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BYU Freshman Lila Galeai qualifies for U.S. Girls Junior Championship
Lila Galeai -3 (69) continued her strong play this summer by qualifying for the 72nd U.S. Girls Junior Championship to be held at Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Md. Galeai narrowly beat out 2021 Utah PGA Junior Champion Ali Mulhall -2 (70) and 2020 Utah Women’s State Am Champion Grace Summerhays E (72) to punch her ticket to the national event being held July 12-17.
Galeai had all facets of her game dialed in. With three birdies in the first five holes, she jumped out to an early lead that was never relinquished. Typically known for her prodigious driving ability, Galeai relied on another skill to be the difference maker in her round.
“I had one putts for each of the first five holes. A couple of them were par saves but the other three were all for birdie,” recalled Galeai, “Hitting it long is a huge strength for me. But as I always say, it’s about how close you can get it on the green and how well you can putt. For that reason, I try not to pay too much attention to how far I hit the ball.”
Galeai mentioned that limiting mistakes was key for her as much of the field struggled with the wind. Having played this course before, she was aware that wind may be an obstacle in the afternoon. That led her to be more conservative on the back nine after having shot a 32 on the front.
To see full results for the USGA Girls Junior Qualifier, please CLICK HERE.
By Colin Clawson
