Lake Mary, Fla. - Clairey Lin of Palos Verdes Estates, California, takes the lead following the first round of the Hilton Grand Vacations ANNIKA Invitational presented by Rolex. The class of 2028 junior fired a 4-under-par 67 on the day.
The 54-hole stroke play event is bringing together the top-72 female junior golfers from around the world to compete at Heathrow Country Club this week. The event hosted by the ANNIKA Foundation and AJGA is celebrating its 17th anniversary in 2025. The weekend includes a clinic put on by Annika Sorenstam for the field on Sunday as well as a fireside chat between ANNIKA Foundation ambassadors Caley McGinty, Kajsa Arwefjäll and our host Annika.
The champion of this event will earn two coveted exemptions:
- LPGA: Entry into the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club.
- Epson Tour: A spot in the Otter Creek Championship in June.
Lin is currently ranked No. 20 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. On the front nine, she shot three birdies and one bogey before carding a bogey-free back nine. In total, she fired five birdies on the day to take the spot at the top of the leaderboard. A Rolex Junior All-American, Lin is seeking her fourth AJGA win this weekend.
Asterisk Talley of Chowchilla, California, holds a solo second place at 3-under-par 68. The No. 1 ranked player in the Rolex AJGA Rankings fired a bogey-free round today, complete with three birdies on the back nine to finish her round.
Talley is a three-time Rolex Junior All-American. She played for the United States team at the 2024 PING Junior Solheim Cup and won the PING Invitational in October. She is seeking her fifth AJGA win this weekend.
Defending champion Natalie Yen of West Linn, Oregon, sits in solo third at 2-under-par 69. Elizabeth Rudisill of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Michelle Xing of Ontario, Canada, sit tied for fourth at 1-under-par 70.
The second round will take place at Heathrow Country Club on Sunday, January 19, from 8:30 to 10:20 a.m.
For more information or photo requests, please contact AJGA Communications Manager - Angela Ding (ading@ajga.org).