USNJT Members Lee, Oh Medalists at Daniel Island Club

Sunny skies ushered in a stream of low scores during Day 2 of the 11th U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Daniel Island Club, and leading the way was the U.S. National Junior Team duo of Jude Lee and Nikki Oh. The Californians posted a second-consecutive, 6-under-par 66, Sunday on the Ralston Creek Course to earn medalist honors with a 36-hole total of 12-under 132.

Lee and Oh, who are incoming Stanford University freshmen, played impeccable golf on the weekend, finishing stroke play without having to post a single bogey. 

Sporting their USNJT polos, the duo began Sunday’s round with two birdies on Daniel Island’s front nine before adding four more on the back. The round closed much like the previous 35 holes had played out, with a birdie on the par-5 18th that served as the finishing touch on a performance that left the duo just four strokes shy of the 36-hole U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball scoring record.

“It feels pretty great,” said Lee of besting the field of 64 sides (128 players). “I think we're on the right track to winning this thing, but at the same time, tomorrow is a new day with a completely different format. So, whatever we did these last 36 holes, it's going to be a confidence booster. But we know that we still have work left to do.” 

Thirty-two of the 64 sides advanced to match play, which begins on Monday and concludes with the 18-hole final on Wednesday afternoon. The cut came at 3-under 141 with no playoff required to determine the final spots in the draw.

First-round co-leaders Kiley Reisner and Summer Schafer finished two strokes back of Lee and Oh, and will be the No. 2 seeds for match play. The duo of collegiate competitors – Schafer at Point Loma Nazarene and Reisner at the University of Wyoming – followed an opening-round 66 with a 3-under 69. Following an early bogey on the 371-yard par-4 second hole, Reisner and Schafer played the remainder of the round bogey-free, finishing with just one bogey in stroke play.

“I think as long as we play even an average round of golf, I think we’ll be fine. Our games are in a good spot right now and I have no doubt we’ll play even better tomorrow,” said Schafer about advancing to match play. 

Three sides finished at 8-under 136, including 22-year-old Elle Nachmann and 15-year-old Juno Taino, first cousins who shared the 18-hole lead with two other sides. Nachmann, a University of Pennsylvania graduate from Boca Raton, Fla., and Taino, of Studio City, Calif., overcame a double-bogey start on the par-4 first hole with multiple birdies down the stretch to post 2-under 70 into the clubhouse. 

“I don’t really feel that [pressure],” said Taino about playing on one of the biggest stages of her young career. “Tomorrow will be my first time playing match play in a tournament, but I’ve been in a lot of final groups which I feel are similar. It’s important to just focus on yourself and if someone makes a good shot ... don’t let that bring you down; just play your game, focus on your game plan, and try to execute.”

Morgan Ellison, of Peachtree City, Ga., and Katie Scheck, of Ooltewah, Tenn., who play college golf at the University of Texas at San Antonio and Mercer, respectively, was another side who finished at 8-under 136 after a second-round 67.

Rounding out the sides at 136 were Californians Annika Raja, 15, and 16-year-old Sabrina Sun, who carded a second-round 67. One of the youngest sides in the championship, Raja and Sun were nearly flawless, posting six birdies in their round of 67. Their day ended with Raja, a rising junior at Santa Margarita Catholic High School, draining a clutch 15-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th hole that prompted the duo’s signature handshake celebration. 

“I think we really complemented each other well,” said Sun, a rising junior at Carlsbad High who placed third in the 2025 California Interscholastic Federation Golf Championship. “When she [Annika] made a mistake, I’d be able to save par on the green, and when I made a mistake, she was able to save par.”

Five sides finished at 7-under 137, with none posting a better Sunday round than Kandice Chuang and Nina Xu, high schoolers from Los Angeles who tied three other sides (2025 runners-up Athena Singh and Keira Yun; Haley Davis and Katelyn Huber, Carly Marshall and Ava Osborne) for the day’s low round of 6-under 66.

What’s Next

The championship now switches to match play on Monday with the Round of 32 set to commence at 9 a.m. EDT. Match play continues through Wednesday’s semifinals and 18-hole championship match. Admission is free, and the public is encouraged to attend.

Notable

• This year’s cutline at 141 (3-under) is tied for the second lowest in championship history behind the 139 in 2024 at Oak Hills Country Club, in San Antonio, Texas.   

• Jude Lee and Nikki Oh finished three strokes clear of second place, the largest medalist margin in championship history. Oh’s father, Ted, qualified for the 1993 U.S. Open at Baltusrol Golf Club at the age of 16. He is currently a professional golf instructor.  

• Katelyn Lehigh shared medalist honors in the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball when she was paired with her older sister, Lauren. In last year’s championship, Katelyn and current partner Amelia Garibaldi finished the stroke-play rounds one off from earning medalist honors and fell short to an opposing birdie on the 20th hole during their Round of 32 matchup. They both play for Fresno State. 

• Maya Gaudin recorded the second eagle of the championship on the par-5 sixth during Sunday’s round. The first came on Saturday from Alexandra Snyder on the par-5 18th 

• Kimberly Dinh and Mary Janiga Kartes were the only mid-amateur (25 years and older) side to make the cut. No mid-amateur has claimed this title. 

• The first day of stroke play – highlighted by steady wind and rain – saw 33 rounds of even-par or better. The second round brought sunshine and 55 scores of even-par 72 or better. 

• Last year, the combined score to par of sides to make the cut was 57 under. This year, players inside the cut shot a combined 184 under.  

• Thirteen of the 17 players representing the U.S. National Development Program advanced to match play, including medalists Lee and Oh.

Quotable

“Especially since I've roomed with her so many times, she's like a sister to me and I know her so well.
We don't even have to communicate to know what each other is thinking. We just trust each other. We have a silence that's super comfortable, and we don't have to fill that silence with anything. 
So, when we're just walking across a fairway like 50 yards from each other, we know exactly what to do, and that we have each other's back. So, it's been really nice and I'm having so much fun this week.” - Jude Lee on playing alongside partner and fellow U.S. National Junior Team member Nikki Oh

“I think last year we put more pressure on ourselves. We were playing good going in [to match play] and were playing with a big lead that we eventually lost, and it was almost like we were trying too hard. So, I think this year we’re going to try to keep things light and crack jokes left and right -- just trying to keep the vibes high.” - Katelyn Lehigh on the duo’s approach heading into match play

“The course definitely plays long, longer than I’m used to. I’ve been having longer irons into the greens. The greens are also pretty undulating, so paying attention to where the putts break each day is something we’re learning. This is only my fifth day playing the course so I’m learning new things every day.” - Juno Taino on the challenge that Daniel Island Club’s Ralston Creek Course provides

“I think it being both of our first USGA championships, we really wanted to enjoy the experience, enjoy the week, just take it all in, starting on Wednesday and walking the course. I know we've just really made a point to enjoy every little bit we can, and I know personally, I really wanted to make match play.” - Morgan Ellison on playing alongside partner Katie Scheck

“My demons are with my approach shots and hitting my number is a really big struggle for me ... so it’s nice to just look at Katelyn and we can read what happened with each other’s shot.” - Amelia Garibaldi on how she and her partner/Fresno State teammate play together

“We’re best friends on and off the course. We have a great relationship and enjoy playing with each other.” - Annika Raja on the chemistry she has with her partner Sabrina Sun