ST. CATHARINES, Ont. – France sits atop the team leaderboard after shooting a collective 7-under to lead Colombia by three following the opening round of the 2025 World Junior Girls Golf Championship at St. Catharines Golf & Country Club in St. Catharines, Ont.
Alice Kong fired an opening round 5-under 67 to not only help put France ahead but also take the lead in the individual competition as well. Teammate Giselle Zhao’s 2-under 70 also counted towards the team score on Wednesday. Louise Landgraf closed her day with a 2-over 74 for France. The two lowest scores count towards the team’s combined total for the day.
France’s Coach Marine Monnet-Melocco praised her team’s spirit as an important factor for a strong opening day but cautioned there is a long way to go.
“We appreciate the day. They respect the plan, they respect the process, they respect everything. They fight on every shot, and I am very happy, but it’s not finished, it’s only one round.”
Monnet-Melocco added that while the course is not easy, both Kong and Zhao knew when and when not to be aggressive. Monet-Melocco followed Landgraf on Wednesday and while her score did not contribute on the day, her coach was pleased with the finish, “she fought on every shot and finished minus one on the last four holes and that was really good because we are three on the team and it’s very important,” said Monnet-Melocco.
Last year, France finished in a tie for fourth, matching their best finish in championship history which was previously reached in 2015 and 2017.
Right behind the leaders is Colombia, who held the lead throughout the opening round before finishing three back at 4-under. All three members of Colombia were under par, led by Valeria Rubio who held the clubhouse lead briefly following a 3-under 69. Both Luciana Medina Ramos and Maria Errichetto shot rounds of 1-under 71.
Colombia Coach Paola Moreno said her team is very happy to be competing in St. Catharines, “it’s a high-class event so for us to have under par rounds it’s fantastic and we’re truly truly happy.
“There’s a lot of golf left, to be honest. It was a great start, we can be happy for today but be ready for tomorrow. It’s three more days and so many amazing teams here, super talented, we just have to keep our heads in the game and play well,” she added.
The Republic of Korea currently sits in third at 3-under. Seojin Park, the lone returning player from last year’s championship winning team led the way with a 3-under 69, while Yun Seon Yang’s even par 72 also counted toward the team total. The defending champions are also represented by Yeonseo Kim (2-over 74).
Past champions, Italy and Spain are tied for fourth at 2-under to round out the top five. Team Canada 1 currently sits in eighth at 1-over while Team Canada 2 is tied for ninth with Austria at 2-over.
Team Canada 1 is represented by Shauna Liu of Maple, Ont. (1-under 71), Clairey Lin of Langley, B.C. (2-over 74) and Michelle Xing of Richmond Hill, Ont. (3-over 75).
Team Canada 2 is comprised of Clara Ding of White Rock, B.C. (even par 72), Kendria Wang of Vancouver, B.C. (2-over 74) and Eileen Park of Red Deer, Alta. (3-over 75).
In the individual competition, Kong set the tone early in the day, opening with an eagle on the par 4 first hole and followed it up with back-to-back birdies to sit 4-under through three. While Kong cited being “stressed at the driving range” all was quickly forgotten with her eagle.
“I played so good on the first hole, my drive was great and hit my wedge, it was a good shot, and my coach was watching it, and she was like yes, it’s so good and I watched the ball rolling slowly…I was so happy, it was a good start,” said Kong.
Kong closed her front nine at 3-under as the individual leaderboard constantly changed throughout the morning and early afternoon. She recorded eight consecutive pars from Nos. 9 through 16 before two close approach shots allowed her to close with back-to-back birdies and put both herself and her team into the lead. Kong echoed her coach’s comments on the spirit of the team.
“They are the best teammates, we are such a great team, our coach is super good also and the goal is to win,” added Kong.
Kong is playing in her second consecutive World Junior Girls Golf Championship, and while she had fun with her team last year, she was dealing with jet lag and went on to finish in 20th individually.
“I love this tournament, so I am very happy to be here one more time,” she said.
Rubio and Park are trailing Kong by two-shots heading into Thursday. Rubio shook off what she described as a “difficult” start with the driver to finish strong, highlighted with an eagle on the par 4 11th.
“I had great putts, my eagle at 11 was a great drive into the green and then a great putt. I just kept going and I had a lot of fun on the course today and I think it was an amazing round.”
Rubio competed in last year’s event, finishing T57 and helped Colombia finish 15th, she was complimentary of her team’s opening round.
“Very good performance, we are a very good team and help each other and that is key about being a team is that you can support each other,” she added.
Charlotte Naughton (England), Adriana Garcia Terol (Spain) and Zhao are tied for fourth at 2-under. Liu and five others are tied for seventh at 1-under.
In total, a field of 23 teams, 69 players in total are competing for the team and individual championships. The individual champion will receive an exemption into the 2026 CPKC Women’s Open, taking place at Royal Mayfair Golf Club in Edmonton, Alta., August 17-23, 2026. The top three players and ties will also earn exemptions into the 112th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO, taking place at The Toronto Golf Club in Mississauga, Ont., July 20-24, 2026.
Several players who have competed in the World Junior Girls Golf Championship have gone on to great success on the LPGA Tour. Canadian Brooke Henderson, a 14-time LPGA Tour winner and Canada’s winningest professional golfer, finished fourth in the individual competition at the inaugural championship in 2014.
Other notable competitors who went on to become LPGA Tour winners include Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand who won back-to-back World Junior titles in 2018 and 2019 as well as Yuka Saso of the Philippines who won the 2016 World Junior title. 2023 CPKC Women’s Open winner, Megan Khang of the United States competed in the inaugural tournament in 2014. Other former World Junior competitors who have gone on to win on the LPGA Tour include Hannah Green of Australia and Maja Stark and Linn Grant of Sweden. Hye-Jin Choi from the Republic of Korea won both the 2015 team and individual championship at the World Junior Girls Golf Championship and has earned several top five finishes on the LPGA Tour.
For the both the team and individual leaderboard, following the opening round of the 2025 World Junior Girls Golf Championship, please click here.
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