Singaporean golfers Chen Xingtong, Guo Junxi qualify for US Girls' Junior C'ship
SINGAPORE – A promising debut in the United States has boosted national golfer Chen Xingtong's confidence ahead of the US Girls' Junior Championship, which will take place from July 14 to 19.
The 16-year-old secured her place at the tournament with an even-par 72 at a one-day qualifier at Crescent Farms Golf Club in Missouri on June 16.
She topped a 20-player field to claim the only spot available, mixing three birdies with three bogeys to finish one shot ahead of Americans Lisa Zhang and Eva Brown.
Joining her at the Atlanta Athletic Club's Riverside Course in Johns Creek, Georgia, will be junior national squad player Guo Junxi.
The 15-year-old had booked her place in May through another qualifier in Florida, where she is based, clinching the second of two available berths with a birdie in a play-off against American Charlotte Cantonis and Brazil's Maria Antonia Gaviao. The trio were tied at one-over 71 in regulation play.
Xingtong was thrilled to have qualified, noting that the one-day format with just one spot on offer made it challenging.
Unlike typical three- or four-day tournaments where there is time to recover from mistakes, she felt that this left little margin for error and acknowledged that luck likely played a part in her success.
The Singapore Sports School student added: 'It's my first time in the US, so I'm glad to have started out strong and hopefully will continue to do well here.
'I'm really looking forward to competing as this is a good opportunity to measure myself against the world's best in my age group, as well as seeing my friends who have also qualified for the tournament.'
It is not the first time that she will be playing with some of the world's best; she has also played in the last two editions of the HSBC Women's World Championship after winning the national qualifying tournaments in 2024 and 2025.
The 274th-ranked amateur has had a month to remember. Just a fortnight ago, she won the Singapore Junior Golf Championship with a five-under 211 giving her a six-shot win over Thailand's Kanyarak Pongpithanon.
Xingtong and Junxi will be following in the footsteps of fellow Singaporean Jaymie Ng, who played in the 2022 edition of the US Girls' Junior Championship.
Pleased with the teenage duo's performances in the US, national coach Murray Smit said: 'It is very significant that both Junxi and Xingtong have qualified for the US Girls' Junior.
'From what I understand it is the first time that Singapore have had two players qualify, which is really exciting.
'The qualifiers are traditionally really tough to get through. So for both of them to get through that route, shows that they are both ready for the incredible opportunity to compete with many of the best female juniors in the world.'
The US Girls' Junior Championship is one of 15 US national golf competitions organised by the United States Golf Association.
It is open to amateur girls under the age of 19 on the last day of the competition and have a USGA handicap index of 9.4 or less.
It consists of two days of stroke play, with the leading 64 competitors then playing a match-play competition to decide the champion.
Notable past winners include two-time LPGA champion Rose Zhang, Australian double Major winner Minjee Lee, as well as former world No. 1s Ariya Jutanugarn, also a two-time Major champion, and South Korea's Olympic gold medallist Park In-bee, who has won seven Majors.
Smit believes the competition will be beneficial for the duo's development, saying: 'This is going to be a wonderful experience for both players. USGA events are always extremely well-organised but the competition is as strong as it gets and the courses are always a stern test.
'It will give them a great idea as to how they compare with the best Under-19s in the world and will pinpoint the areas in their respective games that need improvement for the years ahead.'
Kimberly Kwek joined The Straits Times in 2019 as a sports journalist and has since covered a wide array of sports, including golf and sailing.
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