Fayetteville, AR – Alice Ziyi Zhao of (China) Irvine, California, and Luke Smith of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, have won the 2022 KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior All-Star Invitational.
The KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior All-Star Invitational is one of the most unique events on the AJGA schedule. Past tournament champions have gone on to be very successful in the AJGA and beyond. Some notable past champions include Cindy Kou, Karl Villips, Noah Goodwin, and Leigh Chien. In addition to its noteworthy winners, the Invitational is known for its host venue, The Blessings Golf Club, which is home to the University of Arkansas Men’s and Women’s Golf Teams.
In the Girls Division, Ziyi Zhao went into the final round leading by one stroke. The leader started the final round off steady with consecutive pars on Nos. 1 and 2. The 13-year-old struggled on the front nine after carding bogeys on Nos. 3 and 6 and a double bogey on No. 5. Ziyi Zhao would start gaining her momentum back after closing out the front nine with a birdie on No. 9. After making the turn the California native would birdie Nos. 10 and 15 to finish at 1-over-par 217.
Ziyi Zhao was a member of the 2021 Junior All-Star team and was a 2021 Rolex Junior All-American. The three-time AJGA champion is No. 53 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings and has secured her first invitational win.
“I definitely feel really good right now just because I won this here in Arkansas. The course is in great condition and I love the overall layout of the course.”
One stroke back in second was Rianne Malixi of (Philippines) San Bernardino, California, at 2-over-par 218. Malixi earned the low final round award after finishing 6-under-par 66 for the day.
Angela Zhang of Bellevue, Washington, finished in third at 3-over-par 219. Three strokes back in solo fourth was Lisa Herman of Jenks, Oklahoma, at 6-over-par 222. Amelie Phung of Forest Hills, New York, rounded out the top five at 7-over-par 223.
In the Boys Division, Luke Smith also went into the final round in the lead. Smith was back and forth on the front nine after carding a birdie on No. 2 and then bogey on No. 3. The Canadian would do it again and card a birdie on No. 5 and another bogey on No. 6. The 2025 grad would find some consistency from No. 7 through No. 14 after carding eight consecutive pars. After carding one last birdie on No. 15, Smith would go on to finish the round at 4-over-par 220 and secure his first AJGA win.
Before this event, Smith's highest AJGA finish was at the 2021 AJGA Junior at Toftrees as runner-up. The 14-year-old currently sits at No. 204 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
“It was a good feeling because it’s something I wanted to have, something I’ve dreamed of and something I can remember”
Brody McQueen of Marietta, Georgia, finished in second at 5-over-par 221. The 2026 grad carded 11 birdies throughout the tournament.
Edan Cui of Atherton, California, and Brooks Simmons of Dallas, Texas, both finished in third at 8-over-par 224. Sahish Reddy of Atlanta, Georgia, and Eric Zhao of Toronto, Ontario, Canada finished in fifth at 9-over-par 225.
In the Girls vs. Boys Challenge, the Girl's Division leaders leveled out the series at 4-4 after dominating the boys all three rounds. Going into the final round the girls led by eight strokes and finished out the event with a 20 stroke gap from the boys. The girls top-four leaders finished at 15-under-par 849.