Sixteen-year-old Clairey Lin of Canada wins the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship

By: The Associated Press Posted: 6:37 PM CDT Saturday, Jul. 18, 2026 Last Modified: 8:31 PM CDT Saturday, Jul. 18, 2026

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DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Clairey Lin of Canada won the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship on Saturday, beating Amelie Zalsman of St. Petersburg, Fla., 5 and 4 in the 36-hole final at Old Chatham Golf Club.

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The 16-year-old Lin, from Langley, B.C., is the second straight Canadian winner. Aphrodite Deng won last year in Georgia.

“I’ve always wanted to be on the big stage and inspire some people and work hard and see it pay off,” Lin said. “To be able to do that today is amazing. Still haven’t processed it yet, but it’s pretty cool.”

“ … I remember seeing when Aphrodite won last year, I was really stoked for her, and I was really happy that Canada had its first U.S. Girls’, I think, and coming in this week, of course, I knew I wanted to do it again,” added Lin.

“For it to actually be the first time that two Canadians have won back-to-back in a USGA Championship is pretty cool. I’m glad I get to be a part of that.”

The 17-year-old Zalsman is set to play for Wake Forest in 2027.

“I’ve played so much golf the past two weeks,” Zalsman said. “I’m just really proud of myself for making it this far and my body, honestly, just sticking with me.”

Deng skipped her title defence to play in the Evian Championship last week in France.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf