Chowchilla native Asterisk Talley holds the trophy after winning the U.S. Women’s Amateur on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026.
Darren Carroll
USGA
Chowchilla native Asterisk Talley is a U.S. Women’s Amateur champion.
She had to sit through weather delays to accomplish her goal, but it was worth the wait.
Talley, 17, won the U.S. Women’s Amateur golf championship, defeating Anna Iwanaga, 8 and 6, at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tenn.
She made nine birdies and an eagle in the championship match, capping a dominant performance and avenging her runner-up finish in 2024.
“I think just the power of God, really,” Talley told a reporter on the Golf Channel. “He was with me throughout this whole championship. And I knew I had to come out strong today in the morning match and then come out strong in this afternoon match to really get it done.
“I didn’t really want it to get too close toward the end, so I was just trying to play my best golf all day.”
To make the title even more memorable, she had her dad, Jim, caddying for her.
When Talley sank the final putt, Jim put his hands on his knees and looked down in celebration.
“He really tried to get up and ready for this event to try and be on the bag,” Talley said. “It was really special to have him by my side the whole time and just be able to talk through every shot. It was really special.
“And to the people who came out, I’m really grateful they were able to make it out this week. It was a long trip. Just to everyone who came out here this week and who is watching right now and watching back home, I’m really thankful for.”
The pride of Chowchilla has been dominant on the amateur circuit.
Talley is now 11-2 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur and 24-6 in USGA championships.
She is an incoming senior at Chowchilla High and already committed to play golf at Stanford.
Talley plans to savor this moment for a long time.
“I think it pretty much completes my amateur career,” she said. “I mean, this is one of the biggest events to ever win, so I think this is just going to be the top of my list from now on.”
The Fresno Bee
Anthony Galaviz writes about breaking news/sports for The Fresno Bee. He covers the Las Vegas Raiders, high schools, boxing, MMA and junior colleges. He’s been with The Bee since 1997 and attended Fresno City College before graduating from Fresno State with a major in journalism and a minor in criminology.
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