Yealimi Noh is having quite a memorable July, and all before her 17th birthday this month.
Just to recap - She started July by taking home the Girls Junior PGA Championship at Kearney Hill in Lexington, KY. One week later, she rode off - literally (pictured right) - with the US Girls Junior Amateur at Poppy Hills in Pebble Beach. To top it off, it was announced that she earned a spot in this year's Junior Ryder Cup in September. Not bad for a birthday month.
With so many recent victories, you may think Yealimi has become somewhat immune to getting nervous, but she says she's no stranger to the feeling. So, how does she stay so calm, cool, and collected?
A lot can be attributed to how early she began playing competitive golf. At the age of nine she started competing in Junior Tour of Northern California (JTNC) events which she said introduced her to Youth on Course. "I used [my] Youth on Course [membership] a lot when I had practice rounds because I could get a cheaper price, which helped a lot because tournaments are expensive," she said.
Most recently, Yealimi's friend, and past JTNC member, Yoonhee Kim volunteered to caddie for Yealimi at the US Girls and she was very thankful for that. "It's so great to have a friend on the bag. She kept me calm and we had a lot of laughs on the course." said Yealimi. *Shout out to Yoonhee*
Yoonhee is just one of the many friends and people that golf has introduced Yealimi to over the years. Yealimi says, "through junior golf I've met all of my best friends. I've met so many people from around the world."
She wasn't kidding - she even met our own Youth on Course Board Chair, Dave Baker (pictured left) at a tournament in Northern California in 2015.
As the rest of her year continues to fill with junior golf tournaments, she envisions that one day she will be playing in the LPGA Tour. There's no doubt Yealimi has a bright future ahead of her, and she has everyone at Youth on Course cheering her on!