JUPITER, Fla. - Kaitlyn Schroeder of Jacksonville, Florida, won the 2022 Rolex Girls Junior Championship with a 72-hole total score of 2-under-par 286.
Schroeder, No. 16 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, had a rough start in her final round opening 3-over-par through her first three holes. She battled back and finished with three birdies through hole No. 10. The 2022 grad rounded out Nos. 11-18 with pars to seal the three-shot Invitational victory and her first AJGA win since 2020.
Obviously winning an event like this is pretty special. If you look at the names of who's won it, they've gone on to do great things in golf so hopefully I can do that one day.
Schroeder is heading to the University of Alabama to play college golf in December. A two-time Rolex Junior All-American, Schroeder is playing in her second Rolex Girls Junior Championship. She had two AJGA victories in 2020 and was a member of the 2021 United States Junior Solheim Cup team and victorious Wyndham Cup East Team.
Gianna Clemente of Warren, Ohio, finished in second place with a total of 1-over-par 289. The No. 7 player in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, Clemente was able to put some pressure on Schroeder but fell just three shots short.
In third place at 2-over-par 290, Katie Li of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, had the low final-round score with a 4-under-par 68. She had five birdies in the round, however ended with a bogey on No. 18. This is her best finish in her three appearances at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship.
In a two-way tie for fourth, Jasmine Koo of Cerritos, California and Thienna Huynh of Lilburn, Georgia, finished with a total of 3-over-par 291. Koo is No. 11 and Huynh is the No. 30 player in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. In 2020, Koo was a Rolex Junior All-American. Huynh has signed her National Letter of Intent with University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
In sixth place at 4-over-par 292, Andie Smith of Hobe Sound, Florida, had 11 birdies over four days. This is her best finish in AJGA events in the past two seasons. She has signed her National Letter of Intent with Duke University and will be going there in the fall.
In a two-way tie for seventh, Elise Lee of Irvine, California, and Sydney Hackett of Ashburn, Virginia, finished at 5-over-par 293. This is Lee's best AJGA Invitational finish in her career. Hackett has signed her National Letter of Intent with Western Kentucky University.
In ninth place, Alice Ziyi Zhao of (China) Irvine, California, finished 6-over-par 294. Zhao had five birdies in her final round to finish strong for a 1-under-par 72. Last year she was a member of the 2021 AJGA Junior All-Star Team, as well as a Rolex Junior All-American. She is No. 31 player in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
In a two-way tie for tenth, Reagan Southerland of Atlanta, Georgia, and Anna Song of Los Angeles, California, finished 7-over-par 295. Southerland is a University of North Carolina Chapel Hill commit. Song is No. 65 player in the Rolex AJGA Rankings and this is her best Invitational finish of the year.
About the Rolex Girls Junior Championship Field
Since 1992, the competition brings together one of the strongest fields in junior golf. The 2022 event included 11 of the top 20 girls in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
Of the 72 player field, 54 girls have at least one career AJGA victory. Representatives from seven foreign countries and 16 U.S. states competed in one of the AJGA’s most iconic all-girls events. There were also 34 players have committed verbally or with a National Letter of Intent to play college golf.
Rolex Girls Junior Championship History
The Rolex Girls Junior Championship has occurred annually since 1992, changing host venues each year. Noteworthy courses include: LPGA International – Champions and Legends Course (2002-2005), Long Cove Club (2010), The Country Club of North Carolina – Dogwood Course (2015), and Promontory Club – Dye Canyon Course (2018).
The event returns to Florida for the first time since 2012. LPGA Tour player Ariya Jutanugarn won the 2012 Rolex Girls Junior Championship hosted at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida. Jutanugarn set AJGA and tournament records with the low-72 hole total of 270 (-18) and largest margin of victory with 18 strokes.
Past champions of the Rolex Girls Junior Championship include an AJGA all-star cast: Rose Zhang (2020), Rachel Heck (2017), Alison Lee (2013), Ariya Jutanugarn (2012, 2011), Morgan Pressel (2005), Paula Creamer (2003), and Inbee Park (2002).
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