Two amateurs with unforgettable names made their mark at Riviera Country Club on Saturday.
Asterisk Talley and Aphrodite Deng — both barely old enough to get behind the wheel — turned in remarkable performances in the third round of the U.S. Women’s Open, each proving she belongs among the best players in the game.
On a postcard day, Talley assembled a bogey-free round suitable for framing. The 17-year-old from Fresno had five birdies a day after a 75 put her in peril of missing the cut. By the end of her morning round, she had gone from an afterthought to a tie for 15th.
“I was just feeling like the hole was so big today,” said Talley, who has gone 22 consecutive holes without a bogey. “Couldn’t miss.”
According to Elias Sports Bureau, Talley’s 66 was the third-lowest round by a woman in a major championship since 1980. It was also the lowest score by an amateur in the final two rounds of a U.S. Women’s Open.
Deng, 16, made a similar splash later in the day, opening her round with three consecutive birdies to play her way near the top of the leaderboard. Last year, she became the first Canadian to win the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship.
It’s rare for a player to go from junior champion to contender in the Open in back-to-back years, but not unheard of. In 1975, defending junior champion Nancy Lopez finished tied for second in the Open.
As of press time Saturday, the lowest round of the day — and the tournament — was the 75 of Charley Hull, a crowd favorite who has won three times on the LPGA Tour but is still looking for her first major victory.
Hull, who is English, is a colorful character who went viral during the 2024 Open for smoking a cigarette while signing autographs and playing. She finished second in that tournament at Lancaster (Pa.) Country Club.
Like Talley, Hull was in danger of missing the cut after opening with unspectacular rounds of 73 and 72. On Saturday, she had seven birdies and a bogey. That left her tied for sixth at the end of her round.
“I kind of like chasing,” Hull said of her move up Saturday. “I just find it more fun and just I can then be free and then just play golf how I want to play golf.”
Methodically moving up the board is No. 1-ranked Nelly Korda, the biggest needle mover in women’s golf. She collected five consecutive wins last season and seven overall. Though she finished in a runner-up spot at Erin Hills last year, she has yet to win an Open.
Korda frequently found trouble off the tee in the opening round and shot a 73, but came back strong Friday with a 67 and had two birdies in her first six holes Saturday.
“It was weird because I was striking it so well Monday through Wednesday, and all of a sudden I just really didn’t,” Korda said after her Friday round. “I had no idea what was going on [Thursday] with my driver. So I tried to figure it out on the range after the round and kind of got a little bit of something kind of going.”
A big story heading into the weekend was the rise of Alison Lee, who held the lead after Friday and is balancing motherhood with her chase for her first major championship. She is staying with her parents in Valencia, who are watching her 1-year-old son, Levi, while she plays.
Lee, who played at UCLA, cooled a bit Saturday with two bogeys in her first four holes and was midway through her round at press time.
Also in contention is Jennifer Kupcho, who shot a 66 on Thursday. If she continues to hold her position near the top of the leaderboard, and if former USC standout Allisen Corpuz is in the mix, it could get interesting.
Kupcho’s husband, Jay Monahan, caddies for Corpuz, who won the 2023 Open at Pebble Beach.
“Jay and I don’t talk about golf,” Kupcho said. “We get back, and we don’t talk golf. I think that’s one thing that’s been really good about our relationship. … If I do want to talk about it, I’ll talk to him, but he’s not going to bring it up to me.”
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