News & Events

Young Bay Area Golfers At The Top Of The Game

Aug 17, 2026by - San Francisco Public Golf Alliance

Bay Area and NorCal prodigies Kiara Romero, Jackson Koivun, Michael Thorbjornsen, Asterisk Talley, Yaelimi Noh and Jay Leng Jr. -- all between 17-25 years old -- in late July and August were headliners of American and International golf. They remind us of the storied golf history of the San Francisco Bay Area and how affordable, accessible public golf courses are needed to nurture the future of the game.

San Francisco's Ken Venturi was one of golf's brightest young stars in the mid-1950s. He learned golf at Harding Park and won the 1964 US Open on his way to the Golf Hall of Fame. In 2009 he wrote a Public Letter urging golfers to fight for public golf: "Without the public courses, golf becomes inaccessible, the game shrivels and dies."

These young Bay Area future stars are following in Ken Venturi's footsteps...

On August 12th Kiara Romero, who got her start in golf at San Jose's municipal Santa Teresa golf course, was named World's #1 Amateur Woman Golfer. The announcement was made jointly by the USGA and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club:

“This year’s US Women’s Open is a highlight for me. Playing so well and testing my game against the best players in the world was really cool and being in California a lot of my family were able to come and support me."

On July 25th San Jose's Jackson Koivun, a 21-year-old rookie pro, won the 3M Open in just his third PGA tournament, beating World #1 Scottie Scheffler by a shot.

Like Kiara Romero, Jackson Koivun got his start in the youth program at Santa Teresa muni in San Jose:

"They played other sports growing up in San Jose, California, particularly baseball, but after the Romero kids – Kyreece, Kaleiya and Kiara – were gifted their first set of golf clubs by their grandparents, they became regulars at the par-3 course near their house, Santa Teresa, because they could pay $5 and play every day."

"Jackson got his start on a nine-hole course in California, but he soon became addicted to the game. His parents knew he had a special talent, but his dad realized its full potential when they went to the Future Masters in Dothan, Ala., when Jackson was 14. He was the only California kid entered and won."

Pictured - Youth on Course alums Kiara Romero (left) and Jackson Koivun (right) - Photo Credit: Terry Sullivan

And the beat goes on with more young NorCal Golf luminaries:

August 9. Northern Californian Asterisk Talley, 17, wins US Women's Amateur. The Chowchilla (Merced County) high school senior won the 2026 Championship in dominant fashion, following several years at the top of American junior and women's golf.

August 2. Stanford's Michael Thorbjornsen, 25, wins the Rocket. Michael was Ameria's #1 college golfer in 2024. After several Top 10 PGA Tour finishes, Thorbjornsen won his first pro tournament with 5 birdies in his final 9 holes at Detroit's Rocket Classic.

August 2. Concord's Yealimi Noh at Women's British Open. San Francisco-born Yealimi Noh, 25, held a 3-stroke lead after three rounds at Royal Lytham and St. Anne's in suburban Liverpool. She ultimately finished 3rd - missing the Open championship playoff by 1 stroke.

August 16. Stanford's Jay Leng Jr., 20, is runner up at the US Men's Amateur. Thorbjornsen's teamate, Leng comes out of San Diego and its municipal Torrey Pines courses. He won five US Amateur matches at Merion in suburban Philadelphia between Aug. 11-15, before losing in the finals to Englands Jack Whaley.

Golf’s popularity has grown dramatically in the post-Covid years. Women and young people have been its biggest growth drivers. San Francisco is home to an extraordinary collection of public golf courses. Yet the game’s future here and in many major urban areas is at risk from competing demands on public resources – land, housing, water, and governmental budgets. So golfers must fight for the game.

We invite you to join us at Sharp Park on the morning of September 13 for our 12th Annual Alister MacKenzie Tournament in support of public golf and golf courses. SIGN UP HERE. Or Download and submit THIS PAPER SIGN-UP FORM. For more information, ask us: info@sfpublicgolf.org.