Latest news with #U.S.Girls'Junior
2 days ago
- Sport
15-year-old Aphrodite Deng becomes first Canadian winner in US Girls' Junior history
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. -- Aphrodite Deng became the first Canadian winner in U.S. Girls' Junior history, beating Xingtong Chen of Singapore 2 and 1 on Saturday in the 36-hole final at Atlanta Athletic Club. The 15-year-old Deng, from Calgary, Alberta, won her third junior major title of the year, following the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley in April and the Mizuho Americas Open in May. She earned spots in the U.S. Women's Open next year at Riviera and the U.S. Women's Amateur this year and next. 'It really means a lot. I just can't believe that I won,' Deng said. 'I didn't really think about the end result because I knew there were a lot of good players here. I just tried to win each match.' Deng had a 4-up lead over the 16-year-old Chen — the first player from Singapore to reach the championship match — after 18 holes. Chen cut the deficit to two twice on the second 18, the last with a par win on the 34th. Deng ended it on the 35th by matching Chen's par. 'I think I stayed in the moment throughout the whole match,' Deng said. 'I did get a little tired at the end. I learned that I'm pretty consistent and I'm pretty good, and I think that I stay pretty calm in front of a crowd and cameras.'
NBC Sports
4 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Aphrodite Deng, 15, becomes first Canadian winner in U.S. Girls' Junior history
Relive the biggest moments and top shots from the finals at this year's U.S. Girls' Junior Championship, taking place Atlanta Athletic Club (Riverside Course). JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Aphrodite Deng became the first Canadian winner in U.S. Girls' Junior history, beating Xingtong Chen of Singapore, 2 and 1, on Saturday in the 36-hole final at Atlanta Athletic Club. The 15-year-old Deng, from Calgary, Alberta, won her third junior major title of the year, following the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley in April and the Mizuho Americas Open in May. She earned spots in the U.S. Women's Open next year at Riviera and the U.S. Women's Amateur this year and next. 'It really means a lot. I just can't believe that I won,' Deng said. 'I didn't really think about the end result because I knew there were a lot of good players here. I just tried to win each match.' Deng had a 4-up lead over the 16-year-old Chen - the first player from Singapore to reach the championship match - after 18 holes. Chen cut the deficit to two twice on the second 18, the last with a par win on the 34th. Deng ended it on the 35th by matching Chen's par. 'I think I stayed in the moment throughout the whole match,' Deng said. 'I did get a little tired at the end. I learned that I'm pretty consistent and I'm pretty good, and I think that I stay pretty calm in front of a crowd and cameras.'
Ottawa Citizen
5 days ago
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
'Really means a lot': Calgary golfer Aphrodite Deng first Canadian winner of U.S. Girls' Junior
Article content JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Aphrodite Deng became the first Canadian winner in U.S. Girls' Junior history, beating Xingtong Chen of Singapore 2 and 1 on Saturday in the 36-hole final at Atlanta Athletic Club. Article content The 15-year-old Deng, from Calgary, won her third junior major title of the year, following the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley in April and the Mizuho Americas Open in May. She earned spots in the U.S. Women's Open next year at Riviera and the U.S. Women's Amateur this year and next. Article content Article content 'It really means a lot. I just can't believe that I won,' Deng said. 'I didn't really think about the end result because I knew there were a lot of good players here. I just tried to win each match.' Article content Article content Deng had a 4-up lead over the 16-year-old Chen — the first player from Singapore to reach the championship match — after 18 holes. Chen cut the deficit to two twice on the second 18, the last with a par win on the 34th. Deng ended it on the 35th by matching Chen's par. Article content 'I think I stayed in the moment throughout the whole match,' Deng said. 'I did get a little tired at the end. I learned that I'm pretty consistent and I'm pretty good, and I think that I stay pretty calm in front of a crowd and cameras.' Article content
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Summer of Aphrodite: Deng, 15, becomes first Canadian champion of U.S. Girls' Junior
The summer of Aphrodite is upon us. Aphrodite Deng, a 15-year-old from Canada, captured the 2025 U.S. Girls' Junior on Saturday at Atlanta Athletic Club in Georgia, topping 16-year-old Xingtong Chen from Singapore 2 and 1 in the 36-hole championship final for her first USGA title and biggest win of her life. It's also the first time a Canadian has won the U.S. Girls' Junior title. "It feels unreal, and I can't believe it," she told NBC Sports' Kay Cockerill. "It was really hard to keep the lead, especially the last few holes because I got really tired. During my break, I just rested well." Deng led 4 up after the morning 18 holes on Chen, the first player from Singapore to play in the championship match of the U.S. Girls' Junior. In the afternoon, Chen won two of the first five holes to shrink her deficit to 2 down, but Deng fought back, building her lead back to 4 up with five holes to play. But Chen wasn't done. She made birdie on the 32nd hole to win the hole and then won with par on the 34th when she was three down, forcing a 35th hole. However, both players made par on the long par-3 17th, giving Deng the Glenna Collett Vare Trophy. "She played really solid, and it was a really good match," Deng said of Chen. The victory for Deng is the latest in a long list of big wins this year. It started taking the title in the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley and followed that up with winning the Mizuho Americas Open. Now, she's a USGA champion. Last year, the junior circuit belonged to Rianne Malixi and Asterisk Talley, who combined won three USGA championships with Malixi beating Talley in the championship finals at the U.S. Women's Amateur and U.S. Girls' Junior. 2025 belongs to Aphrodite Deng, who can now try to match Malixi with a win at the U.S. Women's Amateur next month at Bandon Dunes.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Aphrodite Deng, Xingtong Chen to face off in U.S. Girls' Junior 36-hole final
The final 18 holes of the 36-hole final of the U.S. Girls' Junior will be live on Peacock on Saturday. It'll be a matchup of junior golfers from Canada and Singapore in the 2025 U.S. Girls' Junior Amateur Championship final. Aphrodite Deng, 15, of Canada will take on Xingtong Chen, 16, of Singapore in the 36-hole championship match at Atlanta Athletic Club on Saturday. Deng has two major junior wins in 2025 and is seeking her first USGA title after knocking out Chloe Kovelesky, 2 up, and Rayee Feng, 2 and 1, on Friday. "It means so much,' said Deng. 'I've been really looking forward to this tournament, and to be able to play good is really exciting.' Chen, meanwhile, is playing in her first Girls' Junior event. She's a two-time winner of the Singapore Junior Golf Championship and she's the youngest champion ever in the Singapore Open Amateur. On Friday, she defeated medalist Grace Carter, 15, of Jupiter, Florida, 1 up, to reach the final. 'It's unbelievable for me,' said Chen, the first golfer from Singapore to reach the final. 'I didn't even dare to imagine it when I came here to play U.S. Girls'. I'm just so grateful for this opportunity, to be able to come to the U.S., it's so far away from Singapore. It's my first time here, so I'm really grateful for this opportunity to play my best.' The 36-hole final starts at 8:15 a.m. ET and after a lunch break after the first 18 holes, the final 18 will start at 3 p.m. ET and will live on Peacock. More: How many U.S. Girls' Junior winners have success as a pro? A look back on last 25 years
