First Eight Named To 2024 United States PING Junior Solheim Cup Team

The American Junior Golf Association named eight top junior girls to the 2024 PING Junior Solheim Cup United States team.

The first eight players were selected based on the Rolex AJGA Rankings as of Tuesday, July 23rd. The final four spots on the U.S. Team are reserved for Beth Daniel’s captain’s picks on Tuesday, August 6th.

Earning entry through the Rolex AJGA Rankings were:

Gianna Clemente of Estero, Florida
Asterisk Talley of Chowchilla, California
Nikki Oh of Torrance, California
Sofia Cherif Essakali of Orlando, Florida
Elizabeth Rudisill of Charlotte, North Carolina
Jude Lee of Walnut, California
Scarlett Schremmer of Birmingham, Alabama
Mia Hammond of New Albany, Ohio

Of the eight girls selected Clemente, Talley and Rudisill have experience from the 2023 PING Junior Solheim Cup, won by the European team in Spain. The 2023 US Team fell 15-9 against the Europeans.

Modeled after the Solheim Cup, the PING Junior Solheim Cup biennially features the 12 best female junior golfers (ages 12-18) from the United States against their counterparts from Europe. The team match play event includes foursomes, four-ball and singles matches played over two days and rotates between U.S. and European host sites coinciding with the Solheim Cup. This years event includes both teams watching the final days of the Solheim Cup matches at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, September 10 – 15, 2024.

LPGA legend Beth Daniel will serve as the junior United States team captain. Daniel has many credits to her name, but the most noteworthy includes captaining the 2009 US Solheim Cup team to a 16 to 12 victory at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois. Prior to her captaincy, Daniel competed on eight US Solheim Cup teams consecutively from 1990 to 2005. She is tied second all-time for most Solheim Cup appearances for the United States behind Cristie Kerr and Juli Inkster who each played nine times. Throughout her eight appearances, Daniel competed in 26 Solheim Cup matches.

Prior to her Solheim Cup Career, Daniel was a 33-time champion on the LPGA Tour. She won her sole Major in 1990 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship played at Bethesda Country Club. Her first victory came in 1979 at the Patty Berg Classic, which later turned into Rookie of the Year honors. Daniel won her first of three Player of the Year titles in 1980, after winning three times that season.

“I think any time you are asked to be a Captain it’s an honor and a big responsibility. You have to put the time and effort into it to be successful. I have a passion for junior golf so I couldn’t pass on this opportunity.”

Beth Daniel, United States Team Captain

The United States Team will be co-captained by the AJGA’s South Central Regional Manager, Riley Corona. Corona grew up golfing in Arizona and went on to play collegiately at The College of William & Mary. She credits this experience as the reason she chose to pursue a career in junior golf, as she hopes to help the next generation expand their educational opportunities through golf.

“It is an honor to serve as Vice Captain alongside Beth Daniel this year. We are very excited about the team we have put together and cannot wait to watch them shine in Washington D.C. I have had the pleasure of watching these girls grow up through the AJGA, and their grit and determination are something to be admired. They have more than earned their spot on this team, and we look forward to leading them as they represent the United States in September.”

Riley Corona, United States Vice Captain

Gwladys Nocera will return as the junior European Team Captain. She competed in four Solheim Cups for Team Europe and will bring plenty of experience to the team of 12 junior Europeans. Nocera also brought the junior European Team to victory in 2023.

The United States leads the all-time PING Junior Solheim Cup series 7-4-1. Team Europe won the last time the event was contested in the United States, which marked the European’s first win since 2007.

AJGA alumnae who have graduated from the PING Junior Solheim Cup to the Solheim Cup on Team USA include Paula Creamer, Brittany Lang, Alison Lee, Angel Yin, Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel, Yealimi Noh and Lexi Thompson.

Meet the 2024 United States Team

Gianna Clemente | Estero, Florida
Class of 2026
Rolex AJGA Ranking: 2

Clemente returns to the USA team after making her debut with the 2023 squad. She made headlines after winning the 2024 Mizuho Americas Open alongside World No. 1 and AJGA Alumna, Nelly Korda, in May. Most recently she advanced to the semifinals of the 75th U.S. Girls Junior for the second year in a row where she fell to teammate Asterisk Talley. Clemente is a four-time Rolex Junior All-American and has made three appearances on the Wyndham Cup East Team. She is a member of the U.S. National Junior Team.

Asterisk Talley | Chowchilla, California
Class of 2027
Rolex AJGA Ranking: 5

Talley also brings experience from the 2023 PJSC. The four-time AJGA champion won the 9th U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball event, earned co-low amateur honors at the 79th U.S. Women’s Open and was the runner-up at the 75th U.S. Girls’ Junior. Talley is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American and has made two appearances on the Wyndham Cup West Team. She is a member of the U.S. National Junior Team.

Nikki Oh | Torrance, California
Class of 2026
Rolex AJGA Ranking: 8

The 2023 Rolex Junior All-American won the Ping An Bank Junior Open and was the runner-up at the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic all in the same year. Oh placed third at the AJGA Thunderbird Heather Farr Classic this May before representing the West Team at Wyndham Cup. She helped win gold for the USA at the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Nagoya, Japan, alongside 2023 PJSC team member, Jasmine Koo. Oh is a member of the U.S. National Junior Team.

Sofia Cherif Essakali | Orlando, Florida
Class of 2027
Rolex AJGA Ranking: 10

The 15-year-old from Orlando has won two AJGAs this year – an Open and an Invitational and has a total of four AJGA titles to her name. Essakali won the 2024 Stacy Lewis Junior All-Star Invitational, the 2024 AJGA Junior at Parris Island, the 2023 AJGA Huntsville Junior and the 2022 Golf Performance Center Junior. She recently participated in her first Wyndham Cup Team, where she helped the East Team to a victory for the first time since 2021. She is the youngest of the eight players announced.

Elizabeth Rudisill | Charlotte, North Carolina
Class of 2025
Verbal Commitment: Vanderbilt University
Rolex AJGA Ranking: 12

Rudisill represented team USA alongside Clemente and Talley at the 2023 PJSC. The two-time Invitational winner won the 2024 Rolex Girls Junior Championship, where she earned an exemption into the 2024 FM Global Championship LPGA event. The two-time Rolex Junior All-American helped the East Team win the Wyndham Cup this year.

Jude Lee | Walnut, California
Class of 2026
Rolex AJGA Ranking: 14

The four-time AJGA champion most recently won the AJGA Thunderbird Heather Farr Classic. She tied for third at the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic and played on the West Team at Wyndham Cup this year. The California native halved her singles match against 2023 PJSC Team Member, Ryleigh Knaub.

Scarlett Schremmer | Birmingham, Alabama
Class of 2025
Verbal Commitment: University of Texas at Austin
Rolex AJGA Ranking: 18

Schremmer finished tied for second at the inaugural The Nelly Invitational in May and won the Pete & Alice Dye Junior Invitational the following month. The Birmingham native is a 2022 AJGA Junior All-Star Team Member and a 2023 Rolex Junior All-American. The future Longhorn was on the victorious East Team at the 2024 Wyndham Cup and is on the U.S. National Junior Team.

Mia Hammond | New Albany, Ohio
Class of 2026
Rolex AJGA Ranking: 19

The three-time AJGA champion made her LPGA Tour debut in 2023 after Monday qualifying into the Dana Open. She helped the East Team win the Wyndham Cup this year and is on the U.S. National Junior Team.

The following players were named to the 2024 European Team: