Seeing Yana Wilson and Anna Davis on top of the leaderboard should be no surprise to those who follow junior golf.
Wilson is the defending champion at the U.S. Girls’ Junior, and she earned medalist honors this year at Eisenhower Golf Club’s Blue Course in Colorado Springs, Colorado, following a second-round 4-under 68 to finish at 6-under 138, one shot ahead of Davis. The winner of the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, Davis is the highest-ranked player in the field and shot a second-round 1-under 71.
Now, the duo has secured the top seeds in match play, which begins at 10 a.m. ET Wednesday with the Round of 64.
The two have battled plenty in recent tournaments, including Wilson holing a shot for eagle to beat Davis in a playoff at the 2022 Annika Invitational.
Yana Wilson plays with a golf ball while waiting to hit her drive off the hole 17 tee box during the second round of the 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior at United States Air Force Academy Eisenhower Golf Club (Blue Course) in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Tuesday, July 18, 2023. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)
Wilson, an Oregon commit, and Davis, who’s committed to Auburn, are two of the top prospects in the Class of 2024. Kiara Romero, who finished third after 36 holes of stroke play, is an incoming freshman at Oregon.
Wilson will try to become the sixth medalist to hoist the Glenna Collett Vare Trophy since 2002. She also has an opportunity to become the fourth player to repeat as U.S. Girls’ Junior champion and first since Eun Jeong Seong in 2015-16.
The cut for match play was 7 over, and exactly 64 players were inside the line. It’s the first time no playoff was needed for the final spots since 2007 at Tacoma Golf and Country Club in Lakewood, Washington.
Additionally, there was another ace on Tuesday, marking the fourth of the tournament. Sophie Stevens used a 9-iron from 132 yards on the seventh hole.
The four aces surpassed the 2004 U.S. Girls’ Junior for the most in a single championship. It also matches the USGA mark for a single event with the 1989 U.S. Open at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.