The Commonwealth of Kentucky takes center stage this week as The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green hosts the 73rd U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship. This is the sixth USGA championship to be held in the state, and the first time that the best female players under the age of 19 will compete here. By week’s end, one talented player will have her name inscribed on the Glenna Collett Vare Trophy.
With 2021 champion and current world No. 1 Rose Zhang no longer age-eligible, an opportunity awaits the next rising star in the game. In the past 15 years, several U.S. Girls’ Junior champions have enjoyed great success in the professional game, including a pair of U.S. Women’s Open winners, Ariya Jutanugarn (2018) and Minjee Lee (2022), who put on a dazzling performance last month at Pine Needles. Lexi Thompson is a past winner of the Chevron Championship (formerly ANA Inspiration) and Amy (Anderson) Olson nearly captured the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open at Champions Golf Club.
By Saturday afternoon, one competitor from the starting field of 156 will join this pantheon of greats. Here are 3 Things to Know going into the 36 holes of stroke play:
Jersey Strong
This year’s field has a number of elite players, but none bigger than Megha Ganne. The world was introduced to the Holmdel, N.J., resident in June 2021 when she played her way into Sunday’s final grouping of the 76th U.S. Women’s Open at The Olympic Club, and Ganne eventually tied for 14th. Already a four-time Drive, Chip & Putt national finalist, Ganne continued to shine last month when she posted a 3-0 mark in helping the USA Curtis Cup Team to an 11-point victory over Great Britain and Ireland at Merion Golf Club.
For full article visit: https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/championships/2022/u-s–girls–junior/articles/73rd-u-s–girls–junior–3-things-to-know–stroke-play.html#returnable
