122nd U.S. Women's Amateur Home

WHO’S HERE: A breakdown of the 156 golfers competing in the 122nd U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship:

Oldest Competitors: Martha Leach, 60, of Hebron, Ky.; Ellen Port, 60, of St. Louis, Mo.

Youngest Competitors: Anna Fang, 13, of San Diego, Calif.; Alice Ziyi Zhao, 13, of Irvine, Calif.

Average Age of Field: 19.96

Field breakdown by age: 
Age 13-15: 12 
Age 16-19: 69
Age 20-25: 69 
Age 26-30: 2 
Age 31-40: 1 
Age 41-60: 3

U.S. States Represented – There are 34 states represented in the 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur: 

Arizona (3), Arkansas (1), California (24), Colorado (3), Delaware (2), Florida (10), Georgia (3), Hawaii (4), Idaho (1), Illinois (2), Indiana (1), Iowa (1), Kansas (1), Kentucky (2), Louisiana (1), Maryland (2), Massachusetts (2), Michigan (2), Minnesota (1), Mississippi (2), Missouri (4), Nebraska (1), Nevada (1), New Jersey (4), New York (6), North Carolina (4), Ohio (3), Oklahoma (1), Oregon (1), South Carolina (4), Tennessee (5), Texas (12), Virginia (2), Washington (3)

International – There are 14 countries represented in the 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur: 

Argentina (1), Australia (3), Canada (14), Chinese Taipei (3), Guatemala (1), Japan (4), Malaysia (1), Mexico (2), New Zealand (1), People’s Republic of China (2), Philippines (3), Republic of Ireland (1), Thailand (2), United States (118)

USGA Champions (9): Blakesly Brock (2021 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur), Jensen Castle (2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur), Thienna Huynh (2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball), Sara Im (2022 U.S. Women’s’ Amateur Four-Ball), Ina Kim-Schaad (2019 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur), Martha Leach (2009 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur), Ellen Port (1995, 1996, 2000, 2011 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, 2012, 2013, 2016 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur), Lara Tennant (2018, 2019, 2021 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur), Yana Wilson (2022 U.S. Girls’ Junior)

USGA Runners-up (9): Aliea Clark (2021 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur), Gianna Clemente (2022 U.S. Girls’ Junior), Ina Kim-Schaad (2000 U.S. Girls' Junior); Martha Leach (2011 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur), Brianna Navarrosa (2016 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball); Ellen Port (2002 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, 2021 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur); Kaitlyn Schroeder (2022 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball); Bailey Shoemaker (2022 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball), Casey Weidenfeld (2019 & 2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball)

Curtis Cup Team Members (9): Amari Avery (USA, 2022), Jensen Castle (USA, 2021, 2022), Megha Ganne (USA, 2022), Emilia Migliaccio (USA, 2021, 2022), Rachel Heck (USA, 2021, 2022), Rachel Kuehn (USA, 2021, 2022), Ellen Port (USA, 1994, 1996), Latanna Stone (USA, 2022), Annabel Wilson (GBI, 2022)

Most U.S. Women’s Amateur Appearances (2022 included): Ellen Port (24), Martha Leach (16), Brooke Seay (7), Ty Akabane (6), Rachel Heck (6), Latanna Stone (6), Megan Schofill (5), Aneka Seumanutafa (5)

Top players in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking® as of Aug. 3:

• No. 3 – Rachel Heck
  
• No. 6 – Tsubasa Kajitani
  
• No. 9 – Emilia Migliaccio
• No. 11 – Amari Avery
  
• No. 13 – Rachel Kuehn
  
• No. 23 – Bohyun Park 
• No. 27 – Megha Ganne
• No. 32 – Brooke Seay

Players from Washington (3): Adithi Anand (Issaquah), Cassie Kim (Yakima), Grace Lee (Bellevue)

Colleges with most active players: Illinois (3), Mississippi State (3), North Texas (3), Northwestern (3), Stanford (3), UCLA (3), USC (3)

Played in 2022 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica (9): Saki Baba (T49), Blakesly Brock (MC), Jensen Castle (MC), Ami Gianchandani (MC), Lauren Gomez (MC), Melanie Green (MC), Sara Im (MC), Bohyun Park (MC), Bailey Shoemaker (T49)

Playing in fourth USGA championship of 2022 (2): Sara Im, Bailey Shoemaker

LPGA*USGA Girls Golf Alums In Field (43): Emma Abramson; Kynadie Adams; Kate Barber; Jensen Castle; Jennifer Cleary; Emily Dunlap; Laney Frye; Megha Ganne; Melanie Green; Julia Gregg; Rachel Heck; Charlotte Hillary; Alice Hodge; Thienna Huynh; Sara Im; Ashley Kim; Rachel Kuehn; Jaclyn Laha; Grace Lee; Kaitlyn Lee; Lauren Lehigh; Katie Li; Sophie Linder; Sarah Lydic; Gracie Mcgovern; Emilia Migliaccio; Morgan Miller; Julia Misemer; Brianna Navarrosa; Annabelle Pancake; Caroline Patterson; Amanda Sambach; Aneka Seumanutafa; Bailey Shoemaker; Kayla Smith; Molly Smith; Danielle Suh; Isabel Sy; Tatum Walsh; Casey Weidenfeld; Megan Whittaker; Helen Yeung; Reagan Zibilski 

Bold: USGA champions
Italic: USA Curtis Cup competitors

PLAYER NOTES

Tomita Arejola, 21, of the Philippines, began playing golf at the age of 12 after being forced to quit competitive gymnastics and skating due to scoliosis. Arejola has three curves in her spine, which has severely affected her height since the diagnosis at age 10. She is the first in her family to play golf and currently competes on the women’s golf team at Campbell University.  

Amari Avery, 18, of Riverside, Calif., led the victorious USA Team with a 4-1 record in her Curtis Cup debut at Merion Golf Club in June. Avery, a rising sophomore at USC, had one of the best seasons in program history as a freshman, collecting three wins, seven top-10 finishes and first-team All-American honors. She finished T-4 in the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur and has competed in several professional tournaments, including the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open and 2021 LPGA Founders Cup. Avery, who is competing in her second U.S. Women’s Amateur, reached the Round of 32 in 2020 at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md.

Aliea Clark, 26, of New York, N.Y., returned to collegiate golf this spring as a graduate student at New York University and captured two individual wins and four top-5 finishes in five events. Clark, who played Division I golf at UCLA as an undergraduate, is entering the final year of a three-year double master’s program at NYU. She reached the final of the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur last year as the No. 64 seed after taking four years off from competitive golf. Her deep run in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur led NYU golf coach Katie Rudolph to reach out and convince Clark to play a semester with the Violets. Now working at a consulting firm in Atlanta, Clark is competing in her second U.S. Women’s Amateur and first since 2015.

Gianna Clemente, 15, of Estero, Fla., made her U.S. Women’s Amateur debut in 2019 at Old Waverly Golf Club in Mississippi at age 11, becoming just the third 11-year-old to ever qualify for the event. She was runner-up in the 2022 U.S. Girls’ Junior on July 23, earning herself a spot in the field at Chambers Bay. She is a 2022 AJGA Rolex Invitational runner-up, 2022 AJGA Wyndham Cup competitor and 2022 Evian Junior USA Team member. She also finished fourth in the 2022 Sage Valley Junior and shared fourth in the South Atlantic Ladies Amateur (The Sally). This will be Clemente’s fifth USGA championship.

Emily Dunlap, 21, of Greenville, S.C., is playing in her first USGA championship. After qualifying for the Women’s Amateur, she said, “The road to the U.S. Women's Am for me has been a long one. It has been a dream of mine to play in a USGA championship for as long as I can remember. I never qualified for the U.S. Girls’ Junior despite so many close calls. So once I got to college, I turned my attention to the Am.” Dunlap is a biology major at the College of Charleston, and this summer has been working as a dental assistant. She plans to take the dental admissions test. 

Ami Gianchandani, 22, of Watchung, N.J., is playing in her 10th USGA championship and third of the year, having played in the 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball and 2022 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica. Gianchandani recently built a golf statistics app called Accel Golf, which is available in the app store and delivers insights about one’s golf game by uploading round-by-round information. A rising senior at Yale, she is a member of the NCAA Student Athlete Advisory Committee, where she helps establish, approve and monitor NCAA legislation, including issues pertaining to name, image and likeness (NIL).

Rachel Heck, 20, of Memphis, Tenn., is the highest-ranked player in the field and currently No. 4 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. A rising junior at Stanford University, Heck is a member of the Air Force ROTC. She was a member of both the 2021 and 2022 USA Curtis Cup Teams, and last year reached the semifinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Westchester Country Club before losing to eventual champion Jensen Castle in 19 holes. In 2019-2020, Heck became just the third player to sweep conference (Pacific-12), regional (NCAA Stanford Regional) and NCAA titles.

Sara Im, 17, of Duluth, Ga., is competing in her fourth USGA championship of 2022. After taking home the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball title in April in Puerto Rico with her partner Thienna Huynh, Im qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open in June and was a semifinalist in the U.S. Girls’ Junior last month. She won the 2020 Georgia Women’s Amateur and was a Drive, Chip & Putt national finalist in 2018.

Cassie Kim, 21, of Yakima, Wash., was the medalist in the Tacoma qualifier at Lake Spanaway Golf Course on July 19 to earn a spot in her second straight U.S. Women’s Amateur. She was the runner-up in the 2021 Pacific Northwest Golf Association Women’s Amateur and the low amateur in the 2020 Northwest Women’s Open. Kim is a rising senior at Gonzaga University and finished second in the 2021 West Coast Conference Championship. During her time at A.C. Davis High School, she was a violinist in the Yakima Youth Symphony Orchestra and worked as an alpine ski coach at White Pass Ski Club.

Rachel Kuehn, 21, of Asheville, N.C., is competing in her third U.S. Women’s Amateur after earning medalist honors in 2021. In June, she delivered the clinching point for the USA Curtis Cup Team for the second consecutive year as the Americans defeated GB&I, 15½-4½, at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa. Kuehn, a rising senior at Wake Forest, was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year following the Demon Deacons’ ACC title this spring. She collected two individual titles and seven top-10 finishes during the 2021-2022 year and earned first-team All-American honors. Her mother Brenda is competing this week in the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur in Alaska.

Emilia Migliaccio, 23, of Cary, N.C., defeated Megan Schofill, 2 and 1, to win the 120th Women’s North and South Amateur at Pinehurst No. 2 last month. Migliaccio, who is a three-time All-American entering her final season of eligibility with the Wake Forest women’s golf team, also works as an on-course reporter for NBC Sports, covering events such as the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Girls’ Junior championships. She was a member of the last two United States Curtis Cup Teams, a quarterfinalist in the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur and finished runner-up in the 2019 Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Her mother and caddie, Ulrika, competed in the 2022 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur at Anchorage (Alaska) Golf Club.

Kaleiya Romero, 20, of San Jose, Calif., qualified for her first U.S. Women’s Amateur while playing with a sprained wrist and foot. She was using crutches less than a week prior to the qualifier on July 7 at La Rinconada C.C. in Los Gatos, Calif., and managed to shoot a 1-over-par 71 to earn a spot in a playoff, where she secured the final qualifying spot. Romero is a rising junior and a two-time WGCA All-American Scholar at Pepperdine University. In April, she finished sixth individually and helped the Waves finish third at the Chambers Bay Invitational. Her sister Kiara reached the Round of 16 in the U.S. Girls’ Junior last month and is verbally committed to the University of Oregon.

Abbey Schutte, 17, of Goodyear, Ariz., is the daughter of U.S. Amateur Public Links champion Warren Schutte, of South Africa, who became the first foreign-born champion of the USGA event when he won in 1992. Abbey is playing in her second USGA event, having competed in the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball.  

Brooke Seay, 21, of San Diego, Calif., is playing in her seventh U.S. Women’s Amateur. Seay, a member of the national championship-winning Stanford University women’s golf team, has competed in 16 USGA championships, making it as far as the quarterfinals two times, at the Girls’ Junior in 2019 and at the Women’s Amateur in 2021. She is currently doing research with Stanford Health Policy on modernizing public health systems to prepare for future pandemics.

Ailis Tribolet, 15, of Chandler, Ariz., won a 7-for-1 playoff for the final qualifying spot at Desert Highlands in Scottsdale, Ariz., on July 7 to earn a place in her first USGA championship. Tribolet, the 2022 Arizona Girls Junior champion, has 15 Junior Golf Association of Arizona victories and multiple top-10 finishes on the Cactus Tour. Her father, Beau Hart, is a former professional MMA fighter who now caddies on the Epson and Korn Ferry tours. Ailis hopes to enroll at the U.S. Naval Academy and become a Navy pilot.

Fiona Xu, 17, of New Zealand, went wire-to-wire to win the 2022 Australian Women’s Amateur at Cranbourne Golf Club in Victoria in April. Xu became the first New Zealander to win the Australian Amateur crown since her idol Lydia Ko in 2012, the same year Ko won the U.S. Women’s Amateur in Ohio. Xu reached the quarterfinals in her first U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship last month at The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Ky. Her other victories include the 2020 New Zealand U16 and New Zealand Women’s Amateur Championship.

Joey Geske is an assistant manager of championship communications for the USGA. Email him at jgeske@usga.org.