Latest news with #U.S.Women'sAmateurFour-Ball
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
On a crammed U.S. Women's Open leaderboard at Erin Hills, a Cinderella lurks
ERIN, Wisconsin – Hailee Cooper was trying to get in somewhere at Erin Hills earlier this week, but had left her credential in her golf bag. She pulled out her player clip, but that didn't work. A caddie passed by and convinced security that she was a player. Advertisement 'He goes, 'Just become a big name this week,'' said Cooper with a laugh. 'And I was like, 'OK, let's do it.' ' Hailey Cooper off to a great start at U.S. Women's Open Cooper, 25, got off to a flying start on Thursday at Erin Hills in her second U.S. Women's Open start and first as a professional. She had it to 3 under until two late bogeys dropped her to 1 under, three shots back of a logjam of six players leading at 4 under. Cooper wasn't really sure if she even wanted to turn pro last year until after she did it. When she played in an Annika Women's All Pro Tour event and won, she decided that she wanted more. The smiley Texan ended up playing her way onto the Epson Tour through the WAPT and has put together a solid season so far with back-to-back top-5 finishes in recent weeks. In seven starts in 2025, Cooper hasn't finished outside the top 25 on the developmental tour. She's made just shy of $50,000 so far this season, relying on the support of one sponsor, Reliance Matrix, to ease the financial strain. Advertisement 'Huge blessing,' said Cooper, 'because you can't do it. We don't make a lot of money out here.' U.S. Women's Open offers life-changing purse The U.S. Women's Open purse of $12 million offers a life-changing opportunity for so many in the field. Those who miss the cut won't be out any money for expenses either, as every player receives $10,000. Cooper got into the field by advancing through a sectional qualifier – all 38 holes. Outside of her now two U.S. Women's Open appearances, Cooper, who won the 2016 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball title at Streamsong with partner Kaitlyn Papp, has never played in an LPGA event. She has decided to give herself two years to get on the LPGA, and she if she doesn't make it, she'll likely move on to something else. Advertisement 'I'm not gonna be 28 or 29 on the Epson Tour,' she said. It's a familiar refrain, though Cooper, who played collegiate golf at both Texas and Texas A&M, got a later start than most. Cooper's dad wanted Hailee to try pro golf Ronnie Cooper wanted his daughter to give pro golf a chance after she rediscovered her love of the game at A&M. 'It's a game, but, you know, you live and die and starve and eat because of the money you make as a pro,' he said. 'But the good thing is, just give it a shot. I mean, worst-case scenario, you turn back amateur, we get ready for the mid-ams, we go play in stuff like that. Golf will always be a part of your life.' Advertisement The last time Cooper played in a Women's Open, she had her dad on the bag. This time, she reached out to A&M coach Gerrod Chadwell to see if he could help connect her with a professional caddie. He came back with Travis Wilson, longtime caddie of Chadwell's wife, Stacy Lewis. It wouldn't be a U.S. Women's Open without a few Cinderella stories sprinkled in the mix. Dad said Hailee will be out signing autographs til midnight if she makes it big. Cooper finds herself in the top 20 early, and the affable, level-leaded pro is making the most of whatever happens next. 'I might not get to play this again,' she said after a formal meeting with the press, 'so just enjoy it.' This article originally appeared on Golfweek: On a crammed U.S. Women's Open leaderboard, a Cinderella lurks
USA Today
15-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Oregon duo wins U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball, earns spots into U.S. Women's Am at Bandon
Oregon duo wins U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball, earns spots into U.S. Women's Am at Bandon The kids are alright. For a fifth year in a row, a pair of teenagers has teamed up to win the 2025 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball. It's only the 10th year for this U.S. Golf Association event but a clear trend has emergerd with this latest win by Natalie Yen, 18, of West Linn, Oregon, and Asia Young, 16, of Bend, Oregon. The duo won 5 and 3, the second-largest margin in this event's final, over Athena Singh and Keira Yun, both 17, on Wednesday at Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club in Nichols Hills, Oklahoma. With this final matchup, either team winning would have meant another teenage duo claiming the crowd. "I think overall, we trust each other to play our games, and we know we're trying our best,' said the Texas A&M-bound Yen. "At the end of the day, I think we both know that we're both able to score.' After reaching the par-5 fifth in two shots and making birdie, the Oregon pair took a 3 up lead. They followed that with a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 6 to go 4 up. Singh and Yun won the 14th hole, the only hole they would win in the final. The match ended on the par-3 15th after Young nearly made an ace, the ball almost going jar before rolling out to about 15 feet. Young then made the birdie to close it out. The pair later posed for photos with the trophy as well as No. 15 hole flags to signify where they won the match. In addition to being exempt for this event for the next 10 years provided the duo stays together, Yen and Young also have earned spots into the 2025 U.S. Women's Amateur, being played this year at Bandon Dunes in their homestate of Oregon, as well as the U.S. Girls Junior Amateur at Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Georgia. The USGA notes that Yen and Young are the 749th and 750th unique champions in the organization's history dating back to 1895.
USA Today
05-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
ANWA runner-up Asterisk Talley has talent for LPGA right now, but she wants college golf
ANWA runner-up Asterisk Talley has talent for LPGA right now, but she wants college golf AUGUSTA, Ga. — Asterisk Talley didn't see the ball drop when she holed out for eagle on the opening hole of Augusta National Golf Club. But the crowd told the story. The 16-year-old raised both hands to the sky in a rare outward celebration. 'Even as her dad I can't tell if she's happy or sad,' said her father, James, earlier in the week at Champions Retreat. 'You don't see her out there fist-pumping. I was like, was that good or was it bad? I don't know. It's always on the same plane.' California's Talley, whose name means 'little star' in Greek, came up one stroke shy in her second Augusta National Women's Amateur despite birdies on two of the last three holes. A winner at the U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball and a finalist in two USGA championships last year – U.S. Women's Amateur and U.S. Girls' Junior – she's been awfully close to a Rose Zhang-like resume at an even younger age. LPGA and World Golf Hall of Famer member Beth Daniel captained Talley at last year's Junior Solheim Cup and called her talent off the charts. 'She has an unbelievable amount of drive to win,' said Daniel, "and you don't see that in a lot of players. That comes along every once in a while.' Talley has the game to compete on the LPGA right now. She has the length, level-headedness and willingness to learn and work that's required to be successful at the next level. A year ago, she came to Augusta and told the press that her goal was to get to the pro ranks as quickly as possible. 'To be the No. 1,' she said. Now, after she's had even more national success and exposure, she's singing a different tune. She wants to go to college. 'I think it's going to be a great experience for me,' said Talley, after a closing 68 in her second ANWA appearance. 'I think it would give me a chance to have a team all the time. I love team play, and I love that environment, and I think it's going to give me a great experience.' Talley took down World No. 1 Lottie Woad in singles play at the Curtis Cup last summer and helped lead Team USA to victory at the Junior Solheim. Her father reports she loves school and carries a 4.3 GPA. While many of her peers do school online, Talley goes to class five days a week from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Chowchilla High School. She has friends who have no idea what she does when she travels. Talley might be mature beyond her years inside the ropes, but she's just a normal 16-year-old in her everyday life. While many in the field at the Sage Valley Invitational stayed on in Georgia for an extra week before the ANWA, Talley flew back to California in between events to get to class. At last year's U.S. Women's Open at Lancaster Country Club, Talley found herself in contention early in the week after rounds of 70 and 71 and was an immediate media darling. 'When she gave that great interview at the U.S. Open that everyone loved, I'm being serious, I don't know that kid,' her father deadpanned. 'I pick her up from school and try to get information from her – if it isn't a yes or no answer she can give back, I get zero.' James, a correction officer who's been on a steep learning curve of late, said he only learned about the World Amateur Golf Ranking about eight months ago. He gets peppered with questions about Asterisk's future and likes the idea of her going to college, pointing to the route Zhang took of going for at least a couple years. 'I don't think any hurt can come from it,' said James. 'If she wants to go hit the tour, it's always going to be there, but college is not.' People used to tell Zhang college golf would ruin her. She hated that. 'I wanted to push myself to the limit,' she said on the eve of her 2023 Augusta National Women's Amateur victory. A small number of LPGA stars won on the tour as teenagers – Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Lexi Thompson, Lydia Ko, Ariya Jutanugarn, Brooke Henderson. Talley's trajectory is on a similar path. It's possible she could win at the next level before she even steps foot inside a college classroom but, as of now, she has options. There's an independence, a sense of self that's developed in college that can't be found on tour amidst an entourage that always includes parents. Michelle Wie West famously turned pro and then went back to college to find it. Talley said she hasn't a clue how much she's grown in the past year, but her father said she's shot up 4 inches in eight months. She may not have won at Augusta National, but there's no question to those paying attention that she's the next big thing.
