| July 22-27, 2019 | SentryWorld | Stevens Point, Wis. usgirlsjunior.org | #USGirlsJunior | mediacenter.usga.org/us-girls-junior Course Setup SentryWorld will be set up at 6,307 yards and will play to a par of 36-36—72. About SentryWorld SentryWorld was developed by Sentry Insurance in 1982 as part of a sports complex that includes indoor tennis courts, banquet space and restaurants. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., SentryWorld Golf Course began an 18-month renovation in 2013, led by Jones Jr., design associate Bruce Charlton and former associate Jay Blasi. Several holes were rerouted or completely changed, the number of bunkers was reduced from 82 to 57 and virtually every green was updated. Thanks to central Wisconsin’s picturesque landscape and the ingenuity of Jones Jr. and his collaborators, SentryWorld features a number of holes that stand among the state’s most beautiful. The par five fifth features a dramatic cape hole wrapped around the big lake’s shoreline. Hole 12 is a par three that sends tee shots over water to a peninsula green. The signature hole is surely the par three Flower Hole, which features 33,000 vivid flowers surrounding its green. For the beauty and character of these holes and the rest of the course, SentryWorld has earned its reputation as a Midwestern golf destination. Admission Admission is free. Tickets are not required for this USGA championship and spectators are encouraged to attend. Entries The championship is open to female amateur golfers who will not have reached their 19th birthday on or before July 21, 2019, the final day of the championship, and have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 9.4. As announced in 2016, these new requirements replace the former standards of female amateur golfers who had not reached their 18th birthday and had a Handicap Index® not exceeding 18.4. 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 22-23, the field will be cut to the top 64 players for match play. Five 18-hole rounds of match play will determine the finalists who will face one another in a 36-hole championship match. Sectional Qualifying Sectional qualifying, played over 18 holes, will be conducted at 41 sites nationwide between June 17-July 2. To view qualifying results, visit usga.org/girlsjunior. Exempt Players The following 12 players are fully exempt into the 2019 U.S. Girls’ Junior: Isabella Fierro (Top 20 age-eligible points leader in WAGR) Ashley Gilliam (2018 U.S. Girls’ Junior quarterfinalist) Rachel Heck (Top 20 age-eligible points leader in WAGR) Grace Kim (Top 20 age-eligible points leader in WAGR) Cory Lopez (winner of 2019 Women’s Mexican Amateur) Alexa Pano (Semifinalist in 2018 U.S. Girls’ Junior; Top 20 age-eligible points leader in WAGR) Valery Plata (2018 U.S. Girls’ Junior quarterfinalist) Taylor Roberts (2017 U.S. Girls’ Junior semifinalist) Amanda Sambach (Top 20 age-eligible points leader in WAGR) Yuka Saso (Top 20 age-eligible points leader in WAGR) Erica Shepherd (winner of 2017 U.S. Girls’ Junior) Rose Zhang (Completed 72 holes in 2019 U.S. Women’s Open; Top 20 age-eligible points leader in WAGR) Schedule of Play Practice rounds will take place July 20-21, and the championship schedule is as follows:July 22 (Monday): First round, stroke play July 23 (Tuesday): Second round, stroke play, field reduced to 64 players for match play July 24 (Wednesday): Round of 64, match play July 25 (Thursday): Round of 32/Round of 16, match play July 26 (Friday): Quarterfinals/Semifinals, match play July 27 (Saturday): 36-hole championship final, match play Television Schedule The 2019 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship will receive at least four hours of live network coverage. FS1 will air semifinal matches on Friday. Coverage of Saturday’s championship match will begin at 1 p.m. CDT. Date Network Broadcast Hours (Local/CDT)July 26 FS1 Semifinal matches, 1-3 p.m. July 27 FS1 Championship match, 1-3 p.m. What the Winner Receives Exemption from qualifying for the next year’s U.S. Women’s Open Championship A gold medal and custody of the Glenna Collett Vare Trophy for one year A custom-made USGA champions 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 2018 Champion – Yealimi Noh Yealimi Noh, 17, of Concord, Calif., defeated Alexa Pano, 14, of Lake Worth, Fla., 4 and 3, in the 36-hole championship match at Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach, Calif. Due to nearly 16 hours of fog delays during the week, the two finalists combined to play 100 holes of golf on the final day of the championship. Noh and Pano each won their semifinal matches Saturday morning and went on to play out the entire championship match in the afternoon and evening, resulting in 49 holes played by Noh and 51 by Pano. It is believed to be the most holes of golf ever played on the final day of a USGA championship dating to 1895, the year the Association began conducting national championships. Noh recovered from an early 2-down deficit – the first time in six matches she fell behind by more than one hole – by winning three consecutive holes. She drained a 20-foot uphill putt on No. 8, then reached the 514-yard ninth in two with a 3-hybrid from 240 yards, and adroitly two-putted for birdie. She was forced to lay up on the par-5 10th after a poor drive, but she knocked her third shot to 13 feet, which she converted. Noh closed out the first 18 by hitting her 3-hybrid from 206 yards on the par-5 hole to 25 feet. Her eagle putt stopped 18 inches short of the hole for a conceded birdie. When Pano failed to convert from 10 feet, Noh had a 4-up lead at the break. Noh carded a 4-under 67 – with match-play concessions – to Pano’s even-par 71. Momentum continued for Noh in the second 18 as she birdied Nos. 22 and 23 for a 6-up advantage. Pano did get two holes back with winning pars on Nos. 30 and 32, but Noh two-putted from 36 feet on the par-4 33rd hole to close out the match nearly 12 hours after play began. 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 first 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 seven times and the U.S. Women’s Open six times. Additionally, 19 champions have gone on to represent the USA on the Curtis Cup Team through 2018. Considering the age limitations on a junior golf career, Hollis Stacy’s record of three consecutive 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. 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), I.K. Kim (2005), Nancy Lopez (1972, 1974), Inbee Park (2002), Lexi Thompson (2008) and Mickey Wright (1952). Future U.S. Girls’ Junior Sites July 13-18, 2020: Eisenhower Golf Course (Blue Course), Colorado Springs, Colo.July 12-17, 2021: Columbia Country Club, Chevy Chase, Md. USGA Championships at SentryWorld This is the second USGA championship hosted at SentryWorld. The first was the 1986 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links. USGA Championships in Wisconsin The 2019 U.S. Girls’ Junior will be the 15th USGA championship conducted in Wisconsin, and the first since the 2017 U.S. Open won by Brooks Koepka at Erin Hills. SentryWorld is the first site in Wisconsin to host the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship. List of USGA Championships in Wisconsin: 1951 U.S. Amateur Public Links: Brown Deer Park Golf Club, Milwaukee 1966 U.S. Amateur Public Links: Brown Deer Park Golf Club, Milwaukee 1969 Walker Cup: Milwaukee Country Club, River Hills 1977 U.S. Amateur Public Links: Brown Deer Park Golf Club, Milwaukee 1977 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links: Yahara Hills Golf Club, Madison1986 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links: SentryWorld, Stevens Point 1988 U.S. Senior Amateur: Milwaukee Country Club, River Hills 1998 U.S. Women’s Open: Blackwolf Run, Kohler 2007 U.S. Senior Open: Whistling Straits, Kohler 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links: Erin Hills, Erin 2008 U.S. Mid-Amateur: Milwaukee Country Club, River Hills 2011 U.S. Amateur: Erin Hills, Erin 2012 U.S. Women’s Open: Blackwolf Run, Kohler 2017 U.S. Open: Erin Hills, Erin |
