The crop of fine young girl golfers has never been stronger. Even though Sarah Im of Lambert, the state’s dominant player for the last three years, graduated and is now playing at Vanderbilt, there are many new faces ready to fill that void.
Here are 15 of the top girls (listed alphabetically) who compete for teams in the Georgia High School Association.
Katie Barber, Savannah Country Day: She finished second in the Class 3A tournament a year ago as a sophomore. Barber qualified for the 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Chambers Bay and has committed to play at Auburn.
Kallyn Black, Lake Oconee Academy: She was medalist at the Class A Division II Championship as a freshman and helped the Titan finish first. She was fifth at the Georgia Women’s Amateur and qualified for the 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship. She was named Class A Division I player of the year by the Georgia High School Golf Coaches Association.
Georgia Blount, Camden County: She finished second in Class 7A as a freshman and help her team finish seventh. She was medalist at the area tournament. Blount won the Georgia PGA’s Southeast Junior Open and was fourth at the Georgia PGA Junior.
Claire Bradford, Prince Avenue Christian: She won her area tournament and finished second in the state as a sophomore.
Mackenzie Connell, Pierce County: She won the Class 2A championship and helped the Bears win their first state title since 2019. A junior, she was named Class 2A player of the year by the Georgia High School Golf Coaches Association in 2023.
Zoe Duval, Lambert: She tied for third at the Class 7A championship last spring. The senior has two top-25s in AJGA events and has played well on the Peggy Kirk Bell Tour. Duval finished 18th in the PGA High School Girls National Invitational.
Reagan Folk, Morgan County: The senior has won multiple SJGT events, tied for 13th at the 2023 Women’s Western Junior, tied for 10th at the Georgia Girls’ and tied for sixth at the Georgia PGA Junior. She has committed to Western Kentucky.
Ther Kotchasanmanee, Darlington: The junior won the state championship as a freshman and sophomore. The boarding student from Thailand made a huge splash by shooting 61 in the first round of the state tournament as a ninth grader. She was named Class A Division I player of the year by the Georgia High School Golf Coaches Association. She has already committed to Princeton.
Mary Miller, Savannah Christian: The senior has won the Georgia Girls’ Championship the last two years and brought home the Class 3A medalist crown last year. She was named 3A player of the year by the Georgia High School Golf Coaches Association. Miller began drawing attention by twice reaching the finals of the Drive, Chip and Putt competition. Miller has signed to play at Georgia Southern.
Lindsey Pak, Peachtree Ridge: The senior tied for third in the Class 7A championship last year and was named to the All-Gwinnett team.
Hayden Price, Richmond Hill: She jumped into the spotlight by winning the Jim Thorpe Invitational Junior Championship in Orlando. The field is made up of elite minority players.
Saanvi Venkatesh, Walton: A straight-A student, Venkatesh tied for fifth in the Class 7A championship in 2023 and helped the Raiders finish second for the second straight year.
Mahima Vurupatur, Alpharetta: She won the Class 6A championship in 2023 as a junior and was named all-state by the Georgia High School Golf Coaches Association. She finished 10th at the 2023 Georgia Women’s Amateur and has signed to play at Mercer.
Athena Yoo, Lambert: Yoo won five times as a sophomore, including the Class 7A championship, and is ready to replace Im as the team’s No. 1 player. She’s already been medalist or co-medalist in the first two matches of the season. Yoo tied for second at the Georgia Women’s Amateur. She is certainly capable of providing big moments, too. Last summer she holed out a chip shot for an eagle on the final hole to win the PGA High School Girls National Invitational.
Jessalyn Young, Westminster: She was the Class 4A medalist last year as a sophomore. She was named Class 4A player of the year by the Georgia High School Golf Coaches Association.
