Lucy Li, an 11 year old living in Redwood Shores, made golf history on May 19 when she became the youngest person to ever qualify for the Women’s U.S. Open Championship.
Li is a sixth grader who, according to the San Mateo Daily Journal, qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship last year, and also won the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship at Augusta National. Li is the younger sister of former Carlmont student Luke Li.
Finigan Tilly, a sophomore who plays for the Carlmont golf team, knows Li personally. Tilly said, “At a young age, Lucy has been working hard, and she has had her eye on the goal. She mentioned to me before that she wanted to get into the U.S. Open, and she succeeded.”
To qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open, a prestigious achievement, indicates great dedication in a golfer, particularly at age 11.
Tilly said, “She dedicates almost all of her time and effort into improving, all she wants to do is play golf. She deserves the place she is in right now.”
Sophomore Vincent Todesco said, “I think it’s fantastic that [Li] got into the U.S. Open at such a young age. I think that that shows a lot of dedication, and a love of the sport that she plays if she is making achievements like that.”
With her qualification, Li replaced the previous youngest qualifier Lexi Thompson, who qualified for the Women’s U.S. Open as a 12-year-old in 2007.
Golf is a very unique sport in the manner in which it is played, by swinging clubs with precision and accuracy rather than using large amounts of physical exertion like sports such as soccer or football.
This opens up the door for young talented players such as Li to compete with professionals many times her age, but similar in skill level, which would be difficult in any other physical sport due to a difference in stature.
Muscles aren’t all you need to play sports, shown by Li’s feats.
Junior Andy Gross, also on the Carlmont golf team knows what it takes to achieve goals in golf. Gross said, “I feel that it is a great accomplishment for her. It’s so hard to succeed in golf, so she has obviously worked hard everyday to get to where she is. To be good, you have to play a lot. To be great, you have to practice every single day.”