ATHENS — Kylie Chung of Cumming chased down two accomplished college players to become the second-youngest winner of the Georgia Women’s Amateur Championship on Wednesday. Not bad for a girl won won’t start high school until this fall.
Chung, 14, a soon-to-be freshman at Lambert High School, birdied the final three holes at Athens Country Club to shoot 5-under 67 to finish 6-under 210. She won by two shots over defending champion Ava Merrill of Johns Creek, who plays at Vanderbilt, and Mary Mille of Savannah, who plays at Ole Miss.
The youngest player to win the title was Mariah Stackhouse of Riverdale, who was also 14 when she won the first of back-to-back titles in 2008. Stackhouse went on to star at Stanford and play on the LPGA Tour.
“I didn’t really know what happened,” Chung said afterward. “I was kind of just shaking.”
Chung began the day five shots behind Miller, the second-round leader, and four shots behind Merrill. She was playing one group ahead of the leaders and didn’t know what was going on until she approached the 18th hole.
Her father, James, who was serving as her caddie, said she needed a birdie to tie for the lead, unaware that she only need a par. But Chung, who finished third in the event last year as a 13-year-old, hit a good drive and placed her approach nine feet from the hole. When the putt disappeared into the hole, the small group around the green let out a lout hoot.
Merrill and Miller both heard it. Miller, a two-time Georgia Girls’ champion, led by three strokes through 13 holes. Merrill birdied the 14th and narrowed the game to two shots and set up what appeared to be a two-player match for the title.
“I just didn’t play well on the back nine,” Miller said. “I just kind of handed it away at the end and played a lot of defensive golf, because I wasn’t hitting it good.”
But they both made bogeys at No. 15, Miller missing a short par putt and Merrill failing to make a 12-foot downhill par putt. Miller took another bogey at the par-3 17th, but was unaware of Chung’s charge and still believed she had a one-shot lead.
“I think Mary and I had a pillow fight out there. It wasn’t great golf from either of us,” Merrill said. “But I feel like the spotlight really has to be on Kylie. I mean, she birdied the last three holes and shooting a round like that around here is impressive for anyone, let alone at that age.”
Miller closed with a 74 and Merrill shot 73, leaving them tied for second place at 4-under 212. Zoe Duval, who also played at Lambert and just finished her freshman season at Appalachian State, was fourth at even-par 216. Haven Ward of Atlanta, who plays at Georgia Southern, was fifth at 1-over 217. Tied for sixth at 2-over 218 were Kallyn Black of Greensboro, who will play at Auburn this fall, Mikayla Dubnik of Murrayville, and Grace Lee of Suwanee, who has won back-to-back GHSA state titles at Lambert.
Chung earned an exemption to the U.S. Women’s Amateur, Aug. 4-9 at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tenn., and a spot in the prestigious 2027 Sea Island Women’s Amateur.
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