Three Sides Post 66 to Share First-Round Lead at Rainy Daniel Island Club

Unbothered by the steady flow of rain and wind that swept through the Lowcountry on Saturday, three sides shot 6-under 66 to hold a share of the 18-hole lead at Daniel Island Club in Charleston, S.C., to open the 11th U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball.


U.S. National Junior Team members and Stanford University signees Jude Lee, of Walnut, Calif., and Nikki Oh, of Torrance, Calif., fired a bogey-free 66, capped off by three birdies over their last five holes. Thanks to their history of playing together, the pair has found a balance in their respective roles. Oh focuses on driving prowess paired with aggressive approaches, while Lee combines conservative strategy with precise execution.

“I think our games are very complementary to each other,” said Lee, who qualified for last year’s U.S. Women’s Open Presented by Ally. “Nikki is a more aggressive player, who shoots for a lot of the pins and makes a lot of the birdies, whereas I’m more conservative and keep things steady by making sure we always have a par secured—freeing Nikki up to attack the pin.” 

Alongside Oh and Lee at 6 under, was another pair of Southern California natives, Kiley Reisner, of Northridge, and Summer Schafer, of San Diego. Reisner, a freshman at the University of Wyoming, birdied two of the first three holes while Schafer added a birdie of her own on the sixth. Additional birdies on holes 12, 14 and 16 along with a clutch 10-foot par save on the par-5 18th, highlighted their bogey-free round.

“We’re really good at handling pressure,” said Schafer, a freshman at Point Loma Nazarene in San Diego, Calif. “Whether someone doesn't make a good shot, or something else, we can always pick each other up and make up for it. When there are pressure shots, we’re able to execute.”

Rounding out the group at 6 under was cousin tandem, Elle Nachmann, of Boca Raton, Fla., and Juno Taino, of Studio City, Calif. Nachmann – a Women’s Four-Ball veteran competing for the sixth time – waited years for the opportunity to team up with her younger cousin as Taino makes her championship debut. The pair got off to a sizzling start, going six under through 12 before bogeying two of the next three holes. Unfazed, the pair carded two more birdies over the final three holes.

“We knew coming into today that it was going to be a tough course,” said Nachmann, who played collegiate golf at the University of Pennsylvania. “There are some really long holes, it’s raining, it’s cold and it’s windy. But everyone has to play in those conditions. Just staying in the game and knowing that if you make a bogey, you’re not the only one making a bogey. We just kept coming back to the idea that it’s okay if we make a couple bogeys. It’s a tough course, but you can bounce back.”

After winning the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball in 2021 and competing in the championship every year since, the pair of Savannah Barber, of Fort Worth, Texas, and Alexa Saldana, of Mexico, are competing in their final U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball together before setting their sights on the professional golf circuit later this year. The pair leaned on their experience and carded seven birdies on their way to an opening-round 5-under 67. Saldana recorded five birdies of her own, including three over the final five holes.

“I think we stayed very patient with the amount of rain we got and our putting was key,” said Saldana, who represented her home country of Mexico last year at the World Amateur Team Championships. “I think it’s nice to be on the course sharing the experience with someone else, especially when it’s your best friend. We’ve just known each other so long and the [Women’s Amateur Four-Ball] is such a great tournament.”

Two sides finished the day at 4-under 68 including Indiana natives Ressie Lemmon (15) and Taylor Snively (16), who are tied for the third-youngest pair in the field. The duo finished their round bogey-free, finished off by a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th from Snively.

“It was a ham and egg effort I feel like,” said Snively, a sophomore at Zionsville High School in Indiana. “We did really well bouncing off each other and getting pars on opposite holes. [The weather] was a mental grind. You just have to stay positive and stay focused.”

Notables

• Krysta Loftin, of Pearland, Texas, competed as a solo during today’s round as her partner was unable to participate. She shot a 7-over 79.
  
  
• Seventeen players in the field are representing the U.S. National Development Program, including co-leaders and U.S. National Junior Team members Nikki Oh and Jude Lee. Grace Carter, a semifinalist in last year's U.S. Girls' Junior, is the third player in the field from the USNJT, while 13 players are from their respective State Junior Teams. The remaining player is a USNDP Grant Athlete. Seven of the 17 players are from California.
  
  
• Four sides finished their opening round bogey-free: Kiley Reisner and Summer Schafer (6-under 66), Nikki Oh and Jude Lee (6-under 66), Ressie Lemmon and Taylor Snively (4-under 68), Olivia Deakins and Madison Le (2-under 70)
  
  
• Annie Chi (14) and Aubrey Lee (14), the youngest combined side in the field, carded four birdies and finished at even-par 72.
  
  
• Elle Nachmann, a 22-year-old University of Pennsylvania graduate, played with her fifth different partner in six U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball appearances. Her partner for this year’s event is her cousin, Juno Taino, a 15-year-old USNDP North Carolina state team player who’s brother, Keane, recently advanced through U.S. Open local qualifying. Both of their mothers played tennis at Duke and Taino's father, Eric, is a former professional tennis player who won the 1992 US Open Boys Doubles title.
  
  
• Reagan Ramage, an 18-year-old from Burlington, Ky., hit the opening tee shot of the 2026 USGA championship season.

Quotables

“It’s always fun playing with Alexa. We grew up playing golf together, basically living in a golf academy. I feel like we know each other's game really well and that makes it really fun to play out here.” – Savannah Barber on playing with her partner Alexa Saldana in the Women’s Amateur Four-Ball before turning professional later this year.

“We know each other so well and know that whatever happens out on the course, we have each other’s back—both golf game-wise and as people. Having a great partner and great friend to rely on is crucial for this type of event.” – Jude Lee on playing the Women's Amateur Four-Ball with her USNDP National Junior Team and future Stanford teammate Nikki Oh.

“... I wore both rain gloves, even though I’m not a two gloves type of person. That changed a lot. I tried one shot with only one glove on and practically shanked it.” –  Kiley Reisner on making adjustments to her game because of the inclement weather.

“Our caddies were so good today, just helping us keep our clubs dry and bringing our umbrellas to the green for us. We’ve also had a lot of experience playing in the rain and wind... so that really helped today.” – Nikki Oh on how the caddies, and lots of experience playing in the weather, helped her and Jude Lee throughout the day.

“It’s been great, she’s always someone I’ve looked up to since she’s eight years older than me, had a great career, and is so much more experienced than I am... I’ve been relying on her in some situations and trying to use her knowledge and expertise around the course. We obviously know each other really well as human beings, so we’re having a really good time out there which I think helps us play loose and play free.” – Juno Taino on getting to play in her first U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball with her older cousin Elle Nachmann.