Three Represent Empire State at 73rd U.S. Girls' Junior

July 17, 2022

(Update) - Bailey Shoemaker was the lone New York state player to advance to match play at the 73rd U.S. Girls Junior Championship, firing an even-par 74-72-146 in stroke play.

Related: Scoring / Championship Home 

She won her round of 64 matchup against California's Derica Chiu 5 and 3 to advance.

In the round of 32, Shoemaker squared off against Maria Jose Marin, of Colombia. She fell behind early and was unable to mount a comeback, as Marin prevailed 5 and 4.

Kennedy Swedick, 8-over, and Sophia Li, 10-over, both missed the cut.

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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Sophia Li of New York City, Bailey Shoemaker of West Edmeston (now resides in Dade City, Fla.), and Kennedy Swedick of Albany are representing the Empire State at the 73rd US Girls’ Junior Championship at The Club at Olde Stone on July 18-23.

Related: Scoring / Championship Home 

A starting field of 156 players will compete in the U.S. Girls’ Junior over 36 holes of stroke play. After that, the field will be cut to the top 64 players for match play. Five 18-hole rounds of match play will determine the finalists who will square off in a 36-hole championship match.

Olde Stone Golf Club will be set up at 6,485 yards and will play to a par of 37-36–73.

Li, 15, qualified out of Steel Club in Hellertown, Pa, and entered a 3-for-2 playoff after shooting 74.

The Hunter College HS student won her age group (Girls' 10-11) during the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals in 2019. She finished in third at the 2021 NYS Girls' Junior Amateur Championship at Seven Oaks.

Shoemaker, 17, winner of three NYS Girls’ Junior championships, was exempt into this year’s U.S. Girls' Junior. This will be her third appearance in the national championship and was a quarterfinalist in 2021 before losing to New Jersey’s Katie Li.

She currently sits in the top 100 of the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking, at 76, and earlier this season was a runner-up at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, was invited to compete in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, and qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open, where she made the cut. She also won the Florida Women's Amateur in June, and the Kathy Whitworth Invitational in March.

Swedick, 15, was the lone player who advanced during the NYSGA-conducted sectional qualifier held at Teugega Country Club on June 27. She shot two-over 73 to qualify for her second consecutive US Girls’ Junior. In 2021, she advanced into the second round of match play at Columbia Country Club.

The Albany Academy student has dominated the New York State golf scene so far this season. Besides qualifying for her second U.S. Girls' Junior, she won the 92nd NYS Women’s Amateur title and NYSPHSAA Girls’ title, both hosted at McGregor Links Country Club in Wilton. She also played in the Epson Tour's Twin Bridges Championship on a sponsor's exemption.

All three of the 2022 New York State representatives formerly competed in the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals. Swedick competed in 2017, Shoemaker in 2018 and Li in 2019.­

Listed below are tee times in Eastern Time for the trio’s opening rounds in the U.S. Girls’ Junior:

name rd 1, july 18 rd 2, july 19
Sophia Li #10 - 12:48pm #1 - 7:33am
Bailey Shoemaker #1 - 12:48pm #10 - 7:33am
Kennedy Swedick #1 - 7:55am #10 - 1:10pm