‘Little Star’ Talley Offers Bright Glimpse of Future of Women’s Golf

Part of what makes the U.S. Women’s Open Presented by Ally special is how brilliantly it displays both the depth and breadth of talent in women’s golf. The past is celebrated, the present is showcased, and the future is given a big stage on which to perform. This year’s field of 156 in the championship’s 80th iteration at Erin Hills, includes players from 30 countries, 26 of which are amateurs. That list includes precocious 16-year-old Asterisk Talley, who offers an exciting look at the game’s future.

Talley’s mother is Greek and in her native language “asterisk” mean Little Star – and that’s exactly what Talley has been. Just a sophomore at Chowchilla (Calif.) Union High School, Asterisk emerged as a breakout sensation in 2024, teaming with 2025 U.S. Women’s Open qualifier Sarah Lim to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, then finishing runner-up to Rianne Malixi of the Philippines in both the U.S. Girls’ Junior and the U.S. Women’s Amateur, making her the first to compete in three USGA championship finals in the same year. That earned her a spot on the 2024 USA Curtis Cup Team, and despite a narrow defeat to Great Britain & Ireland at Sunningdale Golf Club, in England, Talley stunningly beat Lottie Woad, the No. 1 player in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR® in Sunday singles, 3 and 2.

That more than justified Talley being chosen as one of the first 18 members of the USGA's inaugural U.S. National Junior Team. She also won the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley and finished eighth in the Augusta National Women's Amateur, where this year she was runner-up to Carla Bernat Escuder of Spain, a Kansas State standout who is in the field at Erin Hills. Talley cites her experience on the U.S. National Junior Team as an important learning experience.

“It's awesome,” she said. “I'm really happy to be part of the team. I feel like the drills and stuff they do, the preparations, it's really good and helped me improve to this moment, and I feel like it's definitely going to help me in the future going into bigger tournaments.”

Talley rode that experience into last year’s U.S. Women’s Open where, as the youngest player in the field at 15 years, 105 days, she was tied for fifth after 36 holes, opening with rounds of 70-71 at an extremely stingy Lancaster (Pa.) Country Club before finishing T-44, which earned her co-low-amateur honors with 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Megan Schofill and University of Southern California All-American Catherine Park. She is exempt into this year’s U.S. Women’s Open based on her runner-up finish in the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur.

“It's crazy,” she said about that experience at Lancaster. “Nothing like I imagined before. I imagined it being like super fun, but it was even better than I thought. Even with a bad round in there, I still had the time of my life.”

Talley followed her hot start at Lancaster with a 78 on Saturday to fall out of contention but bounced back nicely with a closing 73. Showing that she learned from her experience in last year’s U.S. Women’s Open, Talley closed strongly with a 68 at Augusta National Golf Club in the final round of this year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

“I think it tells me that I can play against anybody, and I don't have to be scared of any course or anybody in the field,” Talley said after this year’s ANWA.

Part of the beauty of the U.S. Women’s Open is that it is open to any professional or female amateur with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 2.4. This year, 1,904 players from 46 states and 60 foreign countries tried to qualify. Last year, Talley was one those who earned her way into the U.S. Women’s Open through a 36-hole qualifier.

“I feel like just teeing it up on the first hole every day and probably finishing,” she said about her most vivid memories from her first U.S. Women’s Open. “Those moments were just like, I can't believe I'm here playing the U.S. [Women’s] Open with all these pros and just a major tournament.”

While uber-talented, Talley is content to let her future unfold naturally and not hurry the process. That might include delaying turning professional.

“I want to go to college,” said Talley. “I think it's going to be a great experience for me. I think it would give me a chance to have a team all the time. I love team play, and I love that environment, and I think it's going to give me a great experience.”

When Asterisk arrived at last year’s U.S. Women’s Open, she was a little star, a dim glimmer in a crowded galaxy of talent. She rolls into Erin Hills this year as a “megalos asteras” – Greek for major star – burning brightly in a championship that shines light on not only the impressive future of Talley’s game, but all of women’s golf.  

Ron Sirak is an award-winning Massachusetts-based golf writer whose work has previously appeared on USGA websites and publications.