Incoming Duck Kiara Romero Wins U.S. Girls' Junior Championship
07/22/23 | Women's Golf
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Oregon women's golf incoming freshman Kiara Romero outlasted Rianne Malixi in a 36-hole battle on Saturday to win the 74th U.S. Girls' Junior Championship at United States Air Force Academy Eisenhower Golf Club.
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With UO head coach Derek Radley on hand, Romero overcame an early deficit to claim the title with a 1 up victory. The San Jose, Calif., native was 2 down through eight holes, but made birdie to win hole No. 9 and pulled back even in the match with a par at No. 10. Malixi again took a 2 up lead going into the final hole of the opening 18, but Romero came through with a par get back to just 1 down.
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A par on the 22nd hole brought Romero back even, and she took her first lead with a par on the 26th hole of the day. After Malixi tied it up again two holes later, Romero made par on the 31st to move to 1 up. The two played even the rest of the way, with Romero getting up-and-down for par on the final hole to secure the championship.
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Romero was the No. 3 seed in the 64-player match play portion of the tournament, after shooting 4-under par in two rounds of stroke play to finish third. She won her opening match, 2 and 1, and followed with a 3 and 2 victory, before outlasting her opponent in 19 holes to reach the quarterfinals. Romero won 3 and 1 to reach the semifinals, and then booked her spot in the finals with a 2 up victory.
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Romero signed with the Ducks last November as Golfweek's top-ranked player in the class of 2023. She is set to join the Ducks this fall for the 2023-24 season.
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With UO head coach Derek Radley on hand, Romero overcame an early deficit to claim the title with a 1 up victory. The San Jose, Calif., native was 2 down through eight holes, but made birdie to win hole No. 9 and pulled back even in the match with a par at No. 10. Malixi again took a 2 up lead going into the final hole of the opening 18, but Romero came through with a par get back to just 1 down.
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A par on the 22nd hole brought Romero back even, and she took her first lead with a par on the 26th hole of the day. After Malixi tied it up again two holes later, Romero made par on the 31st to move to 1 up. The two played even the rest of the way, with Romero getting up-and-down for par on the final hole to secure the championship.
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Romero was the No. 3 seed in the 64-player match play portion of the tournament, after shooting 4-under par in two rounds of stroke play to finish third. She won her opening match, 2 and 1, and followed with a 3 and 2 victory, before outlasting her opponent in 19 holes to reach the quarterfinals. Romero won 3 and 1 to reach the semifinals, and then booked her spot in the finals with a 2 up victory.
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Romero signed with the Ducks last November as Golfweek's top-ranked player in the class of 2023. She is set to join the Ducks this fall for the 2023-24 season.
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