Arizona student golfers compete alongside LPGA Tour winners in US Open Qualifier
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — They call it golf’s longest day. Two rounds. 36 holes. At Arizona Country Club in Phoenix on Monday, that equated to about 10 miles of walking over the course of 10 hours.
“A golf marathon,” said Ashley Shaw. Claire Brooks called it “tiring, for sure.”
It’s especially tiring if you’re a middle schooler. While the 60 or so competitors in the U.S. Women’s Open Qualifier included LPGA Tour veterans Yani Tseng – a five-time major champion and former number one player in the world – and 2021 Scottish Open winner Ryann O’Toole – it also included identical twin 13-year-olds from Scottsdale, Claire and Caroline Brooks, as well as 12-year-old out of Mesa, Abby Kelly.
Kelly says, “I definitely was nervous going into the day, but it wasn’t a bunch of pressure to make it.”
Claire Brooks agreed it was more about the experience. “I knew that I’d play against some of the best players in the world. I just wanted to see how I would do compared to everyone else,” she said.
The youngsters did very well in their first endurance test, a U.S. Open Qualifying Tournament. Both Kelly and Claire Brooks posted scores of +12 over 36 holes.
Several Valley high schoolers tested their games, including Litchfield Park 16-year-old Ashley Shaw, who’s somewhat of a veteran in this event. Shaw competed in her fifth qualifier and had her best finish (T-17) after an under-par second round. Shaw, who competed in an LPGA Tour event in 2024, isn’t fazed much by the competition.
She says she “didn’t really look at the field. I just looked at what my tee time was.”
Former University of Arizona star Yu-Sang Hou shot the day’s low score, finishing at -4, to claim the first of two spots in the U.S. Women’s Open. Tseng came out of a five-person playoff to claim the second and final ticket to Erin Hills Golf Course later this month.
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