The U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship begins Monday, and it’s a special one for the USGA as it marks the 75th playing of the event. (Only five other USGA championships have been held longer.) Scheduled from July 15-20, the championship boasts a diverse field of 156 competitors ages 12 to 18.

This year’s venue, El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, Calif., recently redesigned by Rees Jones in 2021, has a history of hosting prestigious women’s golf tournaments. The USGA came here for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball in 2018, and the course held the LPGA Tour’s Office Depot Championship from 2002-04.

The format for this week will require stamina for anyone hoping to claim victory—which comes with an exemption into the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open. Two rounds of stroke play will whittle the field down to 64 players advancing to the match-play bracket. The first round of match play is scheduled for July 17, with the second and third July 18, the quarters and semifinals July 19 and the 36-hole championship match July 20.

Kiara Romero, 17, from San Jose, Calif, claimed the title a year ago when she made a seven-footer par putt on the last hole to beat Rianne Malixi, 1 up, in the final. Romero is not returning to defend her title, and a handful of eligible players will be missing from this year’s championship, notably Yana Wilson, 17, who is ranked No. 1 by AJGA Rolex Junior Ranking (and is starting college in the fall), and Anna Davis, 18, a former winner of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur who just finished her freshman season at Auburn in the spring.

Even so, there are several talented competitors with a chance to claim the biggest title in junior golf. Here are nine players to watch for ahead of the start of the 75th U.S. Girls’ Junior.

More from Golf Digest Courses As the U.S. Girls’ Junior celebrates a milestone, it’s got a course up for the challenge in California’s El Caballero Watch and learn This 16-year-old played with Nelly Korda and Hannah Green on Sunday at the Mizuho Americas Open. Here’s what she learned from the LPGA stars Dealing with nerves Need help handling tournament pressure? Take some advice from these new Drive, Chip and Putt champions Hailey Kim

12, Simi Valley, Calif.World Amateur Golf Ranking: N/APolo Junior Ranking: 384

Kim makes her debut in the championship as the youngest player in the 2024 field. Despite her youth, she brings an impressive résumé, having claimed the 2022 IMG World Junior Championship, the 2022 FCG World Championship and the 2023 SCPGA Championship titles.

Gianna Clemente

Elsa

15, Warren, Ohio WAGR: 22 Polo Junior Ranking: 2

Why only three years older than Kim, Clemente carries a contrasting plethora of experience as she competes in her third U.S. Girls’ Junior and ninth USGA championship overall (her USGA debut came at the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur at age 11). Clemente is No. 2 in the AJGA Polo Junior ranking, bolstered by the fact she made history in 2023 as the youngest player to Monday-qualify for three consecutive LPGA events. Clemente is a three-time age-group winner at the IMG Junior World and also won the prestigious South Atlantic Women’s Amateur in 2023. If that wasn’t enough, she was the youngest participant at the 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, finishing in the top 15.

Shyla Brown

Sarah Stier

16, McKinney, TexasWAGR: 865Polo Junior Ranking: 37

Brown stands out in this year’s field for several inspiring reasons. She earned a spot on the 2023 AJGA Junior All-Star Team, becoming only the second Black golfer to achieve this honor. Brown also made history as the youngest African American AJGA champion at the 2024 Kathy Whitworth Invitational. Additionally, she was the runner-up in the 2023 Southwest Airlines Showcase at Cedar Crest and the 2023 Texas Junior Amateur. Is also a member of the newly created U.S. National Junior Team.

Asterisk Talley

David Cannon

15, Fresno, Calif.WAGR: 58Polo Junior Ranking: 8

Known for her fearless approach to course management, Talley is willing to go for whatever she believes will optimize her performance. That strategy clearly works as she already owns a USGA title in 2024, having won the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball with Sarah Lim in May. Shortly thereafter, at this year’s U.S. Women’s Open, she was the youngest competitor and shared low-amateur honors alongside 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Megan Schofill and Catherine Park. Talley’s achievements extend beyond USGA events. She claimed victory at the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, followed by an impressive eighth-place finish at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (where she was the youngest in the field). Her talent also landed her on the inaugural U.S. National Junior Team. In 2023, she captured the Rolex Girls Junior Championship, a major event on the AJGA circuit and represented her country in the 2023 Junior Solheim Cup held in Spain.

Sofia Vargas

17, Riverside, Calif.WAGR: N/APolo Junior Ranking: N/A

Vargas brings an inspiring story to the course, diverging from the typical path taken to learning the game of golf. Her father, a former truck driver, taught her the fundamentals of the game and trained her into a talented golfer with an unorthodox swing. Recorded at swing speeds as high as 115 mph—equivalent to this year’s Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley and other top male golfers—this is something you will want to see in action. Vargas has been signed to play for UC Riverside in the fall and has also been honored with the 2023 SCPGA Tour’s Foundation Award.

Rianne Malixi

Atsushi Tomura

17, PhilippinesWAGR: 19Polo Junior Ranking: 10

There’s likely a bit of redemption on Malixi’s mind after finishing runner-up in the event a year ago and determined to go that one last step to victory. Adding to her achievements, she finished as the runner-up to Asterisk Talley in this year’s Junior Invitational at Sage Valley and tied for fourth place at Junior Worlds. Breaking her runner-up streak, Malixi secured a victory at the 2024 Women’s Australian Master of the Amateurs Championship and is now aiming to start a new streak of first-place finishes.

Sophia Dyer

16, St. Petersburg, Fla.WAGR: 1,145Polo Junior Ranking: 124

Coming from a family of athletic talent, Dyer is the third member to qualify for a USGA championship after winning this year’s Florida Women’s Amateur. With her brother, Blake, and father, Kevin, both played college golf at the University of Florida, Sophia confidently continues the family’s golfing legacy.

Ryleigh Knaub

Sarah Stier

17, Debary, Fla.WAGR: 616Polo Junior Ranking: 29

When it comes to tournaments, Knaub consistently demonstrates skill and performance. In 2023, she claimed victory at the Dustin Johnson World Junior, and in 2024, she finished as the runner-up. Knaub also reached the semifinals of the 2023 Polo Junior Classic, tied for 10th place in the 2023 Rolex Tournament of Champions and was honored as an AJGA First-Team All-American last year. Her impressive hot streak led to her to be selected to represent the United States at the 2023 Junior Solheim Cup and Junior Ryder Cup in Spain and Italy.

Leigh Chien

18, Irvine, Calif.WAGR: 110Polo Junior Ranking: 7

Chien, a semifinalist in last year’s U.S. Girls’ Junior, returns this year ranked in the top 10 in the AJGA and as a four-time junior All-American. Chien represented the United States in both the Junior Solheim Cup in Spain and the Junior Ryder Cup in Italy in 2023 while simultaneously committing to Stanford. With such an impressive résumé, it’s highly likely that Chien could advance from the semifinals to the finals this year.

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com