The average age of the Women’s Amateur competitors is 19.45 years old.
The youngest player in the championship is Karah Sanford, 12, of Escondito, Calif. She is approximately five months younger than Latanna Stone, of Ruskin, Fla. Sanford was also the youngest player in the 2014 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship field. Sanford and Stone tied for eighth in the Girls’ 12-13 Division of the 2014 Drive, Chip and Putt Championship.
Ellen Port, 52, of St. Louis, is the oldest player in the championship. Martha Leach, 52, of Hebron, Ky., is the oldest championship qualifier, and is four months younger than Port.
There are 15 countries represented at the championship: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, the People’s Republic of China, Colombia, England, France, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand and the United States of America.
There are 30 states represented at the championship: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
There are nine USGA champions in the field: Doris Chen, 21, of Bradenton, Fla. (2010 U.S. Girls’ Junior); Lauren Diaz-Yi, 19, of Thousand Oaks, Calif. (2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links); Fumie (Alice) Jo, 15, of the People’s Republic of China (2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links); Martha Leach (2009 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur); Ellen Port (1995, 1996, 2000, 2011 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur; 2012, 2013 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur); Meghan Stasi, 36, of Oakland Park, Fla. (2006, 2007, 2010, 2012 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur); Princess Mary Superal, 17, of the Philippines (2014 U.S. Girls’ Junior); Emma Talley, 20, of Princeton, Ky. (2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur); and Gabriella Then, 18, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. (2013 U.S. Girls’ Junior).
There are nine USGA runners-up in the field: Lakareber Abe, 18, of Angleton, Texas (2013 U.S. Girls’ Junior); Doris Chen (2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links); Karen Chung, 19, of Livingston, N.J. (2008 U.S. Girls’ Junior); Martha Leach (2011 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur); Alison Lee, 19, of Valencia, Calif. (2012 U.S. Girls’ Junior); Marijosse Navarro, 17, of Mexico (2014 U.S. Girls’ Junior); Ellen Port (2002 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur); Eun Jeong Seong, 14, of the Republic of Korea (2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links); and Margaret Shirley, 28, of Atlanta (2013 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur).
Fourteen U.S. Women’s Amateur competitors played in the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open Championship: Celine Boutier, 20, of France (77-76—MC); Mathilda Cappeliez, 16, of France (76-70-78-75—288, T22); Chisato Hashimoto, 16, of Japan (73-76-76-77—302, 68); Brooke Mackenzie Henderson, 16, of Canada (71-73-72-69—295, T10 and low amateur); Janie Jackson, 20, of Huntsville, Ala. (81-73—MC); Megan Khang, 16, of Rockland, Mass. (75-79—MC); Andrea Lee, 15, of Hermosa Beach, Calif. (79-70-77-77—303, T69); Paige Lee, 19, of Folsom, Calif. (73-84—MC); Ally McDonald, 21, of Fulton, Miss. (78-77—MC); Jessica Porvasnik, 19, of Hinckley, Ohio (79-82—MC); Sierra Sims, 18, of Austin, Texas (79-79—MC); Emma Talley (75-73-78-74—300, T63); Bailey Tardy, 17, of Norcross, Ga. (81-78—MC); and Elizabeth Tong, 21, of Canada (76-80—MC)
Six members of the victorious 2014 USA Curtis Cup Team are in the field: Alison Lee; Erynne Lee, 21, of Silverdale, Wash.; Ally McDonald; Annie Park, 19, of Levittown, N.Y.; Mariah Stackhouse, 20, of Riverdale, Ga.; and Emma Talley. USA Captain Ellen Port is also in the field. Port represented the USA at the 1994 and 1996 Curtis Cup Matches. Meghan Stasi is also a past USA Curtis Cup player, representing the USA in 2008.
Two members of the 2014 Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup Team are in the field: Bronte Law, 19, of England; and Charlotte Thomas, 21, of England.
Nine U.S. Women’s Amateur competitors have represented their home countries at the Women’s World Amateur Team Championships: Celine Boutier, of France (2012); Alejandra Cangrejo, 21, of Colombia (2012); Brooke Mackenzie Henderson, of Canada (2012); Augusta James, 21, of Canada (2012); Erynne Lee, of the United States of America (2012); Gaby Lopez, 20, of Mexico (2010); Marijosse Navarro, of Mexico (2010, 2012); Regina Placencia, 20, of Mexico (2012); and Clara Teixeira, 21, of Brazil (2012).
Thirteen championship competitors are in the top 25 of the Women’s World Amateur Golf RankingTM as of Wednesday, July 30, the last WWAGR update prior to the start of the championship: Brooke Mackenzie Henderson (No. 2); Alison Lee (No. 3); Celine Boutier (No. 4); Su-Hyun Oh, 18, of Australia (No. 8); Emma Talley (No. 9); Andrea Lee (No. 10); Gaby Lopez (No. 11); Doris Chen (No. 14); Ally McDonald (No. 15); Annie Park (No. 16); Marijosse Navarro (No. 18); Jing Yan, 18, of the People’s Republic of China (No. 21); Simin Feng, 19, of the People’s Republic of China (No. 22); and Grace Na, 21, of Alameda, Calif. (No. 25).
There are four sets of sisters in the field: Twins Jennifer and Kristin Coleman, both 21, of Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.; Marika Liu, 20, and Mika Liu, 15, of Beverly Hills, Calif.; Mariana Sims, 19, and Sierra Sims, of Austin, Texas; and Angella Then, 15, and Gabriella Then, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
General Player Notes
Taylor Babcock, 23, of Westport, Conn., is the assistant women’s golf coach at Yale University.
Celine Boutier, 20, of France, was a member of Duke University’s winning team at the 2014 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship.
Chelsea Buford, 20, of San Antonio, Texas, is the daughter of San Antonio Spurs’ General Manager R.C. Buford. Her mother, Beth (Boozer) Buford, is a former LPGA Tour player.
Alejandra Cangrejo, 21, of Colombia, was a member of Duke University’s winning team at the 2014 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship. The three-time Colombian national champion was a semifinalist at the 2009 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship.
Doris Chen, 21, of Bradenton, Fla., won the 2014 NCAA women’s golf individual championship for the University of Southern California. She was a member of the USC team that won the 2013 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship, along with Kyung Kim and Annie Park. Chen played in the 2011-13 U.S. Women’s Opens, and was a semifinalist at the 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur.
Kristin Dahee Chung, 17, of the Republic of Korea, was a top-15 finalist on Superstar K, a Korean singing competition similar to American Idol. Her father, Hwan Chung, was once the No. 1 ranked amateur golfer in Korea.
Brianna Cooper, 22, of Canada, has a degenerative condition in her neck and shoulder that requires Cervical Fact Radiofrequency Neurotomy treatment every eight months. She was unable to play golf for 14 months during her diagnosis period, and has only been able to swing a club for a year.
Dree Fausnaugh, 17, of Lake Mary, Fla., once shot a commercial with Tiger Woods, who taught her how to hit a cut shot. She won the 2014 USGA-AJGA Presidents’ Leadership Award for her fundraising efforts dedicated to the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation. Fausnaugh represented the USA at the 2013 USA-China Youth Golf Match.
Krista Fenniak, 22, of Canada, is a national rowing champion.
Kristen Gillman, 16, of Austin, Texas, claimed the 2014 PGA Junior Championship in Bryan, Texas, by 11 strokes, which earned the 2016 University of Alabama commit a spot in next year's LPGA Tour Swinging Skirts event at Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City, Calif.
Kelly Grassel, 19, of Chesterton, Ind., won the 2014 Indiana PGA Women’s Open.
Brooke Mackenzie Henderson, 16, of Canada, is a member of Golf Canada’s national team.
Mercedes Huarte, 28, 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. Her husband, Corey Brindle, is an accountant with the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army and has served in Afghanistan.
Augusta James, 21, of Canada, won the 2014 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship. She is a member of Golf Canada’s national team.
Audra Kepler, 23, of Pleasant Hill, Calif., is a part-time caddie at Pebble Beach Golf Resort and Spyglass Hill Golf Course. She won the Northern California Golf Association’s 2014 Women’s Amateur Championship.
Megan Khang, 16, of Rockland, Mass., won the 2012 and 2013 Connecticut Women’s Open Championships.
August Kim, 19, of St. Augustine, Fla., grew up in Searingtown, N.Y., just 10 miles from Nassau Country Club. Her family moved to Florida during her junior year in high school, and the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur marks her return to Long Island. Kim just claimed the 2014 TRANS Amateur Championship by two strokes over Caroline Inglis.
Taylor Kim, 19, of Canada, is a member of Golf Canada’s development team. She won the 2014 British Columbia Women’s Amateur Championship.
Bronte Law, 19, of England, won the 2014 English Women’s Amateur Championship.
Alison Lee, 19, of Valencia, Calif., won the 2014 North & South Women’s Amateur Championship.
Andrea Lee, 15, of Hermosa Beach, Calif., won the 2014 Rolex Tournament of Champions and Yani Tseng Invitational, both conducted by the American Junior Golf Association.
Binny Lee, 16, of Frisco, Texas, is the daughter of two martial arts masters. She is a first-degree black belt. Her mother, Nanyool Lee, won a gold medal in taekwondo at the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.
Marika Liu, 20, of Beverly Hills, Calif., played her youngest sister, Mika, in the quarterfinals of the 2014 Women’s Southern Amateur Championship. Although she lost, Marika calls the experience unforgettable. She is the captain of the women’s golf team at Yale University, and has interned the past two summers in private banking, at an arts foundation and as a pastry chef.
Mika Liu, 15, of Beverly Hills, Calif., won the 2014 Women’s Western Amateur and Southern Amateur Championships.
Gaby Lopez, 20, of Mexico, won the 2014 Women’s Mexican Amateur Championship.
Noelle Maertz, 20, of Clark, N.J., won the 2012 New Jersey State Golf Association’s Women’s Public Links Championship.
Janet Mao, 17, of Johns Creek, Ga., plays the piano and the cello. She plays in her high school’s orchestra and is active in the Notes of Joy Club, which performs at senior living homes in her community.
Brittany Marchand, 22, of Canada, is a member of Golf Canada’s national team.
Mary Mulcahy, 20, of Scituate, Mass., won the 2013 Massachusetts Women’s Amateur Championship.
Grace Na, 21, of Alameda, Calif., was a quarterfinalist at the 2012 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links. Na, who recently completed her eligibility at Pepperdine University, is only the second player in school history to earn All-America honors four times. She won the 2014 Anuenue Spring Break Classic and the 2013 West Coast Conference Championship, as well as three other collegiate tournaments.
Marijosse Navarro, 17, of San Antonio, Texas, won the 2010, 2012 and 2013 Mexican Women’s Amateur Championships. She reached the quarterfinals of the 2012 U.S. Women’s Amateur, where she fell to eventual runner-up Jaye Marie Green. Navarro enrolled at Texas A&M University for the spring 2014 semester, and finished sixth at the 2014 NCAA individual championship.
Hannah O’Sullivan, 16, of Paradise Valley, Ariz., qualified for the 2012 U.S. Women’s Open at age 14. O’Sullivan won the 2010 California Junior Girls’ State Amateur at age 12, becoming the event’s youngest winner.
Cyd Okino, 20, of Honolulu, qualified for the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open at age 14.
Annie Park, 19, of Levittown, N.Y., qualified for the 2012 and 2013 U.S. Women’s Open Championships, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2012 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links and the semifinals of the 2011 WAPL. Her successful 2013 collegiate season, in which she won the NCAA individual title, 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.
Rylee Pedigo, 18, of Fort Worth, Texas, was a competitive gymnast, but stepped away from the sport after breaking her arm.
Calli Ringsby, 18, of Denver, represented the USA at the 2012 USA-China Youth Golf Match.
Margaret Shirley, 28, of Atlanta, is a manager of Rules and competitions for Atlanta Junior Golf.
Ellen Takada, 17, of Irvine, Calif., shot a career-low 64 at the 2014 Junior PGA Championship and was featured on ESPN’s SportsCenter.
Anne-Catherine Tanguay, 23, of Canada, is a member of Golf Canada’s national team.
Clara Teixeira, 21, of Brazil, has been a member of the Brazilian national team since 2006.
Charlotte Thomas, 21, of England, has lived in Singapore since age 13. She won the 2013 English Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, and was runner-up at the 2013 English Women’s Amateur Championship.
Brynn Walker, 16, of St. Davids, Pa., won the 2013 Pennsylvania Junior Girls’ Championship.
Bethany Wu, 17, of Diamond Bar, Calif., won the 2013 and 2014 ANNIKA Invitationals.
Jing Yan, 18, of the People’s Republic of China, won the 2013 Girls’ British Open Amateur Championship and Ladies’ British Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship.
Compiled by Christina Lance, the assistant manager of championship communications for the USGA. Email her at clance@usga.org.