USGA Jr Girls Final

The 2012 USGA Junior Girls Championship match play final at Lake Merced Golf Club was won by Minjee Lee from Australia. Her opponent was Alison Lee from Valencia CA. Alison had played in the Junior GIrls event five times previously, a record for which she was honored at the Players' Dinner. Alison and Minjee were evenly matched. Both brought powerful swings to the match, and the course had been manicured to perfection for high caliber golf. And that's what we saw.

It was a hard fought but friendly match between opponents who have the pro tour on their horizons. Minjee came from three back on the back nine then pulled one shot ahead on hole sixteen and held on to win. Both girls made exceptional shots throughout the match and displayed remarkable recovery skills. They stared down the world's number one and number two players to reach the final, and they showed why they deserved to be there.

The match play final was for 36 holes, and it didn't end until the final hole. That's as close as you can expect for play at this level. If you think it's exhausting, you're right. We think fatigue along with the unrelenting pressure of playing in the best junior girls' golf field in recent memory took its toll on the players as the week wore on. From that perspective everyone who watched Alison and Minjee appreciated their greatness.  

Local juniors who came to watch any of the golf during the week were given a vision of what golf can be when a player is committed to reach for the top. Our favorite quote of the week came from Minjee Lee who has a radiant and likeable personality that can make you forget what a fierce competitor she can be. When asked about whether she will play more in the US, she responded with "I'm coming to win, oh yes, I'm coming to win". We believe her.