior at SentryWorld in Stevens Point, Wis. She plans to attend Stanford University in the fall of 2020.

Kary Hollenbaugh, 15, of New Albany, Ohio, has four wins on the Golfweek Junior Tour and is competing in her second USGA championship. Her first was this year’s U.S. Girls’ Junior. Her father, Paul, is a PGA Professional and Director of Golf at New Albany Country Club, where Kary captured a wire-to-wire victory last year in the Girls 15-19 division, winning by eight strokes. As a freshman at New Albany High School, Hollenbaugh earned All-State Team honors and helped her team claim the Ohio Girls High School Golf State Championship. She also is the No. 1 singles player on the school’s varsity tennis team.

Sabrina Iqbal, 18, of San Jose, Calif., is playing in her sixth USGA championship after competing in the U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Girls’ Junior earlier this year. Iqbal, a rising sophomore at Texas Christian University, carded five top-10 finishes and one victory at the Maryb S. Kauth Invitational during her first season. She won the 2016 California Women’s Amateur and was named Northern California Golf Association Women’s Player of the Year.

Shannon Johnson, 36, of Sioux Falls, S.D., a field representative for a major golf manufacturer, will be playing in her 15th USGA championship. She won the 2018 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Norwood Hills Country Club in St. Louis after finishing as the runner-up in 2016. During the winter months, Johnson plays ice hockey. Earlier this year, Johnson played in her second U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball championship with Megan Buck. They advanced to the Round of 32.

Anna Kennedy, 22, of Parker, Colo., is a senior at Brigham Young University and is competing in her first USGA championship. Kennedy was a varsity soccer star at Legend High School, but after three major injuries in soccer she decided to focus on golf. Her golf coach at BYU, Carrie Roberts, sent Kennedy to Roberts’ cousin, Boyd Summerhays, who coaches a number of golfers including Tony Finau, and his son, Preston, the champion of last month’s U.S. Junior Amateur. With Summerhays, Kennedy has improved her game and totaled seven top-20 finishes and one victory in her three seasons with the Cougars. She also has a runner-up finish in the 2017 Utah Women’s State Amateur and three top-5’s in the last three Colorado Golf Association Women’s Stroke Play championships.

Dylan Kim, 22, of Sachse, Texas, is competing in her fourth U.S. Women’s Amateur and first since 2016. Kim, who has played in three U.S. Women’s Opens, finished her career at the University of Arkansas this spring with the second-lowest stroke average in program history. She earned First-Team All-SEC honors as a junior and senior and helped the Razorbacks claim the program’s first SEC title in 2018. Kim transferred to the University of Arkansas in 2017 after taking a medical redshirt season at Baylor University due to a benign tumor that was removed from her leg in October 2015. She also had a runner-up finish by one stroke to 2018 U.S. Girls’ Junior champion Yealimi Noh in the 2018 Canadian Women’s Amateur.

Gina Kim, 19, of Chapel Hill, N.C., was the low amateur in this year’s U.S. Women’s Open in Charleston, S.C., where she finished tied for 12th. Kim, a rising sophomore at Duke University, helped lead the Blue Devils to the seventh NCAA Championship in school history this year. She earned WGCA Second Team All-American and All-ACC honors as a freshman and finished tied for 10th at the 2019 NCAA Championships. Kim was a semifinalist in the 2018 U.S. Girls’ Junior, losing to the eventual champion, Yealimi Noh, 3 and 2. She also competed in the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open and 2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur. In 2019, Kim played in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur, advanced to the Round of 16 in the North and South Women’s Amateur and tied for seventh in the Canadian Women’s Amateur.

Andrea Lee, 20, of Hermosa Beach, Calif., No. 2 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), was the runner-up in the 2016 U.S. Girls’ Junior and a semifinalist in the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur. She was one of five amateurs to make the cut at the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open at the Country Club of Charleston in Charleston, S.C., and finished tied for 60th. The rising senior at Stanford University earned two individual victories as a junior and was a First Team All-American, First Team All-Pac-12 and an Annika Award finalist. Lee, the 2015 Southern California Amateur champion, represented the USA in the 2016 and 2018 Curtis Cups and the 2017 World University Games. She finished third in the 2019 Canadian Women’s Amateur and was runner-up in 2016.

Lucy Li, 16, of Redwood Shores, Calif., was a quarterfinalist in last year’s U.S. Women’s Amateur at The Golf Club of Tennessee after earning co-medalist honors during stroke play. She was a semifinalist in the 2018 U.S. Girls’ Junior after earning medalist honors with a near-record total of 131 (11 under). Li competed in her second U.S. Women’s Open last year at Shoal Creek, finishing tied for 55th. In 2014, she was the youngest qualifier in Women’s Open history at 11 years, 8 months and 14 days, but missed the cut at Pinehurst No. 2. Earlier in 2014, Li won the inaugural Drive, Chip, & Putt Championship for her age division (10-11). Li won the 2016 Girls Junior PGA Championship and represented the  USA in the 2017 Junior Solheim Cup, as well as the 2016 and 2018 Junior Ryder Cups. She also helped the 2018 USA Curtis Cup Team to a 17-3 victory, going 3-0-1 at Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, N.Y. Li’s other victories include the 2017 Ping Invitational and the 2017 Rolex Tournament of Champions. She will be competing in her fifth U.S. Women’s Amateur.

Mika Liu, 20, of Beverly Hills, Calif., a member of the 2016 USA Curtis Cup Team, is playing in her 14th USGA championship and fifth U.S. Women’s Amateur. She was a quarterfinalist in the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Portland (Ore.) Golf Club. Liu, a rising junior at Stanford University, was named to the All-Pac-12 first team as a freshman and a WGCA All-American Scholar as a sophomore. She competed in seven U.S. Girl’s Juniors, including a trip to the quarterfinals in 2015, and won the inaugural U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Bandon Dunes with partner Rinko Mitsunaga in 2015. Her other victories include 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.” Her brothers, Seiji and Seiya, played golf at Harvard, and her sister, Marika, was the 2014-2015 Ivy League Player of the Year at Yale University.

Cory Lopez, 17, of Mexico, is a member of Mexico’s National Team and won the 2019 Mexican Women’s Amateur. She also played in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball where she advanced to the Round of 16. Lopez, set to play collegiate golf for the University of Arkansas, is playing in her fourth USGA championship, including last month’s U.S. Girls’ Junior (Round of 64)

Michaela Morard, 17, of Huntsville, Ala., has won three consecutive Alabama Girls’ Junior titles, as well as the 2016 and 2018 Alabama Women’s Amateurchampionships. A three-time high school state individual champion, Morard won the first of those titles playing as a 13-year-old seventh-grader, becoming the youngest athlete and the only seventh-grader to win an Alabama high school state title in any sport. A standout softball player as well, Morard is a three-time Junior Rolex All-American and the 2017 Alabama Junior of the Year. She competed for Alabama in the 2015 and 2017 USGA Women’s State Team Championships. She recently played in the 2019 U.S. Girls’ Junior championship where she advanced to the Round of 32. She plans to play for the University of Alabama in 2020.

Alexa Pano, 14, of Lake Worth, Fla., was runner-up in the 2018 U.S. Girls’ Junior, losing 4 and 3 to Yealimi Noh. Two years ago, she became 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 National Drive, Chip & Putt champion (2016 and 2017), this will be her third U.S. Women’s Amateur. Pano, featured in the 2013 documentary “The Short Game” on Netflix, competed in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur and U.S. Women’s Open in Charleston, S.C. earlier this year. At the 2019 U.S. Girls’ Junior championship, she advanced to the Round of 64. She won the Rolex Girls Junior Championship, one of the prominent invitationals on the American Junior Golf Association circuit in May.

Julia Potter-Bobb, 31, of Indianapolis, Ind., is a two-time U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion (2013, 2016) and one of two left-handers to hold multiple USGA titles (fellow Indiana resident Erica Shepherd). Potter, a University of Missouri graduate, won the 2007, 2008, 2014 and 2015 Indiana Women’s Amateur and 2016 Indiana Women’s Open championships. She currently serves as the director of member services for the Indiana Golf Office and was a 2008 P.J. Boatwright Intern for the Missouri Golf Association. Potter was diagnosed with scoliosis as a teenager and underwent the same back surgery as LPGA star Stacy Lewis. Earlier this year she teamed up with Kelsey Chugg for the first time to compete in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship where they advanced to the Round of 32.

Brooke Sansom, 20, of Pike Road, Ala., a rising sophomore at Auburn University, is competing in her second USGA championship after earning medalist honors with a 6-under 66 at the qualifier in Roswell, Ga. Sansom was an SEC All-Freshman Team selection for the Tigers and reached the Round of 64 in the 2016 U.S. Girls’ Junior. She is the niece of former Auburn University All-American quarterback and 1971 Heisman Trophy Winner Pat Sullivan.

Yuka Saso, 18, of the Philippines, competed in the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open and the 2019 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, where she finished tied for third. Earlier this summer, she captured the Girls Junior PGA Championship in Hartford, Conn. At the age of 15, she reached the semifinals of the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur and earned both individual and team gold medals for the Philippines in the 2016 World Junior Girls Championship. Saso, who plans to attend the University of Georgia in 2020, has twice won the Philippine Ladies Open. She made history in the 2018 Asian Games for the Philippines after capturing gold medals in both women’s individual and women’s team events. She recently played in the 2019 U.S. Girls’ Junior where she earned medalist honors with a score of 12-under 132 (two off the 36-hole scoring record) and advanced to the semifinals, falling to Jillian Bourdage.

Ellen Secor, 21, of Portland Ore., won the 2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball title with former Colorado State teammate Kendra Prendergast. The side defeated Ya Chun Chang and Lei Ye, 1 up, in the final. Earlier this year the side teamed up again to defend their title. They ultimately fell to Jillian Bourdage and Casey Weidenfeld in 20 holes in the Round of 16. This will be her first time competing in the U.S. Women’s Amateur championship. Secor recently transferred to the University of Oklahoma for her senior season.

Brooke Seay, 18, of San Diego, Calif., an incoming freshman at Stanford University, played in her sixth U.S. Girls’ Junior last month where she advanced to the quarterfinals, losing to eventual champion and fellow Stanford freshman Lei Ye. Seay has competed in three U.S. Women’s Amateurs and made the cut in the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J. She represented the USA in the 2017 Junior Solheim Cup, won the 2017 AJGA Annika Invitational and finished fourth in the 2018 World Junior Girls Championship. Seay also hit the ceremonial first tee shot at the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in 2013.

Albane Valenzuela, 21, of Switzerland, was the runner-up in the 2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur, falling to Sophia Schubert, 6 and 5, at San Diego Country Club. Valenzuela, who is entering her senior season at Stanford University, earned a multitude of honors during her junior season, including Pac-12 Women’s Golfer of the Year, First-Team All-American and was an Annika Award finalist. She has competed in three U.S. Opens, making the cut in 2016 and 2018, and two ANA Inspirations. making the cut in both and tying for low amateur in 2016. She shared low-amateur honors in the recent Evian Championship, shooting even-par 284. Valenzuela, the runner-up in the 2017 European Ladies Amateur Championship, was one of three amateurs and the youngest golfer to play in the 2016 Olympic Games. Born in New York City, she spent a few years living in Mexico (her father’s home country), where she learned to play golf at age 3, before moving to Switzerland in 2003. The family currently resides in the Bahamas. She is fluent in English, Spanish and French, and has a good working knowledge of German. Her younger brother, Alexis, who suffers from autism, competed in this year’s U.S. Junior Amateur championship at Inverness Golf Club in Toledo, Ohio. Her father, Alberto, was a standout golfer for UCLA in the 1980s.

Nicole Whiston, 18, of San Diego, Calif., advanced to the semifinals of the 2019 U.S. Girls’ Junior before losing to Lei Ye, 2 down. An incoming freshman at the University of Tennessee, Whiston is competing in her seventh USGA championship and second U.S. Women’s Amateur, after missing the cut in 2016. She won the 2018 Southern California Women’s Match Play. Her sister, Waverly, also plays golf at Tennessee and was a quarterfinalist in the 2016 U.S. Girls’ Junior with Nicole as her caddie.

Haeley Wotnosky, 19, of Wake Forest, N.C., a sophomore at the University of Virginia, is competing in her fifth USGA championship and first U.S. Women’s Amateur. Wotnosky, a kinesiology major, qualified for match play in the 2018 U.S. Girls’ Junior. In 2019, she was a semifinalist in the Carolinas Women’s Match Play Championship and tied for 13th in the Carolinas Amateur. Her brother, Grayson, will also play for Virginia starting in 2020. Grayson teamed with 2019 USA Walker Cup competitor Akshay Bhatia in the 2017 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Pinehurst, where they fell in the Round of 32.

Caroline Wrigley, 18, of Wexford, Pa., is an incoming freshman atFurman University. She won three consecutive individual district titles, leading North Allegheny High School to three state championships. Earlier this year, Wrigley played in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball championship where she advanced to the Round of 32 with partner Lauren Freyvogel. She also played in the 2019 U.S. Girls’ Junior, but failed to qualify for match play. Her uncle, Frank Fuhrer III, was a member of the 1981 USA Walker Cup Team, which earned him an invitation to play in the 1982 Masters. He also played professionally for five years.

Bethany Wu, 22, of Diamond Bar, Calif., was a semifinalist in the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur and the stroke-play medalist in 2014. Wu, competing in her seventh U.S. Women’s Amateur, represented the USA in the 2016 Curtis Cup Match. She won the 2016 Women’s Trans-Mississippi National Championship and 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. Wu recently finished her senior season at UCLA, earning Honorable Mention All-American honors after tallying three top-10s and finishing tied for 11th in the NCAA East Lansing Regional. Prior to UCLA, she played on the victorious 2013 USA Junior Solheim Cup and 2014 USA Junior Ryder Cup teams.

Lei Ye, 18, of the People’s Republic of China, became the USGA champion from China on July 27 when she claimed the 71st U.S. Girls’ Junior title at SentryWorld in Stevens Point, Wis., defeating Jillian Bourdage, 1 up. Ye, an incoming Stanford University freshman, was born and raised in Shanghai and moved to Florida three years ago. She reached the Round of 32 in the 2016 U.S. Girls’ Junior and later competed in the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open at Shoal Creek, missing the cut by one stroke. She was also the runner-up with partner Ya Chun Chang in the 2018 U.S. Women’s  Amateur Four-Ball at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, Calif. Ye, who has played in two LPGA Tour events in her home country (the Blue Bay LPGA and the Buick LPGA Shanghai), won two junior titles last year: the Annika Invitational USA presented by Rolex and the Zhang Lianwei Cup.

Compiled by Joey Geske, the USGA’s summer communications intern. Email him at jgeske@usga.org