Chatham-area golfers track Canadian win at Old Chatham
A Canadian junior has kept a major trophy on this side of the border for a second consecutive year, claiming one of the sport’s most coveted youth titles on a course that shares our city’s name. Clairey Lin, a 16-year-old from British Columbia, won the 2026 U.S. Girls’ Junior at Old Chatham in Durham, North Carolina, closing out the championship match by 5 and 4 after a commanding week from start to finish.
Lin’s performance combined consistency in stroke play with resilience in match play. She first secured medalist honours—top spot in the two qualifying rounds—before stringing together six match-play victories to capture the title. According to tournament records cited in coverage of the event, she is the first player since Rose Zhang (2021) to convert medalist status into the championship at the U.S. Girls’ Junior, underlining how rare it is to maintain form through both formats in the same week.
How Lin won it
The final was a 36-hole head-to-head against Amelie Zalsman, a member of the U.S. National Development Program. Lin birdied the opening hole to lead early, but momentum shifted as Zalsman moved 1 up through six. Lin responded decisively, piecing together four consecutive birdies to seize control and never looked back. Over the week—two rounds of stroke play followed by six matches—she recorded at least one birdie on every hole at Old Chatham, a detail presented by event reporting that helps explain the extent of her command on the course.
“I’m still processing, but yeah, I’ve dreamed of it my entire life,” Lin said after the victory. “I’ve always wanted to be on the big stage and inspire some people and work hard and see it pay off, and to be able to do that today is amazing.”
Lin described the title match as exhausting and credited her approach for making the difference: persevering, not allowing mistakes to linger, and recognizing that in a 36-hole duel, opportunities can swing quickly. That mindset held up under pressure as she closed out the championship with holes to spare.
Canadian title stays at home for another year
Lin’s win extends a Canadian streak at the U.S. Girls’ Junior. Aphrodite Deng became the first Canadian to win the event last year, and Lin’s victory ensures the championship remains in Canadian hands back-to-back. For junior golfers and families in Chatham-Kent, the result highlights the trajectory of Canada’s young players on international stages and the depth of competition they now bring to premier U.S. events.
There are immediate competitive implications as well. With the title, Lin earns an exemption into the 2027 U.S. Women’s Open at Inverness in Ohio and a place in next month’s U.S. Women’s Amateur at the Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tennessee. Those opportunities position her directly against the top tier of women’s amateur and professional golf in the near term.
Event at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Champion | Clairey Lin (Canada, British Columbia) |
| Event | 2026 U.S. Girls’ Junior |
| Venue | Old Chatham, Durham, North Carolina |
| Final result | 5 and 4 over Amelie Zalsman |
| Week highlights | Medalist in stroke play; six match-play wins; birdied every hole at least once during the week |
| Notable marker | First since Rose Zhang (2021) to be medalist and champion |
| Exemptions | 2027 U.S. Women’s Open; 2026 U.S. Women’s Amateur |
What it means for local fans
The U.S. Girls’ Junior is widely regarded among the largest junior golf championships, and Lin’s run—combining medalist consistency with match-play pressure—reflects a standard that resonates with competitive juniors and coaches in our region. While Old Chatham is in North Carolina, the name will not be lost on golfers here in Chatham, and a second straight Canadian winner offers a benchmark for aspiring players across Southwestern Ontario who follow pathways through stroke play into match play at national and cross-border events.
- Back-to-back Canadian champions: Lin follows last year’s breakthrough by Aphrodite Deng.
- Dual-format mastery: From medalist to champion, Lin sustained form across stroke and match play.
- Future stages secured: Exemptions now set her calendar against top amateur and professional fields.
Lin’s win caps a week that paired precision with endurance, and it underscores a trend Chatham golfers will recognize: Canadian juniors are not only reaching elite finals but closing them out. The Old Chatham finale adds another data point to that shift—and keeps a high-profile junior trophy in Canadian hands for another year.
