Medalist Lin, Zalsman Among Quarterfinalists at Old Chatham
July 13-18, Old Chatham Golf Club, Durham, N.C.
Clairey Lin, 16, of Canada, maintained her dominant form at Old Chatham Golf Club with a tandem of decisive match-play victories on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals of the 77th U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship.
Lin, the stroke-play medalist with a 36-hole total of 13-under 131 – the second lowest in championship history – began her day with a 4-and-3 win over Southern California’s Annika Raja, and then secured her berth in the quarterfinals with a victory over a second Californian, 17-year-old Celina Yeo, 4 and 2.
She is joined in the quarterfinals by Anna Bell, 15, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., Aubrey Hilgers, 16, of Surprise, Ariz., Kacey Ly, 18, of Temple City, Calif., Macie Rasmussen, 17, of Chesapeake, Va., Athena Singh, 17, of Morehead, Ky., Amelie Zalsman, 17, of St. Petersburg, Fla., and “hometown” hero, Ella June Hannant, 16, of Pikeville, N.C., which 78 miles southeast of the host site.
Hannant had the match of the day with a thrilling 22-hole victory over No. 3 seed Anna Iwanaga.
Lin, meanwhile, opened her Round-of-32 match with the same fire she showed in shooting a 65 in Tuesday’s second round of stroke play, opening a quick 1-up lead with a birdie on the par-5 first hole. The British Columbia native then expanded her lead to 3 up, as Raja carded costly bogeys on Nos. 3 and 4. Despite prods from her opponent, the 3-up edge stayed intact as a final par on the 403-yard, par-4 15th sealed the match.
“In my morning match [against Annika], I just kind of played steady,” said Lin. “Hit the fairway, hit the green, and try and sink the putt. That’s kind of been my mindset the entire week and today was no different.”
Momentum from her Round-of-32 match carried in the second bout of the day, as she defeated Yeo, 4 and 2. The match progressed similarly to the first, as Lin cobbled together a 4-up advantage through eight holes before closing the match with a birdie on the par-4 No. 16 – which was playing to 362 yards in the afternoon session compared to the drivable 249-yard configuration it played to during the morning wave.
Lin’s 47 match-play holes to reach the quarterfinals are the fewest of any quarterfinalist.
“I don’t really think about confidence. I wouldn’t say I’m super confident, but I love this course,” said Lin regarding her approach. “It’s pure, and more than that, it’s fun to play. If I have a bad hole, I can always look forward to the next one and think, ‘This is a good pin. I like this hole. If I hit some good shots, I can birdie it.’ There’s always a chance to turn things around and having that mindset is what’s kept me going this week.”
Some two hours after Lin exited the course, a David vs. Goliath scenario developed when Hannant, the No. 1371 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR®, took out the highest-ranked competitor in this week’s field, No. 18 Iwanaga.
With seven of the eight quarterfinal spots already secured, the spotlight shifted to Iwanaga and Hannant after the North Carolinian made perhaps the biggest shot of her young golf career, carding a 5-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to extend the match.
The pair traded pars on Holes 19-21 (Old Chatham’s Nos. 1, 2 and 3), sending the match to the 414-yard, par-4 22nd. Hannant, with honors, found the fairway off the tee with driver, a shot matched by Iwanaga. The American then seized the advantage with her approach, stuffing it to 20 feet while Iwanaga came up just short of the green. Iwanaga’s birdie attempt from the fringe sped past the hole, leaving Hannant – surrounded by fellow U.S. Girls’ Junior competitors, family and a gallery of supporters – with a chance to win.
Making the most of the moment, she calmly converted, igniting the crowd and closing out the marathon match, which matched the longest for a Round-of-16 encounter in the championship’s history.
“I’d say that’s probably the craziest match play I’ve ever had,” said Hannant following the win, “I think we ended up going 22 holes and I don’t think I’ve ever gone that far before. It was really exciting. The whole day just kept getting more exciting as it went. To be able to walk away with a win is pretty awesome.”
With the victory, Hannant not only secured an exemption into next year’s U.S. Girls’ Junior at Canterbury Golf Club near Cleveland, but also the biggest upset of the day.
“I was not aware of the exemption,” she noted. “That’s even better news. That’s awesome. I’m excited to be back. I’ll be there, hopefully a little longer here, but there as well.”
Hannant’s victory wasn’t the day’s only upset, as Hilgers defeated Canada’s Michelle Xing, 3 and 2.
The No. 824 player in WAGR ® broke a tie with her No. 127-ranked opponent with a birdie on No. 13, then won the 15th and 16th holes to advance.
“I for sure do,” Hilgers admitted when asked if she thinks about facing top-ranked opponents.
“The one girl (Round-of-32 foe Jude Lee) had the Stanford coach watching her. It’s a little intimidating … I didn’t make the cut last year, and now I’m playing against girls who’ve won these crazy good events against crazy good fields. But I just told myself, ‘I worked my butt off to get here. I’m just as likely to win as anyone out here.'”
Hilgers will have her work cut out for her early Friday morning as she is set to face top-seeded Lin.
One of the widest margins of victory in the Round of 16 came from the match between Ly, 18, and fellow Californian Lily Peng, 16, of San Ramon.
Ly, the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year for the UCLA Bruins, cruised to a 4-and-3 victory by dominating the latter half of the round.
One of three college players in the U.S. Girls’ Junior field – and the lone collegian remaining after Keya Naik and Kiley Reisner were eliminated in the Round of 32 – Ly erased a 1-down deficit with six winning birdies down the stretch, closing out the match on the par-4 15th.
“Lily’s a really good player,” said Ly, bidding to become just the second rising college sophomore to win the U.S. Girls’ Junior and the first since the age limit was raised to 18 for the 2017 championship. “We were matching each other’s shots throughout the day, but I was able to hit it close and make a few critical putts.”
She also credited her collegiate experience with helping her remain composed.
“Just being surrounded by really good players throughout the year and knowing I have the game to compete at this level really gives me confidence to play my own game.”
Zalsman, a second-year U.S. National Junior Team player, defeated University of Wyoming rising sophomore Kiley Reisner, 3 and 2, in the Round of 32 and last year’s U.S. Girls’ Junior runner-up Xingtong Chen, of Singapore, 1 up, in the Round of 16.
“I’m not going to lie, it was really tough,” she said of her match against Chen. “I was 4 down through five. Honestly, I knew I had it in me, even though I wasn’t playing too great early. I just kind of locked in and found a feeling in my swing, and I was able to start sticking shots and making putts.”
Zalsman’s deep run is a surprise to few. The No. 7-seeded player in this year’s championship is competing in her fifth U.S. Girls’ Junior, the most by anyone in the field. By reaching the Round of 16, the Wake Forest verbal commit set a new personal best in the championship. Her previous best finish came in 2024, when she advanced to the Round of 32 at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, Calif.
“I’ve experienced almost everything in match play, and I think that’s just given me more motivation,” said Zalsman of the advantage her four previous appearances in the championship have provided. “The experience totally just helps. Being 4 down through five, I’ve been in that situation before, and it didn’t work out my way. So, I think learning from that is what really helped me.”
Notable
Provided they are still age-eligible, the quarterfinalists are exempt into the 2027 U.S. Girls’ Junior at Canterbury Golf Club, in Cleveland, Ohio
For the second straight year the championship’s medalist has reached the quarterfinals. In 2025, Grace Carter defeated Clairey Lin in the Round of 16 before falling in the semifinals to Xingtong Chen. Prior to Carter, Rose Zhang was the last medalist to make the quarterfinals, eventually going on to win the 2021 U.S. Girls’ Junior at Columbia Country Club, in Chevy Chase, Md.
Amelie Zalsman remains as the lone U.S. National Junior Team player in the field after fellow teammates Emerie Schartz, Jude Lee and Zoe Cusack were eliminated in the Round of 32.
Erynne Yoo, the assistant women’s golf coach at UCLA and member of the victorious 2014 USA Curtis Cup Team, is on the bag this week for rising sophomore Kacey Ly. Yoo was a semifinalist in the 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur, a quarterfinalist in the 2010 U.S. Women’s Amateur and competed in the 2008 and 2011 U.S. Women’s Opens.
Clairey Lin, of Canada, is the only international player remaining in the quarterfinals as six other international players were eliminated in the Round of 16. Seven of the final eight players remaining are from the United States.
Ella June Hannant’s 22-hole match against Anna Iwanaga is tied with three others for the longest Round-of-16 match in championship history. Last year, Chloe Kovelesky defeated Anna Fang in 22 holes in that round.
Quotable
“I think it’s very helpful, especially on a golf course like this where anything can happen, and it’s a very gettable course. Having an early lead can definitely help kind of give you a little bit of a cushion for the rest of the match. So I would say it’s pretty nice.” – Clairey Lin on the importance of building an early lead during her matches
“Like I said, I didn’t make the cut last year, and playing against some of these girls where like they’ve won these crazy good events with crazy good girls in the field, I feel like I just told myself, ‘Hey, like I worked my butt off to get here, I’m just as likely to win as anyone out here.'” – Aubrey Hilger on her mindset playing against the top players in this year’s field
“It’s just crazy how match play, one second you’re 4-up and the next second you’re pretty much tied. I think that’s the cool part about it because you can never let your guard down.” – Macie Resmussen on managing the momentum swings of match play competition
“I think seeing a big event like this, you kind of come in with some nerves. I think after playing so many, the nerves have kind of settled down a little. I think that helps. Also, the types of courses they have us play are always pretty challenging. Playing the longer distances, just getting those long irons dialed in, I think that experience helped a lot.” Athena Singh on how she has leaned on her USGA championship experience this week at the U.S. Girls’ Junior
“I actually was not aware. That’s even better news. That’s awesome. I’m excited to be back. I think it’s in Ohio next year. I’m excited. I’ll be there. Hopefully a little longer here, but there as well.” Ella June Hannant on being exempt into next year’s U.S. Girls’ Junior by making the quarterfinals this week
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Media Contact:
Griffin Genobaga
USGA Communications
ggenobaga@usga.org
United States Golf Association
77th U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship – Meet the Quarterfinalists
July 13-18, Old Chatham Golf Club, Durham, N.C.
Anna Bell, 15, of Poplar Bluff, Mo.
WAGR®: No. 623
Won the 2026 Missouri Junior Match Play Championship
Recorded consecutive wins at the 2026 AJGA Huntsville Junior and AJGA Junior presented by Decatur Morgan County Tourism
Won the 2026 GWJT Tour Championship
Runner-up in the 2025 Missouri Women’s Amateur Championship
Won the 2025 Missouri Junior Match Play Championship
Road to the Quarterfinals
Shot 71-67-138 in stroke play to earn the No. 6 seed
R64: Def. Eliza Yelverton, 2 up
R32: Def. Alexis Yanet Lamadrid, 3 and 2
R16: Def. Maria Isabella Errichetto, 4 and 3
Ella June Hannant, 16, of Pikeville, N.C.
WAGR®: No. 1371
Member of Team North Carolina as part of the U.S. National Development Program
Runner-up in the 2026 North Carolina Junior Girls’ Championship
Runner-up in the 2026 CGA Carolinas Women’s Amateur Championship
Won the 2025 PKBGT Invitational
Made the cut at the 2025 North & South Junior Amateur
2018 Drive, Chip & Putt Champion, 7-9 Division
Road to the Quarterfinals
Shot 69-72-141 in stroke play to earn the No. 19 seed
R64: Def. Savera Sandhu, Concession
R32: Def. Keya Naik, 4 and 3
R16: Def. Anna Iwanaga, 22 holes
Aubrey Hilgers, 16, of Surprise, Ariz.
WAGR®: No. 824
Has won three AJGA tournaments in her career, most recently the Bermuda Junior Championship in February.
Secured a top-10 finish at the 2026 Rolex Girls’ Junior Championship (No. 7)
Finished tied for eighth in the 2026 AJGA Heather Farr Thunderbird Classic
Appeared in last year’s U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship but did not advance to match play
Has 1992 U.S. Amateur Public Links champion Warren Schutte on her bag
Is a rising high school junior
Road to the Quarterfinals
Shot 73-71-144 in stroke play to earn the No. 41 seed
R64: Def. Mia Clausen, 2 and 1
R32: Def. Emerie Schartz, 3 and 1
R16: Def. Michelle Xing, 3 and 2
Clairey Lin, 16, of Canada
WAGR®: No. 77
From Langley, British Columbia, but currently resides in Palos Verdes, Calif.
Member of the Canada NextGen Junior National Team
Owns wins at the 2025 NextGen Selection Camp tournament, 2025 Ninja Invitational hosted by Janet Xiyu Lin and 2025 AJGA Thunderbird Heather Farr Classic
Finished second at the recent RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic, falling to fellow U.S. Girls’ Junior competitor Eliana Saga in the championship match at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course, site of two U.S. Opens
Placed third in the 2025 Canadian Junior Girls Championship and second in the 2024 championship
Advanced to the Round of 16 in last year’s U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship before being eliminated by medalist Grace Carter, 1 up
Road to the Quarterfinals
Shot 66-65-131 in stroke play to earn medalist honors
R64: Def. Annika Chen, 3 and 2
R32: Def. Annika Raja, 4 and 3
R16: Def. Celina Yeo, 4 and 2
Kacey Ly, 18, of Temple City, Calif.
WAGR®: No. 130
Rising sophomore at UCLA
Competed in The Women’s Amateur Championship in Scotland
Earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year awards
All-Big Ten First Team member (2025-26)
Competed in the 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Bandon Dunes
Advanced to the Round of 32 in the 2025 U.S. Girls’ Junior
Advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship alongside partner Celina Yeo, who advanced to the Round of 16 this week
Road to the Quarterfinals
Shot 70-71-141 to earn the No. 18 seed
R64: Def. Ira Upadhyay, 3 and 1
R32: Def. Kelly Zhang, 3 and 2
R16: Def. Lily Peng, 4 and 3
Macie Rasmussen, 17, of Chesapeake Bay, Va.
WAGR®: No. 432
Won the recent Virginia Girls’ Junior Championship to become exempt for the 77th U.S. Girls’ Junior
Owns two additional wins in 2026; the Will Lowery Junior Championship and the PKBGT (Peggy Kirk Bell Girls Tour) Spring Bell Invitational
Verbally committed to play at the University of North Carolina in 2027
Advanced to the Round of 64 of the 2025 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship
Dad played college golf at Virginia Tech and mom played golf at Longwood College, in Farmville, Va.
Attended the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles after playing in the U.S. Kids Golf Teen World Championship. Now calls Pine Needles her favorite course.
Road to the Quarterfinals
Shot 72-70-142 in stroke play to earn the No. 29 seed
R64: Def. Cathy Zhang, 2 and 1
R32: Def. Jude Lee, 3 and 2
R16: Def. Lily Reitter, 2 and 1
Athena Singh, 17, of Morehead, Ky.
WAGR®: No. 526
Competed in the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by Ally at The Riviera C.C.
Runner-up in the 2026 Kentucky Girls’ Junior Amateur
Runner-up in the 2026 Women’s Western Junior Championship
Advanced to the Round of 64 at the 2025 U.S. Girls’ Junior
Runner-up alongside partner Kiera Yun at the 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship
Verbally committed to attend Texas A&M University
Road to the Quarterfinals
Shot 72-72-144 in stroke play to earn the No. 44 seed
R64: Def. Jie-En Lin, 3 and 1
R32: Def. Zoe Cusack, 1 up
R16: Def. Shauna Liu, 1 up
Amelie Zalsman, 17, of St. Petersburg, Fla.
WAGR®: No. 34
Second-year member of the U.S. National Junior Team
Advanced the quarterfinals of the 2026 Women’s Western Amateur Championship
Advanced to match play at the 2026 Women’s Amateur Championship at Muirfield Golf Club in Scotland
Runner-up in the 2026 Mizuho Americas Open played concurrently with the LPGA Tour
Finished T-11 in the 2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur
Won the 2026 SALLY (South Atlantic Ladies Amateur)
Represented the USA in the 2025 Junior Ryder Cup
Won the 2025 Rolex Girls Junior Championship
Advanced to match play at the 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur
Road to the Quarterfinals
Shot 67-72-139 in stroke play to earn the No. 7 seed
R64: Def. Nobelle Park, 2 and 1
R32: Def. Kiley Reisner, 3 and 2
R16: Def. Xingtong Chen, 1 up
Media Contact:
Griffin Genobaga
USGA Communications
ggenobaga@usga.org
United States Golf Association