The average age of the Women’s Amateur Public Links competitors is 19.14 years old.
Lucy Li, of Redwood City, Calif., is the championship’s youngest competitor at 10 years, 8 months and 16 days of age. She is the second-youngest player in championship history, older than Allisen Corpuz in 2008 (10 years, 3 months, 9 days) and younger than Michelle Wie in 2000 (10 years, 8 months, 23 days).
The championship’s oldest competitor is 31-year-old Rebecca Randolph, of Boise, Idaho.
There are nine countries represented at the championship: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, the People’s Republic of China, Japan, Latvia, Mexico, Thailand and the United States of America.
There are 35 states represented at the championship: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
There are three USGA champions in the field: Doris Chen, 20, of Bradenton, Fla. (2010 U.S. Girls’ Junior); Kyung Kim, 19, of Chandler, Ariz. (2012 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links); and Emily Tubert, 21, of Burbank, Calif. (2010 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links). Additionally, there are two USGA runners-up in the field: Karen Chung, 18, of Livingston, N.J. (2008 U.S. Girls’ Junior); and Marissa Dodd, 19, of Allen, Texas (2011 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links).
Tubert represented the USA at the 2012 Curtis Cup Match.
Six Women’s Amateur Public Links competitors qualified for the 2013 U.S. Women’s Open Championship: Kelli Bowers, 21, of Chelan, Wash.; Chen; Mariel Galdiano, 14, of Pearl City, Hawaii; Kim; Annie Park, 18, of Levittown, N.Y.; and Tubert.
There are several current and former Oklahoma college golfers in the field. From the University of Oklahoma: Chirapat Jao-Javanil, 20, of Thailand; Taylor Schmidt, 22, of Canada; Jade Staggs, 21, of Oklahoma City, Okla.; and Anne-Catherine Tanguay, 22, of Canada. From Oklahoma State University: Kelsey Vines, 22, of San Antonio, Texas; and Julie Yang, 17, of Stillwater, Okla. From the University of Tulsa: Kelly Fuchik, 24, of Tulsa, Okla.; Shu-Yin Liu, 24, of Tualatin, Ore.; Kristina Merkle, 21, of Honolulu, Hawaii; and Kayla Riede, 22, of Dixon, Calif.
Three members of the University of Southern California women’s golf team that won the 2013 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship are in the field: Chen, Kim and Park. Park, who joined the team for the spring semester, became only the seventh freshman to win the individual title. She also claimed postseason victories at the Pac-12 Championship and NCAA West Regional.
Eleven championship competitors are in the top 50 of the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking as of June 16: Chen (No. 37); Chung (No. 26); Casey Danielson, 18, of Osceola, Wis. (No. 43); Kim (No. 10); Jao-Javanil (No. 12); Grace Na, 20, of Alameda, Calif. (No. 23); Park (No. 8); Krista Puisite, 22, of Latvia (No. 44); Kelly Shon, 21, of Flushing, N.Y. (No. 24); Tubert (No. 50); and Vines (No. 40).
There is one set of cousins in the field: Cherokee Kim, 17, of Dupont, Wash.; and Katie Lee, 17, of Silverlake, Wash. Lee is the younger sister of frequent USGA competitor Erynne Lee.
Player Notes
Lakareber Abe, 17, of Angleton, Texas, was a quarterfinalist at the 2012 Women’s Amateur Public Links, and the runner-up at the 2013 Goodman Networks Junior at Traditions and the 2012 UnderArmour/Vicky Hurst Championship.
Brianna Becker, 18, of Las Vegas, Nev., was a competitive dancer for six years before focusing on golf.
Caitlin Bliss, 24, of Katy, Texas, was an assistant golf coach at her alma mater, Texas State University.
Shannon Brooks, 15, of Fairfax, Va., was influenced by her parents to begin playing golf. She shot a career-low round of 64 at the 2012 Peggy Kirk Bell Girls Golf Tour, the largest girls-only tour in the nation, at age 14.
Sierra Brooks, 14, of Sorrento, Fla., won the 2010 U.S. Kids World Championships in 2010, draining a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 17 at Pinehurst No. 3 in the final round. She twice made ESPN’s SportsCenter Top 10 plays at 2012 Junior PGA Championship, holing a bunker shot on 18 on Tuesday and again the following day after holing out from the fairway.
Abbey Carlson, 15, of Lake Mary, Fla., won the 2012 Coca-Cola Junior Championship at Boyne Highlands.
Jennifer Chang, 13, of Cary, N.C., played in the U.S. Kids World Championship and the U.S. Kids World Cup.
A Ram Choi, 21, of Canada, is a rising junior at Portland State University, where she set a school record for scoring average with 74.9. She was named the 2013 Big Sky Conference Player of the Year after shooting a record tying 5-under-par 67 in her first round of the OSU Invitational.
Karen Chung, 18, of Livingston, N.J., won the 2013 Goodman Networks Junior at Traditions and was the runner-up at the 2013 ANNIKA Invitation and the 2012 Rolex Tournament of Champions. Chung will attend the University of Southern California in the fall.
Jessica Chulya, 21, of Thailand, was named a 2012-13 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar. Awarded by the magazine Diverse: Issues In Higher Education and co-sponsored by the NCAA, the honor is awarded to undergraduate minority student-athletes who achieve academically, athletically and in the campus and community. Chulya is a rising senior at the University of California at Davis.
Laura Cilek, 24, of Iowa City, Iowa, was the runner-up at the 2012 Iowa Women’s Amateur. She is an assistant golf coach at her alma mater, the University of Iowa.
Taylor Clark, 18, of Rochester, Mich., designed and sold a purse, with all proceeds going to the Gift of Life Foundation and the Michigan Organ and Tissue Donation Program. While the project was part of her high school curriculum, she was inspired by her family connections to organ donation. Taylor’s father received a donated cornea. When her Aunt Diane passed away, her family decided to donate her organs.
Allisen Corpuz, 15, of Honolulu, Hawaii, played in the 2008 Women’s Amateur Public Links at age 10, making her the youngest competitor in USGA championship history.
Casey Danielson, 18, of Osceola, Wis., was a quarterfinalist at the 2011 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. She is a four-time Wisconsin state high school champion (joining her older sister, Lindsay, as the only players to take four titles) and has committed to attend Stanford University. Her brother, Charlie, plays at the University of Illinois, this year’s NCAA runner-up.
Lauren Diaz-Yi, 18, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., reached the quarterfinals at the 2012 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship. She enjoys learning about environmental sciences, and has committed to attend the University of Virginia.
Catherine Dolan, 23, of Ballwin, Mo., was the runner-up to five-time USGA champion and 2013 USA Curtis Cup Team Captain Ellen Port at the 2012 Missouri Women’s Amateur Championship. Dolan met her fiancé, Nicklaus Benton, when they both competed in the 2011 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championships conducted concurrently at Bandon Dunes in Oregon.
Lacey Fears, 20, of Bonaire, Ga., had a strong 2012 season, earning victories at the LPGA Xavier International and the Jacksonville University Courtyard Classic and taking a share of the title at the 2012 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship.
Allyssa Ferrell, 21, of Edgerton, Wis., attends Michigan State University, where she helped lift the Spartans to the 2011 and 2012 Big Ten titles.
Selu Fotu, 23, of Highland, Utah, is the second of 13 children.
Mariel Galdiano, 14, of Pearl City, Hawaii, competed in three USGA championships in 2011, including the WAPL, where she advanced to the second round of match play. That year, she was also the youngest person to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open championship, though she eventually missed the cut.
Ani Gulugian, 21, of Irvine, Calif., was part of UCLA’s winning team at the 2011 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship. She competed in the 2009 Women’s Open at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pa.
Rachel Halloran, 24, of Leawood, Kan., won the 2012 Women’s Amateur of Kansas City.
Mercedes Huarte, 27, of Argentina moved to the United States at age 18 to play college golf at Jacksonville State University, where she was a four-time Ohio Valley Conference champion and the 2008 player of the year. She is a financial analyst for Cisco Systems in Georgia. Her husband, Corey Brindle, is an accountant with the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army and has served in Afghanistan.
Chirapat Jao-Javanil, 20, of Thailand, won the 2012 NCAA Division I individual championship for the University of Oklahoma. She has five career collegiate victories, most recently at the 2013 SunTrust Gator Invitational. She reached the quarterfinals at the 2012 Women’s Amateur Public Links.
Katie Jean, 22, of Rantoul, Ill., and her twin sister, Susie, were born two months early and weighed just over 2 pounds each. Jean was a member of three Missouri Valley Conference championship-winning teams while at Illinois State University.
Madison Kidd, 15, of Lake Jackson, Texas, was born in England, 10 weeks shy of her due date.
Cherokee Kim, 17, of Dupont, Wash., won the 2012 and 2013 Washington 2A Golf State Championship titles.
Gina Kim, 13, of Chapel Hill, N.C., suffered an unusual golf injury. She broke her arm after tripping over a sign at a putting green while carrying her golf bag.
Eimi Koga, 17, of Honolulu, Hawaii, won the 2010 Callaway Junior World Golf Championship and tied for third in 2011 and 2012.
Laura Kraft, 20, of Jamestown, N.D., is the only person in state history to win three consecutive high school golf titles. She posts a daily YouTube video about her life, featuring a song of the day.
Luciane Lee, 19, of Brazil comes from a golfing family. Her brother, Lucas, is a professional golfer and was a member of the UCLA team that won the 2008 NCAA Division I Golf Championship. Her cousin, Angela Park, won 2007 LPGA Rookie of the Year honors after finishing tied for second at that year’s U.S. Women’s Open.
Briana Mao, 19, of Folsom, Calif., enjoys volunteering at the First Tee of Greater Sacramento and Loaves and Fishes, a local shelter that feeds the homeless. She qualified for the 2012 U.S. Women’s Open.
Grace Na, 20, of Alameda, Calif., was a quarterfinalist at the 2012 Women’s Amateur Public Links. Na, a rising senior at Pepperdine University, won the 2013 Anuenue Spring Break Classic and the 2013 West Coast Conference Championship and has two other collegiate victories.
Lucy Nunn, 26, of Lawton, Okla., is an assistant golf coach at the University of Kentucky. She played in the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open.
Kaitlyn Papp, 14, of Austin, Texas, has some good experience at Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club. She shot a career-low competitive round of 69 at an event held at the course in 2012.
Annie Park, 18, of Levittown, N.Y., qualified for the 2012 and 2013 U.S. Women’s Open Championships, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2012 Women’s Amateur Public Links and the semifinals of the 2011 Women’s Amateur Public Links. Her successful 2013 collegiate season earned her Player and Freshman of the Year honors from the Women’s Golf Coaches Association. Park also won the 2013 Golfstat Cup, which is awarded to the NCAA, NAIA or Junior College player with the lowest scoring average.
Krista Puisite, 22, of Latvia was the 2008 Latvian Amateur champion and the 2008-09 Latvian Junior Amateur champion. Along with her sister, Mara, Puisite represented her home country at the 2008, 2010 and 2012 Women’s World Amateur Team Championships in Australia, Argentina and Turkey, respectively.
Krystal Quihuis, 17, of Tucson, Ariz., won the 2013 Winn Grips Heather Farr Classic.
Courtney Radford, 21, of Allen, Texas, has played 18 holes with Rudy Gatlin of the country-music group The Gatlin Brothers.
Kayla Riede, 22, of Olivehurst, Calif., is a former competitive motocross rider.
Demi Frances Runas, 21, of Torrance, Calif., won three consecutive Big West Golfer of the Year awards (2011-13). She reached the quarterfinals of the 2012 Women’s Amateur Public Links.
Erika Salinas, 23, of Sacramento, Calif., is an enrolled member of the Comanche Nation, a federally recognized Native-American tribe located in Lawton, Okla. She participates in many Sacramento-area Native-American community events in a group called the Sacramento Comanche Sign Language Group, which she founded.
Hannah Sodersten, 19, of Fresno, Calif., is a former competitive badminton player.
Karolyne Shieh, 17, of Carlisle, Mass., won the 2011 Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association’s girls’ individual state championship. She is also a competitive figure skater and has qualified for the U.S. Junior National Figure Skating Championship.
Kelly Shon, 21, of Flushing, N.Y., became just the second Princeton University player to advance to the NCAA Division I National Championship. Shon won the Ivy League Championship, was the runner-up at the NCAA East Regional and was named the 2012-13 Ivy League Player of the Year. Shon has competed in two U.S. Women’s Opens.
Yujeong Son, 12, of Norman, Okla., was named the 2012 U.S. Kids Golf National Player of the Year after winning her age division at the 2012 U.S. Kids Golf World Championship.
Kelsey Vines, 22, of San Antonio, Texas, won the 2013 Hurricane Invitational for Oklahoma State University and had three runner-up finishes in the 2012-13 season.
Hannah Wood, 17, of Centennial, Colo., won the 2013 Kathy Whitworth Invitational.
Kenzie Wright, 15, of Frisco, Texas, raised $1,500 for childhood cancer research through the AJGA Leadership Links Program. She has worked as an on-court promotions intern for the Texas Legends, an NBA Development League team.
Julie Yang, 17, of Stillwater, Okla., has won more than 75 tournaments in her golf career, including the 2013 SMU Invitational, 2011 Women’s TRANS National, 2010 English Women’s Open Stroke Play, 2010 Welsh Ladies Open Stroke Play and 2010 Danish International Ladies Amateur. She qualified for the 2010 RICOH Women’s British Open.
Darian Zachek, 16, of Deming, N.M., won the 2012 New Mexico Women’s Amateur Championship.
Compiled by Christina Lance, the assistant manager of communications for the USGA. Email her at clance@usga.org.