Aphrodite Deng is 36 holes away from winning one of the most prestigious titles in amateur golf.
The Golf Canada junior team member has advanced to the final of the 76th U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club.
Deng, 15, capped a two-win day at the 18-and-under event with a 2-and-1 win over Rayee Feng of the U.S. in the semifinals.
Deng will face Singapore’s Xingtong Chen, 16, in the 36-hole final is Saturday. The winner earns a spot in next year’s U.S. Women’s Open, an LPGA Tour major.
“It really means a lot,” Deng told The Golf Channel when asked about getting to the final. “I’ve been watching this tournament for a while and being to play tomorrow is really cool.”
Deng finished 36th in the two-round stroke play portion of the event to advance to the 64-player match-play competition. She has now reeled off five wins in a row.
Deng has climbed to 36th in the world women’s amateur golf rankings in the midst of a strong season. She has wins at the Mizuho Americas Open and the Junior Invitational.
Deng was born in Calgary and her family lived in Montreal before moving to the U.S. for her dad’s work. She mostly lives in Orlando now but remains a Canadian citizen.
Notable previous winners of the U.S. Girls’ Junior include Nancy Lopez, Inbee Park, Lexi Thompson and Minjee Lee.
No Canadian has ever won the event.
— with files from The Canadian Press.