During one of the biggest weeks on the LPGA Tour schedule where players compete for major glory at The Amundi Evian Championship in Evian-les-Bains, France, the second annual LPGA*USGA Girls Golf Championship presented by Marie Birdie returned to historic Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C. Host to four U.S. Women’s Open championships, Pine Needles once again provided its own major test of golf, albeit this time for 137 girls of all ages from around the world.

These players competed across three divisions of play: an 18-hole, developmental Discovery division for girls ages 9-12 (2,000 yards), and two 54-hole competitive divisions separated based on experience and skill level. The Futures National division featured girls ages 12-18 playing from 5,200 yards while the Bell National division showcased girls ages 12-18 competing at 6,000 yards. Players represented 25 states and 12 international countries (Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, India, Japan, Puerto Rico, Sweden, Thailand, Venezuela and Wales).

This championship is the crown jewel of the LPGA Foundation’s One Million MORE Girls campaign, which was launched in 2023 after the long-standing Girls Golf program reached one million participants. The campaign is dedicated to reaching the next million girls by 2030 and is well on its way to succeeding thanks to the program’s international growth in recent years.

This global growth is on full display at the LPGA*USGA Girls Golf Championship presented by Marie Birdie, where members of the program qualified via Peggy Kirk Bell Girls Golf Tour Tradition Qualifiers, Girls Golf Showcases, exemptions or application.

The event featured a practice round on Monday, July 7, followed by three days of competition. Collectively, the field carded 19 eagles and 633 birdies over the course of the tournament. The future is bright for this next generation of players.

Leaderboard

BELL NATIONAL DIVISION LEADERBOARD
	Player	To Par	Score
1	Riley Grimm	-8	70-70-68 -- 208
2	Maiya Okazaki	-5	71-69-71 -- 211
3	Baker Hudson	-1	69-73-73 -- 215
4	Macie Rasmussen	E	71-72-73 -- 216
5	Srihitha Mandava	+1	70-72-75 -- 217

GRIMM GOES BACK-TO-BACK IN BELL NATIONAL DIVISION

Riley Grimm of Pinehurst, N.C., made the short trip to nearby Southern Pines eager to defend her Bell National title at the second edition of the LPGA*USGA Girls Golf Championship presented by Marie Birdie. The local standout won the inaugural tournament with a clutch up-and-down from the greenside bunker on No. 18 to secure the one-shot win. Returning this year, Grimm tried to keep everything in perspective.

“Last year was just such a neat experience, every part of it, from beginning to end,” Grimm said. “I really had so many amazing memories from last year and was just excited to get back to a place as special as Pine Needles. But then when I got onsite, I really tried to keep expectations to a minimum. Golf is a crazy sport and you never know what can happen, so I just tried to do my best and take it one shot at a time.”

Even so, Grimm knew she held a competitive edge over the field given how many times she has played Pine Needles in the past. She certainly proved that in round one at least, as she went out and posted a 2-under 70 that included five birdies. That was good enough for a share of third.

Grimm carried her steady play into round two, where she posted another round of 2-under 70 that also featured five birdies. This consistent play moved her to the top of the leaderboard and into a share for first with Japanese player Maiya Okazaki.

She may not have realized it at the time, but Grimm was in for an absolute battle in the final round. The Bell National division quickly turned into a two-player race as Grimm and Okazaki matched each other on the first six holes, going birdie-bogey-par-birdie-par-birdie. After that sensational stretch of golf, it was Grimm who gave up the lead after making a bogey on the par-4 No. 7. Okazaki made a par and added to her lead with a birdie on the par-4 No. 9 to take a two-shot lead going into the turn.

Despite the deficit, Grimm remained poised, and managed to get a stroke back to start her back nine after making a par on the par-5 No. 10 to Okazaki’s bogey. Both players then proceeded to play the next five holes at 2-under, which left Grimm just one stroke back with three to play. The closing stretch at Pine Needles is one that can get the best of a golfer, and it ultimately did just that to Okazaki, who finished with three straight bogeys. Seeing the door had now swung wide open, Grimm posted pars on Nos. 16 and 17 before putting her own stamp on the tournament with a birdie on 18 for the win.

Grimm’s final round 4-under 68 featured six birdies and a bogey-free back nine. She won by three shots at 8-under 208. The local favorite is now a two-time winner of the Bell National division at the LPGA*USGA Girls Golf Championship presented by Marie Birdie and is already excited to come back for the threepeat next year.

“Going into today, honestly, I was a little nervous, but pressure is a privilege, and I’m so glad I got to be in that position again and for it to come out the way it did,” Grimm said. “It’s just so unreal and I’m honored to have won this two times in a row.”

Maiya Okazaki of Gifu-Shi, Japan, finished second at 5-under 211. Of all the players in the field, Okazaki was one of the few to travel internationally to compete, and she certainly had one of the longer trips in doing so. The talented rising senior first qualified for the championship by winning a Girls Golf of Japan qualifier held in Tokyo. This qualifier was such a success that Girls Golf sites in England and Mexico are now planning their own ahead of the 2026 championship.

Okazaki followed up her qualifier victory by dedicating more time to her golf game since this was her first chance to compete in a tournament in the United States. With dreams of winning professional tournaments in Japan, Okazaki knew just how important this week was, and she took advantage of it. She opened the tournament with a 1-under 71 that included a 3-under, bogey-free front nine. In round two, she grabbed a share of the lead thanks to a 3-under 69 that included four birdies. Okazaki even took over the lead for a majority of the final round, but after closing with three straight bogeys, she had to settle for second at a tournament total of 5-under 211.

Baker Hudson of New Bern, N.C., finished third at 1-under 215. She opened the tournament with a 3-under 69 and followed it up with back-to-back rounds of 1-over 73. Hudson carded 11 birdies over the course of the tournament.

Macie Rasmussen of Chesapeake, Va., finished fourth at even-par 216, while Srihitha Mandava of Hyderabad, India, settled into fifth at 1-over 217.

FUTURES NATIONAL DIVISION LEADERBOARD
	Player	To Par	Score
1	Kameron Kohutek	-11	70-68-67 -- 205
2	Autumn Solesbee	-5	77-66-68 -- 211
3	McKenzie Morris	-1	72-71-72 -- 215
4	Alyna Yensabai	E	71-72-73 -- 216
5	Hazel Hegstrom	+1	73-72-72 -- 217

KOHUTEK RUNS AWAY WITH FUTURES NATIONAL TITLE

Kameron Kohutek of Charlotte, N.C., was the only player in the Futures National division to finish under par in all three rounds of the LPGA*USGA Girls Golf Championship presented by Marie Birdie. The North Carolina native put herself in contention right from the start, posting a 2-under 70 which included four birdies and an eagle. That was good enough for second at the time.

In round two, Kohutek took over the lead thanks to a 4-under 68. The key to Kohutek’s game is making birdies, and she certainly did that in the second round, carding seven of them out of 18 holes. The only strokes she gave back came on the par-3 No. 5 where she made a double and the par-5 No. 16 where she carded a bogey. At this point of the tournament, Kohutek had taken a five-shot lead at 6-under 138.

Despite having such a big lead, Kohutek knew she would receive some pressure from Autumn Solesbee in the final round. That’s because Solesbee vaulted up the leaderboard in round two thanks to a 6-under 66.

“Autumn’s a great player and I was super excited to play with her,” Kohutek explained. “You know, going into today, I was just reminding myself to take it one shot at a time and to stay patient with myself. I think the key was not getting frustrated and staying positive.”

Determined to close out the championship on her own terms, Kohutek put together a dream start to the round, posting a bogey-free 2-under 34 that included back-to-back birdies on the par-5 No. 6 and the par-4 No. 7. She ultimately gave a stroke back on the par-4 No. 11, but quickly rectified that with an incredible run of birdies between Nos. 12 and 15. From there, she parred the final three holes to go onto finish the day with her best score of the tournament, a 5-under 67.

Kohutek’s stellar championship performance featured one eagle and 17 birdies to offset just six bogeys and one double. She finished the tournament at 11-under 205, good enough for the six-shot victory.

“My irons and wedges were on this week, and then when the putts started dropping, I really started gaining some confidence,” Kohutek shared. “Looking back on this week, getting to play Pine Needles and having my friends, family and coach watching is just so special, and winning is something I’ll never forget.”

Autumn Solesbee of Stanley, N.C., finished in second at 5-under 211. The 2022 Drive, Chip & Putt National Champion (Girls 7-9) gave it everything she had following a disappointing 5-over 77 in round one. That performance left her eight shots back of the lead entering round two, but she never gave up on herself.

For example, even though she opened her second round with a double bogey on the par-5 No. 1, Solesbee did not dwell on it. Instead, she used it as fuel for her fire, a fire that quickly turned into a full-on blaze. That is because after carding pars on Nos. 2 and 3, Solesbee went birdie-birdie-eagle on Nos. 4-6. She then rounded out the front nine with a par and back-to-back birdies to post a 4-under 32. Solesbee managed to keep that momentum going on the back nine with three more birdies to offset one bogey for a round of 6-under 66, the lowest of the tournament in any division. After seemingly playing her way out of contention in round one, Solesbee now found herself in second and within five of the lead.

Solesbee carried over her stellar play to the final round, where she made a charge but ultimately could not overcome the deficit. She ended up posting a 4-under 68 for a tournament total of 5-under 211, which was good enough to secure second place in her first appearance at the LPGA*USGA Girls Golf Championship presented by Marie Birdie.

McKenzie Morris of Canton, Ga., finished third at 1-under 215. The 2031 grad played three steady rounds of golf, carding a 72-71-72.

Alyna Yensabai of Lake Worth, Fla., finished fourth at even-par 216, while Hazel Hegstrom of Providence, R.I., rounded out the top five at 1-over 217.

DISCOVERY DIVISION LEADERBOARD
	Player	To Par	Score
1	Olivia Barnes	-1	35-36 -- 71
2	Olivia Cusack	E	38-34 -- 72
3	Bailee Chanthaphaeng	+1	40-33 -- 73
4	Victoria Kim	+2	35-39 -- 74
5	Ava Nguyen	+4	38-38 -- 76

BARNES MAINTAINS COMPOSURE TO WIN DISCOVERY DIVISION

Olivia Barnes of St. Johns, Fla., made a handful of memories at her first LPGA*USGA Girls Golf Championship presented by Marie Birdie. For example, on hole number eight in round one, she holed out for eagle for the first time. The incredible shot was struck with an 8-iron from 98 yards out. Given the Discovery division had just 18 holes to play in the tournament, with the front and back nines being broken up over the first two days of competition, this hole-out eagle was crucial to lifting Barnes up the leaderboard and into a share of the lead at 1-under 35.

Barnes knew she has to get off to a hot start in round two, and she did just that, carding a birdie on her opening hole, which was No. 10 of the back nine. From there, she played an incredibly steady round of golf, making seven consecutive pars. Heading into the final hole of the tournament, Barnes held a two-shot lead over the field, but that was quickly put in jeopardy after she hooked her tee shot into the woods. This was a make-or-break moment for the young star, but once again, Barnes maintained her composure, punched out, and found the green with her next shot. Despite missing the par putt, her bogey was just enough to secure the win by one shot at an 18-hole total of 1-under 71.

“It means a lot to win this tournament because I knew this was a really big one,” Barnes explained. “It was just really special because I had my dad as my caddy, and we got to play at a place where LPGA players have played. Winning this will go a long way in my dream of going to a good college and hopefully playing on tour one day.”

Olivia Cusack of Potomac, Md., finished second at even-par 72. Cusack opened the tournament with a front-nine score of 2-over 38 which included a birdie and three bogeys. She ultimately bounced back in the final round however, and climbed up the leaderboard with a flawless 2-under 34 that featured birdies on the par-5 No. 10 and the par-4 No. 17. Even though she came up just short of first, Cusack can look back fondly on her bogey-free round and the fight she displayed after round one.

Bailee Chanthaphaeng of Fort Mill, S.C., fired the lowest round of the Discovery Division on the final day to vault herself up the leaderboard into third place. Chanthaphaeng opened the tournament with a 4-over 40 on her front nine, but flipped the script on the back nine, firing a bogey-free 3-under 33 that included an eagle on the par-5 No. 15 and a birdie on the par-4 No. 17.

Victoria Kim of Ridgewood, N.J., finished fourth at 2-over 74, while Ava Nguyen of Needham, Mass., closed out the top five at 4-over 76.

LPGA*USGA Girls Golf Championship presented by Marie Birdie Final Recap

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