The Stage and The Showdown Held at the pristine Old Chatham Golf Club in Durham, North Carolina, the 2026 U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship culminated in a highly anticipated 36-hole match-play final. The battle featured 16-year-old Canadian standout Clairey Lin (currently residing in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) and 17-year-old Floridian Amelie Zalsman, a prominent member of the U.S. National Junior Team. In a magnificent display of endurance and skill, Lin outdueled Zalsman to claim a 5-and-4 victory, hoisting the prestigious Glenna Collett Vare Trophy.
How the Champion was Crowned The final match was a thrilling back-and-forth affair early on. Zalsman, ranked No. 34 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, proved resilient and even grabbed a 1-up lead on the par-5 sixth hole. However, that would be Zalsman’s last advantage. Lin immediately flipped the switch, rattling off four consecutive winning birdies starting on the 7th hole to carry a commanding 3-up lead into the lunch break.
The momentum was paused by an unexpected 92-minute weather delay as the afternoon session kicked off, but it couldn’t cool off Lin’s putter. When play resumed, she swiftly birdied the 24th and 25th holes to extend her lead to 4-up. Zalsman continued to fight, matching Lin shot for shot over the next stretch, but Lin delivered the final dagger on the 32nd hole of the match (the par-5 14th). Dropping her 12th birdie of the day, Lin clinched the match 5-and-4 when Zalsman narrowly missed a putt to tie the hole.
Key Happenings & Cool Facts
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“She the North” Goes Back-to-Back: Lin’s victory secured Canada’s second consecutive U.S. Girls’ Junior title. She follows in the footsteps of her compatriot Aphrodite Deng, who won in 2025 but did not defend her title this year as she was playing in the Amundi Evian Championship. Lin is only the second Canadian to ever win the trophy.
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Breaking the Medalist Curse: By claiming the championship, Lin became the first stroke-play medalist to win the U.S. Girls’ Junior since LPGA superstar Rose Zhang did it in 2021. Lin shot an incredible 13-under 131 in stroke play, just one shot off the championship record.
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Total Dominance on Hole No. 1: Lin completely owned Old Chatham’s 577-yard par-5 opening hole. Throughout the week, she played it eight times and shot a collective 7-under par on it—which included an eagle during her semifinal match and a birdie to open the championship round.
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Joining the Greats: Her name now sits alongside World Golf Hall of Famers like Mickey Wright, Nancy Lopez, and JoAnne Gunderson Carner, as well as modern stars like Lexi Thompson and Minjee Lee, on the historic trophy.
The Spoils of Victory Along with a gold medal and custody of the Glenna Collett Vare Trophy, Lin’s monumental win comes with serious perks. Most notably, she has secured an exemption into her very first major—the 2027 U.S. Women’s Open at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. She also earned exemptions into the 2026 and 2027 U.S. Women’s Amateurs and a likely invitation to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
Parting Thoughts Despite the grueling nature of six matches and a long stroke-play setup, Lin’s pure putting and unshakeable mental game were the ultimate difference-makers. As the new champion noted as she reflected on the win: “I’ve dreamed of it my entire life. I’ve always wanted to be on the big stage and inspire some people and work hard and see it pay off, and to be able to do that today is amazing.”
Clairey Lin, above, reacts toward her caddie after she won the final match, 5 and 4, at the 77th U.S. Girls’ Junior at Old Chatham Golf Club, in Durham, N.C. on Saturday, (Logan Whitton/USGA)