Top-ranked Talley ready to defend title at Junior Invitational at Sage Valley

Mar. 18—GRANITEVILLE — There may have been some nerves for Asterisk Talley last spring at Sage Valley Golf Club, but not outwardly so for the then-15-year-old.

Seemingly unbothered by any potential bad break, or any spot where the pressure may have gotten too heavy, she set records for both low tournament score and margin of victory in the third year of the girls' championship at the Junior Invitational.

Now she's back again at Sage Valley with another year of experience and growth under her belt — and a boatload of prestigious titles as the No. 1-ranked girl by a wide margin in the Junior Golf Scoreboard Rankings.

Her title defense begins Wednesday, as she headlines an elite 24-player girls' field in the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. They and the 36-player boys' field will play 72 holes over four days, a new wrinkle to what was once a 54-hole championship.

"I'm feeling good," she said ahead of her Tuesday practice round. "This course is so fun to play, so I'm really excited to be back and to play my best."

Talley led wire-to-wire last year, finishing the first round as the only girl under par and widening her lead from there. She stayed in the present to avoid any major mistakes, only making four bogeys and a first-round double bogey over the course of three rounds.

And if she did have a mis-step, it usually didn't take her long to recover. She easily made up for those dropped shots by making 13 birdies and an eagle over the course of the week.

"I mean, I try not to get nerves on the first tee, so I feel like I'm just going to try to do that again," she explained, "and I feel like the experience kind of helps me and course knowledge kind of helps me relieve those nerves, so I think that's going to help me a lot."

She stepped on the accelerator in a final-round 67 that boosted her to a tournament-record 9-under par for the championship, and her six-stroke margin of victory was by far the largest in the young history of a tournament that was filled with fireworks in its first two years.

Talley certainly handled the challenge, and the golf course, well last year upon first sight. Clearly she knows the game plan to be successful at Sage Valley, so the key all week will be to again execute that plan.

"Just kind of, like, the places you shouldn't hit and what's the better place to be," she said. "I think that's what really differs whether you're going to play good or bad on this course. If you hit it in bad spots, you're probably going to play bad. If you hit a bad shot and you're still in an OK spot. you're still probably going to survive."

Talley has since picked up three consecutive big wins on the American Junior Golf Association circuit, earning plenty of points to distance herself from reigning Rolex Junior Player of the Year Gianna Clemente in those standings.

"I think my management of the game, just knowing where I can go on the course and stuff, just not getting too ahead of myself on the course, like thinking about what's ahead of me, and just staying in the present," have all been key points of growth in her game, she said.

Staying in the present will be especially important this week. Talley knows she can't get caught looking ahead to her second appearance at the Augusta National Women's Amateur next month — definitely not against a field that includes No. 2 Avery McCrery, No. 5 Aphrodite Deng, No. 6 Clemente, No. 7 Elizabeth Rudisill, No. 8 Nikki Oh, No. 9 Jude Lee and No. 10 Natalie Yen.

"I think playing with some of the best people in the world is something that motivates you every week and something that makes you want to come out here and keep playing the game, so that's probably the most fun part of the week," she said.

Topics

In Div. 5 final, Hopedale boys hoop readies for Pioneer Valley team that averages 70 ppg

Hopedale plays in its first title game in 25 years on Saturday against one of the two remaining unbeaten teams in the state: Pioneer Valley Regional
Yahoo Sports - 5d
Sage Hill's comeback falls short in state Division I title loss to Carondelet

Amalia Holguin finished with 21 points as Sage Hill rallied from an early deficit only to fall late in the state Division I girls' basketball final.
Yahoo Sports - 4d
Tiger Woods and Vanessa Trump's Kids Will Compete at Same Junior Tournament Next Week amid Dating News

Charlie Woods and Kai Trump are both slated to compete in the Junior Invitational in South Carolina
Yahoo Sports - 4d
Div. II ice hockey: Defending champ Cheshire defeats Amity, advances to final once again

HAMDEN – Last year, Ryan Miller had 24 saves in a state semifinal win over Amity en route to Cheshire’s first hockey title in 15 years. He was only a sophomore. This year, as a junior, he’s that ...
Yahoo Sports - 8h
Alyvia Padgett leads Brandon Valley past Washington, back to AA state title game

Brandon Valley will now face O’Gorman for the Class AA state title for the second year in a row
Yahoo Sports - 4d
Valley basketball tops Waukee Northwest, achieves first Iowa state title 3-peat since 2014

Valley beat Waukee Northwest in the Class 4A championship at the Iowa high school basketball state tournament, claiming their third-straight title.
Yahoo Sports - 4d
Grand Canyon holds off Utah Valley for 3rd straight WAC title, another trip to the dance

After going down 19-10 to start the game, Grand Canyon found its focus and asserted its will to beat No. 1-seed Utah Valley for the WAC title.
Yahoo Sports - 2d
Mark your calendar for these 12 Greater Taunton area softball games this spring

With the spring season upon us, and two local teams ready to defend their titles, here are 12 Greater Taunton area softball games to watch out for.
Yahoo Sports - 2d
American Jorgenson defends Paris-Nice title

Defending champion Matteo Jorgenson won the eight-day Paris-Nice race on Sunday, crossing the finish line on the French Riviera in second place as another American, Magnus Sheffield, won the stage ...
Yahoo Sports - 2d
Eagles accept White House invite to celebrate title

The Philadelphia Eagles will be visiting the White House on April 28 to celebrate their Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
ESPN - Mar. 11
Hamlin falls in semifinals; Mobridge-Pollock, Sioux Valley bounce back in consolation semis

Hamlin will play for third place and Sioux Valley and Mobridge-Pollock meet for the consolation title in the State A girls basketball tourney
Yahoo Sports - 4d
HIGH SCHOOL POWERLIFTING: Montes ready to compete at state

Mar. 18—Odessa High powerlifter Jairo Montes originally didn't expect to be competing at the state championships. The junior qualified for regionals this year for the first time as a powerlifter, ...
Yahoo Sports - 9h
Harrison scores 18, Grand Canyon beats Utah Valley 89-82 in WAC Tournament title game

Ray Harrison scored 18 points to lead six Grand Canyon players in double figures and the Lopes beat top-seeded Utah Valley 89-82 in the championship game of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament
ABC News - 3d
Katelyn Young scores 34 as Murray State powers past Belmont 83-62 to win Missouri Valley title

Katelyn Young scored 34 points to help power Murray State to its first Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship by beating Belmont 83-62 on Sunday. Young surpassed 3,000 career points ...
Yahoo Sports - 2d
Division V boys basketball: Shepaug Valley beats Old Lyme to finish perfect season

UNCASVILLE – The Shepaug Valley boys basketball team finished its season undefeated at 27-0 with a Division V state championship as the Spartans beat defending champion Old Lyme 58-46 in the Div. V ...
Yahoo Sports - 3d
H.S. Basketball: Three Wyoming Valley Conference teams still in hunt for state titles

Mar. 14—The Wyoming Valley Conference fared much better in the second round of the PIAA state basketball tournament than in the first round. All three teams — the Crestwood girls and the Hazleton ...
Yahoo Sports - 4d
O'Gorman rolls over Rapid City Stevens to advance to South Dakota girls basketball title game

O’Gorman will face Brandon Valley in the Class AA state title game for the second consecutive year.
Yahoo Sports - 4d
Sauk Valley Athlete of the Week: Newman's Briar Ivey

Mar. 14—Name: Briar Ivey School: Newman Central Catholic Sport: Wrestling Year: Senior Why he was selected: He was the state runner-up at 157 pounds in Class 1A after winning the Oregon Sectional ...
Yahoo Sports - 4d
Teen Andreeva topples defending champ Swiatek to reach Indian Wells final

Russian teen Mirra Andreeva ended defending champion Iga Swiatek's bid for an unprecedented third Indian Wells women's title, toppling the world number two 7-6 (7/1), 1-6, 6-3 on Friday to reach ...
Yahoo Sports - 4d
Bradley women's basketball opens Missouri Valley tournament with a victory

Kaylen Nelson scored 16 points to lead the Bradley women to their first MVC tourney win since winning the title in 2021.
Yahoo Sports - 5d
Still think the Thunder aren't ready to win a title? You're wrong

Oklahoma City showed all the toughness, poise and confidence it will need to succeed in the playoffs while sweeping the season series from Boston.
Yahoo Sports - 6d
Matteo Jorgenson joins cycling greats after defending Paris-Nice title

Jumbo-Visma star seals glory on Promenade des Anglais US countryman Magnus Sheffield claims final-stage win The American cyclist Matteo Jorgenson won the week-long Paris-Nice race for the second ...
The Guardian - 2d
Three Section V girls basketball teams are 2 wins from a state title: What to know

State tournament games begin Thursday at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.
Yahoo Sports - 2h
Commerce Lady Tigers, Tigers run away with Commerce track meet titles

COMMERCE — Both Commerce teams ran away with the team titles at the recent Commerce Invitational track and field meet. The Lady Tigers won nine events on the way to a commanding victory in the ...
Yahoo Sports - 4d
Attica wrestler Aubrey Bartkowiak pins self doubt and captures USA Folkstyle title

With zero expectations or pressure - Attica wrestler Aubrey Bartkowiak puts herself on national map at USA Junior Folkstyle National Championships.
Yahoo Sports - 3d
If Hamilton is in F1 title fight, Leclerc expects to be, too

Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari has dominated headlines, but Charles Leclerc is ready for a big year.
ESPN - 4d
'This guy's mega' - how Lando Norris was slowly developed into F1 title contender

Lando Norris has long seemed destined for the very top of motorsport, as key figures who worked with him through the junior categories tell BBC Sport.
BBC News - Mar. 12
'No one is settling': Defending state champ Oakmont baseball still has something to prove

Oakmont baseball is ready to keep proving itself this season as back-to-back state champions. Hear from them in their first week of practice.
Yahoo Sports - 1h
Bayern draw keeps title door ajar as Dortmund lose to Leipzig

Bayern Munich were held to a 1-1 draw at Union Berlin on Saturday, giving defending champions Bayer Leverkusen an outside chance of dragging themselves back into the Bundesliga title race.Borussia ...
Yahoo Sports - 3d
Nature: Yosemite Valley

We leave you this Sunday morning with signs that spring is coming, at Yosemite Valley in California. Videographer: Scot Miller.
CBS News - 2d
Prep talk: Maximo Adams fuels Sierra Canyon's bid for state title

Junior forward Maximo Adams has risen to pressure of playoffs in helping Sierra Canyon reach the Division I final against Stockton Lincoln at Golden 1 Center.
Yahoo Sports - 4d
The rosters are set for the Victor Valley and Antelope Valley All-Star Football Game

The HD All-Star Classic football game will be played Saturday afternoon at Victor Valley College. Here's the roster for the Victor Valley squad.
Yahoo Sports - 4d
'I did my best': Jaxon Burcher's title hopes fell short, but he left IV with no regrets

Indian Valley's Jaxon Burcher was among three Braves who placed at the Division II state tournament.
Yahoo Sports - 5d
How Paige VanStee, GVSU bench could be the biggest factor in an NCAA basketball title run

The top-seeded Grand Valley State women's basketball team defeated Wayne State in the NCAA semifinals.
Yahoo Sports - 3d
With extensions signed, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins ready to resume title chase with Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins officially inked four-year extensions on Tuesday that keep them in Cincinnati for their primes along with quarterback Joe Burrow. ...
Yahoo Sports - 10h
Todd Golden investigation: What to know about accusations against Gators coach as team readies for NCAAs

Golden was cleared by Florida's Title IX office, which did not find evidence to substantiate sexual misconduct allegations
CBS Sports - 2d
NWSL regular season arrives as Orlando Pride aim to defend title; Liverpool vs. Newcastle in Carabao Cup final

Elsewhere in the Golazo Starting XI newsletter, Thomas Tuchel names his first England squad
CBS Sports - 4d
Tiger softball looking to get on track in Mizzou Invitational

The start of the season hasn't gone to plan for the Missouri Tigers, but they're finally playing at home in their invite
Yahoo Sports - 4d
Loyola and DePaul men and UIC women accept postseason tournament invitations

The Loyola and DePaul men’s basketball teams aren’t finished with their seasons. Both accepted invitations to postseason tournaments Sunday and Monday. Loyola (22-11) was invited to the National ...
Yahoo Sports - 1d