Class of 2027 Girls Preview

5/20 CGC Staff

It's that time of year again! Active recruiting season begins for the class of 2027 on June 15th, the day which many prospective recruits have had circled on their calendar for many months. With the pending settlement and possibility of roster limits looming, the recruiting landscape may look a little different this year, but coaches will hopefully know definite numbers that they will be dealing with by mid-June. Our hope is that each class of recruits has similar opportunities for roster spots as the previous classes, and that coaches and players can go through this recruiting cycle with less drama than the classes of 2025 & 2026. With that being said, let's preview the top recruits of 2027!

Similar to the boys' side, the girls have a clear-cut front runner in the top position in the class of 2027 by a wide margin. Californian Asterisk Talley has been accumulating wins and top finishes in major events for several years. She will be the most sought after college prospect if she chooses to take the collegiate path over turning professional, and she will find success at either level. Currently ranked #16 in WAGR, Talley won three AJGA invitationals from October 2024 through February of 2025, following runner-up finishes at the US Women's Amateur and the US Girls Junior. Talley raised the champion's trophy at the 2024 Junior Invitational and was an impressive 44th at the 2024 US Women's Open. Other notable finishes include a top-5 at the Junior PGA Championship in 2024 and a top-10 at the 2024 Augusta National Women's Amateur. In 2025, she has played in two LPGA events, and she also represented the US in the Curtis Cup in 2024. Quite a list of achievements at a young age, and we are excited to see where golf will take her in the future.

Photo: Facebook

Photo: Golf Canada

Photo: AJGA

After Talley, there is a plethora of talent in this class. The next three golfers have already proven themselves in high profile events, and should continue to do so in the next two years. Another Californian, Anna Fang, has recently racked up a number of top-5 finishes at four AJGA invitationals, an impressive feat in a short time span. She has carded top-10s at the 2024 Junior PGA, 2025 Junior Invitational, 2024 Annika Invitational, and IMG Junior Worlds, and placed in the top-15 in two additional AJGA invitationals in 2024. Fang made match play in the past two US Women's Amateurs and advanced to the quarterfinals at the 2024 US Girls Junior. Quite the resume! Adding to the growing list of successful Canadian juniors is Shauna Liu, the recent champion of the AJGA Mizuho Americas Open. Liu found the top-5 on the leaderboard at the 2025 Fortinet Stanford Invitational and the AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions, and was in the top-10 at the 2025 Dustin Johnson World Junior and the 2024 World Junior Championship. Her resume also includes a win at the 2025 Junior Orange Bowl and top-5 finishes in two amateur events at the end of 2024, the Dixie and the Citrus Trail. The third member of this trio is another Californian, Lily Peng, who owns top-5 placements at the 2024 Ping Invitational, 2025 Mizuho Americas Open, and the 2024 Scott Robertson Memorial. She has carded a top-10 finish at the 2025 AJGA Annika Invitational and top-15 at the 2024 Dustin Johnson. Peng competes often and notched a win at the 2025 Kathy Whitworth Invitational after finishing in the top-5 in 2024. She reached the round of 32 in the 2024 US Girls Junior and was in the top-5 at the California Women's Amateur.

Photos: AJGA, Instagram

Our next talented trio includes two Californians and one Floridian. Ziyi 'Alice' Zhao had finished in the top-5 at the 2025 AJGA Mizuho Americas Open and the 2023 Rolex Tournament of Champions and the top-10 at two additional AJGA invitationals, the 2023 Junior PGA, and the 2024 Dustin Johnson. She lifted the trophy at the 2023 Notah Begay National Championship and has an AJGA open win on her resume. Zhao also reached match play in the last two US Girls Juniors. Eliana Saga has made some recent moves up leaderboards, with a top-5 showing at the AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions and top-10s at the 2024 Ping and Annika Invitationals. A 2024 US Women's Amateur qualifier, Saga also has two AJGA open wins and two invitational top-15 finishes. She shows incredible consistency with only one finish outside the top-20 in a major junior event in the past year. Amelie Zalsman achieved her first major win at the 2024 AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions, adding to a resume that includes top-5 finishes at both the 2024 & 2025 Nelly Invitationals and top-10s at the 2024 AJGA Rolex Girls Junior and the 2025 Junior Invitational. Zalsman reached the round of 32 at the 2024 US Girls Junior and was in the top-10 at the 2025 Orlando International Amateur.

Other athletes to keep an eye on are Jenna Kim, Donina Zhou, and Asia Young. Kim had impressive top-5 finishes at the 2025 Dustin Johnson and at the 2024 California Women's Amateur. Zhou has two top-15 finishes in AJGA invitationals and has one AJGA open win. Young had a recent AJGA open win in addition to two JGAA wins and a PKBGT win in the past year.

Internationally, China's Kaili Xiao is a player to keep an eye on. She plays in the US and has one AJGA open win in 2024 in addition to a top-10 and a top-15 in AJGA invitationals. Xiao qualified to match play at the 2024 US Girls Junior and her biggest accomplishment is a top-20 finish in the Asia Pacific Amateur.

Look for our first rankings for the class of 2027 at the beginning of June!

Photo: Concord Clayton Pioneer