U.S. GIRLS' JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

July 17, 2026

Athena Singh

Old Chatham Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Congratulations on making it this far. Not the result you wanted, but can you talk about your match today?

ATHENA SINGH: First one or the second one?

Q. Let's do both.

ATHENA SINGH: The first one, I felt like I was pretty confident going in, but I watched her make a few mistakes, and I was able to capitalize. I made some good birdies.

So I feel like I was really confident, and that confidence kind of carried into the match. I made like a long chip-in on 14 to win, for eagle, so that was pretty cool.

Then the second one, it was kind of up-and-down for me. I hit more shots out of the bunker than I did the fairway. So it was just like bunker, bunker, bunker, bunker, and I think that kind of -- I started saving it, but I think that kind of messed me up a little. Never really got momentum into the match.

Q. Going up against stroke play medalist Clairey Lin, were you thinking at all about that and kind of how she played going into the match today?

ATHENA SINGH: Yeah, I was excited to play with her today. I think it's interesting, since I was one of the lowest seeds coming in, so seeing that match and seeing that we both got this far, it was pretty exciting for me.

She's a really great player, and she really deserved to win.

Q. Obviously you were in a little bit of a hole towards the end of this match, but you made a late charge and took the match all the way to 18. Talk about your mindset when you find yourself in a deficit. How do you get yourself back up and take the match all the way to 18?

ATHENA SINGH: Yeah, I feel like she was also getting tired and making some mistakes. I just stayed consistent, and I kept my aggressive game play. Even though I was hitting in bunkers, I still tried my best.

I was able to make a birdie on 14 again. That really kind of helped me get through to 18, and then we both made bogeys on 16, I think. So it's just kind of rough after that. Tried to stretch it as much as I could.

Q. Your trip to the semifinals this week has granted you an exemption to the next two Girls' Juniors. Any thoughts on that?

ATHENA SINGH: Yeah, I'm really excited for next year's. That will be my last one. It's nearby. I live in Kentucky, so Ohio is a next door neighbor to us.

I'm excited I get to play. Especially being in college, I think it would be a really unique experience to be in college and still play in this event.