Asterisk Talley’s incredible season of golf continued this week at Oak Hills Country Club where she competed in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship. Along with Talley, 15, and No. 1 in the JGH Rankings was Sarah Lim, 17, a fellow Northern Californian and No. 149 in the JGH Rankings.
“We came here to win, but it’s kind of crazy that we actually won,” said Lim. “We play our local [Northern California] tournaments. Just from there on [we had a partnership]” (via Amateurgolf.com).
With this victory, Talley becomes the second youngest player to win the title, as she is two months older than fellow U.S. National Junior Team member Gianna Clemente (2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four Ball Champion with partner, Avery Zweig). The Chowchilla native’s hot streak started last summer with her success at one of the major invitationals on the AJGA circuit, the Rolex Girls Championship. Some of her other accomplishments include being a member of the 2023 U.S. Junior Solheim Cup Team, winning the girl’s title at the 2024 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Golf Club and breaking the previous Junior Invitational 54-hole scoring record held by Anna Davis who shot a 7-under in 2023, placing first in the C.T. Pan Foundation Championship and the SERI PAK Desert Junior, both in 2023, as well as qualifying for the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open and finishing eighth at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
“It’s crazy just knowing that I’m on the [U.S. National Junior] Team and now I’m a [USGA] champion,” said Talley. “I don’t know how to explain it. It’s just super crazy. I’m speechless about it… It’s been a crazy year already and we’re not even halfway through. I’m just excited for what’s to come, and I’m not going to let this [title] overcome my thoughts. I’m just going to keep practicing and working hard” (via Amatuergolf.com).
Though Lim’s resume is not quite as stacked as Talley’s, she has had her share of accomplishments as well, such as two fifth place finishes in AJGA events and a verbal commitment to attend Princeton University in 2025. Lim and Talley, being that they live 3 hours from each other, became friends and share the same coach, Mike Schy. Lim first contacted Talley with her hopes to qualify for this year’s Four-Ball.
Qualifying won’t be necessary for these two, as now they both receive exemptions into the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur in Tulsa, Oklahoma and the U.S. Girl’s Junior in Tarzana, California, along with the next 10 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Balls.
Photo Credit: USGA Photo
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