All 3 Oregon players make it to match play at U.S. Girls Junior

JOHNS CREEK, Georgia - All 3 Oregon golfers advanced to match play at the U.S. Girls Junior after making the cut within the top 64 after the first two days of 36 hole stroke play at Atlanta Athletic Club (Riverside Course).

Natalie Yen finished at 4-under (T-6) after back-to-back 69s (-2), which included 7 birdies in the first two days of the event.

“So, as is with any USGA match play event, the first two days are all about getting into match play,” Yen said after Monday’s first round. “For me, strategy doesn’t change that much from match play to stroke play; it’s just taking one shot at a time, don’t do anything particularly rash with your decision-making, you don’t have to go after every pin. I did today and got some birdies out there, but overall, it was just a solid day.”

Madeleine Conser from Portland and Asia Young from Bend both finished at +3 (T-38).

Conser shot a 70 (-1) on Tuesday, including 3 birdies on the back nine. She shot at 75 (+4) on Monday, so she bounced back in a major way on day two of stroke play to make the cut for match play.

"I played well today and made some clutch putts out there and I’m very excited to play match play and see how far I can get!" Conser said.

Young shot a 74 (+3) on Monday and followed that up with an even 71 on Tuesday.

Yen and Young won the 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball earlier this year in Oklahoma. With that Championship win, they earned an exemption for the U.S. Women's Amateur at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in August.

“To play in any USGA event is an honor,” Yen said. “To be able to say I played in three, you know I played in two [U.S. Women’s Amateur] Four-Balls, and I will play in the U.S. Women’s Amateur in a couple of weeks. Six USGA events before I go to college is pretty good, some people don’t even make it to one. For me to be able to say I played in three U.S. Girls’ Junior Championships is pretty special.”

Yen is going to play golf at Texas A&M in the fall, while Young will be a high school junior in the fall, along with Conser.

“I feel like it’s positive and it shows me that I can go all the way in a USGA event,” Yen said when asked about her 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball win helping her this week. “Just having fun, this is my last junior event, I don’t really consider this event to be a junior event, I consider it to be a high-level amateur event. I would say my last junior event was last week at Wyndham Cup, so one of my last tournaments before I go off to college at Texas A&M.”

Sophie Han, of Hong Kong, is an incoming freshman at the University of Oregon, and shot a 67 with five birdies and a single bogey in the first round. Han shot a 70, 1-under on Tuesday to sit at 5-under in a tie for second place as the Championship shifts to match play.

“I had some memorable moments on holes nine and three, a few long putts there, and it made things a lot easier for me,” said Han after her first round, Monday. “I am going to try my best to enjoy this week because I know that this will be my last Girls’ Junior. I have a lot of hope and a lot of things I want to achieve this year.”

To follow match play scoring, go here: 2025 U.S. Girls' Junior: Scoring

Conser and Young lost in the round of 64. Conser lost to Rachel Lee of Australia 4&3. Young lost to Zoe Cusack 2&1.

Yen defeated Brynn Kort in the round of 64, 2&1. But Yen lost to Rachel Lee in 20 holes in the round of 32 on Thursday. Kort and Yen are going to be teammates at Texas A&M this fall.

“I’ve known Brynn probably since I was 6, she was 5, she’s a year younger than I am. Growing up, we’ve always been pretty good friends,” Yen said. “We play, see each other across the country a lot. When we committed back in 2023 it was a new level of excitement that we were going to go to college together. Playing with her today, it’s a lot of fun because we’re living pretty close to each other, so we can talk about planning to decorate my apartment, because she’s mostly decorated, but I still have some work to do. We’re excited to go play for the Aggies this fall.”