Nine-year-old prodigy attempts to qualify for US Open

1 year ago 67

When 19-year-old South Korean prodigy Inbee Park lifted the archetypal of her 7 large championships astatine the 2008 US Women's Open, she became the tournament's youngest-ever champion.

Bella Simões would not beryllium calved for astir different six years but has conscionable attempted to suffice for the aforesaid major.

At 9 years old, the Brazilian is the youngest subordinate ever to effort qualification for the tournament, acceptable to tee disconnected astatine California's acclaimed Pebble Beach people for the archetypal clip successful its 78-year past successful July.

Simões deed the precise archetypal changeable of her qualifying radical astatine The Club astatine Mediterra successful Naples, Florida. An impeccable plaything technique, which was posted to the USGA's Twitter relationship and drew plentifulness of plaudits.

Bella Simões. (Instagram: @bellasimoes)

Yet that should travel arsenic nary astonishment fixed Simões' already-impressive resume.

A US Kids Golf World champion successful the under-seven class successful 2020, she defended her rubric a twelvemonth aboriginal earlier clinching different triumph successful the eight-year-olds' contention successful 2022.

It's a younker tourney with pedigree: satellite No.7 and 2014 Chevron Championship victor Lexi Thompson was doubly a champion earlier she became 1 of the game's elite players.

Thompson became the youngest golfer ever to suffice for the US Women's Open erstwhile she – astatine 12 years aged – made it to the 2007 variation of the major.

Simões inactive has a fewer attempts near to seal that rubric but volition person to hold astatine slightest different twelvemonth aft finishing tied-59th successful the 67-player field.

Bella Simões warms up connected the driving scope during the 2022 Drive, Chip and Putt Championship determination qualifier. (James Gilbert via Getty Images)

The Brazilian changeable 23-over par, arsenic 2 players – Lindy Duncan and Brooke Matthews – secured automatic qualification with scores of 10-under and 8-under respectively.

The USGA announced a grounds fig of entries for July's championship, with 2,107 applicants from 47 US states and 62 countries dwarfing the erstwhile grounds of 1,874 acceptable past year, erstwhile Australia's Minjee Lee went connected to clinch victory astatine Pine Needles.

Players indispensable person a handicap scale of 2.4 oregon below, oregon beryllium a professional, to effort qualification. Several groups are exempt and person an automatic invitation, including the past 10 champions and the apical 75 players successful the satellite rankings.

Kimberly Williams, a 60-year-old pro from Bethesda, Maryland, was the oldest subordinate to effort qualification this year, according to the USGA.

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