The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced the 2025 U.S. National Junior Team roster, the first-ever U.S. Elite Amateur Program roster and this year’s annual U.S. National Development Program (USNDP) grant funding, demonstrating considerable progress toward creating a unified pathway to nurture the potential of America’s top players.
Not surprisingly, a few players with NCGA ties are involved.
Asterisk Talley (seen below), a 16-year-old from Chowchilla, was named to the U.S. National Junior Team Roster. Talley, the NCGA's 2024 Women's Player of the Year, had an incredible run last year.
Following a victory at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball title with partner Sarah Lim, Talley later shared low amateur honors at the U.S. Women’s Open, where she was the youngest competitor. She’d also finish as runner-up at the U.S. Girls’’ Junior and U.S. Women’s Amateur, where she became the first player in history to appear in three USGA championship matches in one year.
Topping things off, and before heading back to school for the fall, Talley competed for Team USA in the Curtis Cup, where she beat world No.1 women’s amateur Lottie Woad, 3 and 2 in Singles. She also competed in the PING Junior Solheim Cup for Team USA, helping the Yanks to an 18.5-5.5 win over Team Europe.
Romero (pictured, above) , an 18-year-old sophomore at the University of Oregon, was the 2023 U.S. Junior Girls' Championship winner and was ranked the No.1 player in the class of 2023 by Golfweek.
At Oregon, the San Jose native put together one of the greatest seasons in program history as a true freshman. She became the first Duck ever to be named the national freshman of the year while becoming the second player in program history to be a WGCA first-team all-American. Romero was also one of five players named to the inaugural WGCA All-Freshman team and became the 11th player in Oregon history to earn all-Pac-12 first-team honors.
Also being named a member of the 2025 U.S. Elite Amateur Program roster was 19-year-old Auburn University sophomore Jackson Koivun. A San Jose native, Koivun was a multiple-title winner on the Junior Tour of Northern California.
Following last year's collegiate season, Koivun was named the recipient of the 2024 Fred Haskins Award, which is awarded annually to the top male U.S. collegiate golfer as voted on by college golfers, coaches and members of the golf media. He also received the Hogan Award as the best college player in the nation.
Building on last year’s inaugural team of 18 athletes, the 2025 U.S. National Junior Team features 11 boys and 11 girls representing the country’s elite junior golf talent. The team is composed of 14 returners from 2024 and eight newcomers.
Consisting of three men and six women, including 2024 U.S. National Junior Team member Gianna Clemente, the inaugural U.S. Elite Amateur Program roster is another significant milestone for the USNDP. This program will complement the athletes’ college programs, providing tailored support that bridges gaps and enhances their competitive edge. It is the second of three teams to be launched as part of the USNDP with the third and final team, the Young Professional Team, set for 2026.
“We’ve seen exceptional growth over the past year in the young athletes on the U.S. National Junior Team, and with the launch of the U.S. Elite Amateur Program, it represents another significant step in our mission to nurture top talent, provide individualized support and prepare them for success on the world stage,” said Chris Zambri, head coach of the USNDP. “We are excited to build on this momentum in 2025 and continue growing and shaping the future of American golf.”
As part of its commitment to mitigate barriers of cost to promising junior golfers who demonstrate both financial need and the potential to progress through the USNDP pathway, the USGA announced its 2025 USNDP Grant recipients. In total, 100 athletes representing 31 states and ranging in age from 13-18 will receive more than $795k to help cover actual and incurred golf and athlete development-related expenses, such as practice and green fees, competitive tournament fees, tournament travel, coach fees and equipment costs. In addition, grant recipients receive athlete development support, inclusive of virtual coaching sessions and 1-on-1 consultations and statistical analysis with USNDP coaches.
This demonstrates significant growth from 2024, when 72 families received $650,000 in funding in the program’s inaugural year. Grant program funding is provided by the USGA, founding partners such as Ally Financial and generous donations. Over the next few years, the program aims to support 300 participants annually. To learn more, visit usga.org/donate.
