Darr, Hong, Cannon set for shot at U.S. Junior Girls Championship

Three talented Oklahomans are about to compete in the U.S. Junior Girls Championship beginning Monday at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, Calif.

Lucy Darr of Stillwater, Juliana Hong of Norman and Evyn Cannon of Edmond have all qualified.

Darr this week tied for 26th in the PGA National High School Girls Championship at PGA Frisco, shooting 68 in the final round. Hong, who won the Oklahoma qualifier at Dornick Hills, placed seventh in The Bubba Conlee Junior Golf Tournament in Memphis which concluded Thursday. Cannon is coming off a fourth-place finish in the WOGA Junior Girls Championship at Rose Creek Golf Club in Oklahoma City.

Below are facts and figures on the U.S. Junior Girls Championship

Par and Yardage
El Caballero Country Club will be set up at 6,347 yards and will play to a par of 36-35–71.

El Caballero Country Club Hole by Hole

Note: Yardages subject to change.

About El Caballero Country Club

El Caballero was originally designed by William H. Johnson, then redesigned by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. in 1963. The club is located in the heart of the San Fernando Valley, just northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Founded by Bernie Shapiro, the establishment of El Caballero came as a result of the original golfing property seeking an interested purchaser following a collapse due to the onset of the Great Depression. Originally known as the old Burroughs’ club, Shapiro’s transformation of the property was more than a physical renovation. At a time when the Civil Rights movement was just beginning, Shapiro made a point to establish a new national standard for country clubs. He refused to discriminate on the basis of race, religious beliefs, gender, etc. and required only that the applicant be of “good moral character” and “charitably inclined”. El Caballero underwent restoration led by Rees Jones in 2021, improving the course’s playability and sustainability.

Admission
Admission is free. Tickets are not required for this USGA championship, and spectators are encouraged to attend.

Entries
This year’s championship accepted 1,576 applicants with entries closing on May 15. The championship is open to female amateur golfers who have not reached their 19th birthday on or before July 20, 2024, and whose Handicap Index® does not exceed 5.4.

Championship Field

A starting field of 156 players will compete in the U.S. Girls’ Junior. Following 18-hole rounds of stroke play on July 15 and 16, the field will be cut to the top 64 scorers for match play. A playoff, if necessary, will be conducted to get exactly 64 players in the draw. Five 18-hole rounds of match play will determine the finalists who will square off in the 36-hole championship match on July 20.

Qualifying
Qualifying, played over 18 holes, was conducted at 42 sites nationwide between May 20 and June 24. To view qualifying results, visit usga.org/girlsjunior.

Exempt Players

The following players are fully exempt into the 2024 U.S. Girls’ Junior:

• Vanessa Borovilos (Top 50 age-eligible points leaders in Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking as of May 8)
• Frances Brown (Winner of 2024 Alabama Girls State Junior)
• Samantha Brown (Qualified for 2024 U.S. Women’s Open)
• Emree Cameron (Winner of 2024 Missouri Junior Match Play Championship)
• Evyn Cannon (Winner of 2024 Alabama Girls State Junior)
• Larissa Carrillo (Winner of 2024 LXIII Campeonato Nacional)
• Ashley Chang (Winner of 2024 Colorado Junior State Championship)
• Yuchu Chen (Top 50 age-eligible points leaders in Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking as of May 8)
• Leigh Chien (2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior semifinalist, Top 50 age-eligible points leaders in Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking as of May 8)
• Gianna Clemente (2022 U.S. Girls’ Junior runner-up, Top 20 age-eligible points leaders in Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking as of March 20, Top 50 age-eligible points leaders in Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking as of May 8)
• Lucy Cook (Winner of 2024 Mississippi Junior Amateur)
• Aphrodite Deng (Winner of 2024 New Jersey Junior Girls’ Championship)
• Caroline Gao (Winner of 2024 California Junior Girls State Championship)
• Kathryn Ha (Winner of 2024 Virginia State Golf Association Girls’ Championship)
• Sarah Hammett (Top 50 age-eligible points leaders in Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking as of May 8)
• Hailey Han (Winner of 2024 Georgia Girls’ Championship)
• Sophie Han (Top 50 age-eligible points leaders in Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking as of May 8)
• Amelia Harris (Top 50 age-eligible points leaders in Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking as of May 8)
• Caroline Hawkins (Winner of 2024 South Carolina Golf Association Junior Girls Championship)
• Claire Henson (Winner of 2024 Tennessee Girls’ Junior Championship)
• Julia Karmazin (Winner of 2024 Nebraska Girls’ Amateur)
• Jenna Kim (Winner of 2024 Carolina Junior Girls’ Championship)
• Jasmine Koo (Top 20 age-eligible points leaders in Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking as of March 20, Top 100 age-eligible points leaders in Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking as of May 8)
• Chloe Kovelesky (Top 50 points leaders in Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking as of May 8()
• Arianna Lau (Top 50 points leaders in Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking as of May 8)
• Jacinda Lee (Winner of 2024 Oregon Junior Girls Amateur)
• Alena Li (Winner of 2024 Michigan Girls’ Junior Championship)
• Sophia Li (Winner of 2024 New York State Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship)
• Sarah Lim (2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball champion)
• Eden Lohrbach (Winner of 2024 Iowa Girls’ Junior Amateur)
• Rianne Malixi (2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior runner-up; (Top 50 points leaders in Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking as of May 8)
• Emma McKoan (Winner of 2024 Florida Girls’ Junior Championship)
• Raya Nakao (Top 50 points leaders in Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking as of May 8)
• Kinsley (Zixin) Ni (Top 50 points leaders in Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking as of May 8)
• Nikki Oh (Top 50 points leaders in Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking as of May 8)
• Eileen Park (2023 Canadian Junior Girls champion)
• Avani Prashanth (Low 8 individual finisher in 2023 Women’s World Amateur Team Championship)
• Lexi Ray (Winner of 2024 Indiana Girls State Junior Championship)
• Pimpisa Rubrong (Top 50 points leaders in Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking as of May 8)
• Emerie Schartz (Winner of 2024 Kansas Girls Junior Amateur)
• Katie Sowers (Winner of 2024 Pennsylvania Junior Girls’ Championship)
• Asterisk Talley (2024 U.S. Women’s Open qualifier, 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball champion, Winner of 2024 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, Top 50 points leaders in Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking as of May 8, 2023 Rolex Girls Junior champion)
• Clarisa Temelo (2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior quarterfinalist)
• Hallie Wilson (Winner of 2024 North Carolina Junior Girls’ Championship)
• Natalie Yen (2023 Oregon Junior Amateur champion, Winner of 2024 Annika Invitational)
• Amelie Zalsman (2024 U.S. Women’s Open qualifier)
• Alice Ziyi Zhao (Top 50 points leaders in Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking as of May 8)
• Schedule of Play

Practice rounds will take place July 13-14, and the championship schedule is as follows:

July 15 (Monday): First round, stroke play
July 16 (Tuesday): Second round, stroke play, field reduced to 64 players for match play
July 17 (Wednesday): Round of 64, match play
July 18 (Thursday): Round of 32/Round of 16, match play
July 19 (Friday): Quarterfinals/semifinals, match play

July 20 (Saturday): 36-hole championship final, match play

Broadcast Coverage

The 2024 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship will receive at least four hours of live coverage on Peacock. Golf Channel will air both semifinal matches on Friday and Saturday’s championship match on a tape-delay basis.

Date                     Network                              Broadcast Hours (EDT)

July 19                  Peacock                              Semifinal matches, 5-7 p.m.

Golf Channel                       Semifinal matches, 8-10 p.m. (tape delay)

July 20                  Peacock                              Championship match, 6-8 p.m.

Golf Channel                       Championship match, 10 p.m.-12 a.m. (tape delay)

What the Champion Receives

• Exemption from qualifying into the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by Ally at Erin Hills
• A gold medal and custody of the Glenna Collett Vare Trophy for one year
• A custom-made USGA champion’s ring
• Exemption from qualifying for all U.S. Girls’ Juniors prior to her 19th birthday
• Exemption from qualifying for the next two U.S. Women’s Amateur Championships
• Exemption into the 2024 JM Eagle LA Championship

2023 Champion – Kiara Romero
Kiara Romero, 17, of San Jose, Calif., converted a 7-foot par putt on the 36th hole to hold off Rianne Malixi, of the Philippines, 1 up, in the 36-hole championship match at the United States Air Force Academy Eisenhower Golf Club (Blue Course) in Colorado Springs, Colo. Romero, then one of the top college recruits who had committed to attend Oregon in the fall of 2023, finished third in the stroke-play portion, just two strokes off of the medalist-winning score of 138 shot by then-reigning champion and future Oregon teammate Yana Wilson. Once into match play, Romero cruised to the quarterfinals, where she took down top junior and 2023 U.S. Open qualifier Lauren Kim, 3 and 1. She followed with a statement 2-up victory over highly ranked junior Gianna Clemente, the 2022 runner-up and 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball champion. In what was a back-and-forth final match, Romero was forced to climb from one and two-hole deficits before ultimately holding onto a 1-up lead earned on the 31st hole of the match. A brilliant up-and-down par on the final hole secured the victory.

Championship History
The U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship was established in 1949, one year after the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. Philadelphia (Pa.) Country Club, one of the oldest clubs in the nation, hosted the inaugural championship on its Bala Course, which opened in 1891, three years before the founding of the USGA. Girls’ Junior champions have won the U.S. Women’s Amateur eight times and the U.S. Women’s Open seven times, most recently by 2012 winner Minjee Lee. Additionally, 20 champions have gone on to represent the USA on the Curtis Cup Team.

Considering the age limitations on a junior golf career, Hollis Stacy’s record of three consecutive U.S. Girls’ Junior Championships (1969-1971) is among the most remarkable accomplishments in USGA history. In 2016, Eun Jeong Seong joined the elite club of back-to-back U.S. Girls’ Junior winners, the first since 1971, and followed her victory by winning the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur, making her the first player to win the two prestigious championships in the same year, and just the third female to win multiple USGA championships in the same year, joining Pearl Sinn and Jennifer Song.

Kay Cornelius, the 1981 winner, is also among the noteworthy champions. Her mother, Kathy Cornelius, won the 1956 U.S. Women’s Open, making them the only mother-daughter tandem to have captured USGA championships. Other notable winners include Amy Alcott (1973), JoAnne Gunderson Carner (1956), Heather Farr (1982), Pat Hurst (1986), Ariya Jutanugarn (2011), I.K. Kim (2005), Nancy Lopez (1972, 1974), Inbee Park (2002), Lexi Thompson (2008), Mickey Wright (1952) and 2022 U.S. Women’s Open champion Minjee Lee (2012), whose brother, Min Woo, won the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2016. They are the only siblings to have captured USGA Junior titles.

USGA Championships at El Caballero Country Club

This is the second USGA championship being hosted by El Caballero Country Club. The club hosted the 4th U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball in 2018, when Colorado State teammates Katrina Prendergast and Ellen Secor defeated Yachun Chang and Lei Ye, 1 up. Ye would win the U.S. Girls’ Junior a year later at SentryWorld before moving onto Stanford University.

USGA Championships in California

The 2024 U.S. Girls’ Junior will be the 90th USGA championship conducted in California. In 2023, The Los Angeles Country Club hosted the 123rd U.S. Open and Pebble Beach Golf Links hosted the 78th U.S. Women’s Open, while Bel Air Country Club hosted the 123rd U.S. Women’s Amateur and Martis Camp Club hosted the 68th U.S. Senior Amateur. This will be only the third U.S. Girls’ Junior held in Southern California, and the first since 1993 at Mesa Verde C.C. in Costa Mesa, where Southern Californian and future Curtis Cup competitor Kellee Booth prevailed.

The first USGA championship in the state of California was the 1929 U.S. Amateur played at Pebble Beach Golf Links and won by Harrison R. Johnston.

The last U.S. Girls’ Junior played in the Golden State was in 2018 when Yealimi Noh defeated Alexa Pano at Poppy Hills Golf Club in Pebble Beach, Calif. This will be the eighth U.S. Girls’ Junior held in California.

Upcoming USGA championships in California include the 2025 U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club, the 2025 U.S. Senior Women’s Open at San Diego Country Club and the 2025 Walker Cup Match at Cypress Point.

USGA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN CALIFORNIA (Since 2010)

2010 U.S. Open (Graeme McDowell)

2012 U.S. Open (Webb Simpson)

2012 U.S. Girls’ Junior (Minjee Lee)

2013 U.S. Junior (Scottie Scheffler)

2013 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur (Ellen Port)

2014 U.S. Senior Amateur (Patrick Tallent)

2015 U.S. Senior Open (Jeff Maggert)

2016 U.S. Women’s Open (Brittany Lang)

2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur (Sophia Schubert)

2017 U.S. Amateur (Doc Redman)

2017 Walker Cup (USA)

2018 U.S. Amateur (Viktor Hovland)

2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball (Katrina Prendergast and Ellen Secor)

2018 U.S. Girls’ Junior (Yealimi Noh)

2019 U.S. Open (Gary Woodland)

2021 U.S. Open (Jon Rahm)

2021 U.S. Women’s Open (Yuka Saso)

2023 U.S. Open (Wyndham Clark)

2023 U.S. Women’s Open (Allisen Corpuz)

2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur (Megan Schofill)

2023 U.S. Senior Amateur (Todd White)

U.S. GIRLS’ JUNIORS IN CALIFORNIA

1952: Monterey Peninsula C.C. (Dunes Course), Pebble Beach (Mickey Wright)

1967: Hacienda G.C., La Habra (Elizabeth Story)

1976: Del Rio G. & C.C., Modesto (Pilar Dorado)

1986: Peach Tree G. & C.C., Marysville (Pat Hurst)

1993: Mesa Verde C.C., Costa Mesa (Kellee Booth)

2012: Lake Merced G.C., Daly City (Minjee Lee)

2018: Poppy Hills G.C., Pebble Beach (Yealimi Noh)

Future U.S. Girls’ Junior Sites        

2025: Atlanta Athletic Club, Johns Creek, Ga./July 14-19

2026: Old Chatham Golf Club, Durham, N.C./July 13-18
2027: Canterbury Golf Club, Cleveland, Ohio/July 12-17

2030: The Country Club, Brookline, Mass./Dates TBD
2031: Trinity Forest Golf Club, Dallas, Texas/July 13-18

2032: Pinehurst Resort and Country Club, Pinehurst, N.C./Dates TBD

2034: Sand Valley Resort, Nekoosa, Wis./July 17-22

2035: Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Bandon, Ore./Dates TBD

2038: Oakland Hills Country Club, Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Dates TBD

2045: Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Bandon, Ore./Dates TBD